Speaker 1: The adventure of the three Garydebs. It may have been
Speaker 1: a comedy, or it may have been a tragedy. It
Speaker 1: costs one man his reason, it cost me a blood letting,
Speaker 1: and it cost yet another man the penalties of the law.
Speaker 1: Yet there was certainly an element of comedy. Well, you
Speaker 1: shall judge for yourselves. I remember the date very well,
Speaker 1: for it was in the same month that Holmes refused
Speaker 1: a knighthood for services which may perhaps some day be described.
Speaker 1: I only refer to the matter in passing, for in
Speaker 1: my position of partner and confidante, I am obliged to
Speaker 1: be particularly careful to avoid any indiscretion. I repeat, however,
Speaker 1: that this enables me to fix the date, which was
Speaker 1: the latter end of June nineteen o two, shortly after
Speaker 1: the conclusion of the South African War. Holmes had spent
Speaker 1: several days in bed, as was his habit from time
Speaker 1: to time, but he emerged that morning with a long
Speaker 1: fool's cap document in his hand and a twinkle of
Speaker 1: amusement in his austere gray eyes. There is a chance
Speaker 1: for you to make some money, friend, Watson, said he,
Speaker 1: have you ever heard the name of garydeb I admitted
Speaker 1: that I had not. Well, if you can lay your
Speaker 1: hand upon a garydeb there's money in it. Why ah,
Speaker 1: that's a long story, rather a whimsical one too. I
Speaker 1: don't think in all our explorations of human complexities, we
Speaker 1: have ever come upon anything more singular. The fellow will
Speaker 1: be here presently for cross examination, so I won't open
Speaker 1: the matter up till he comes. But meanwhile, that's the
Speaker 1: name we want. The telephone directory lay on the table
Speaker 1: beside me, and I turned over the pages in a
Speaker 1: rather hopeless quest. But my amazement there was this strange
Speaker 1: name in its due place. I gave a cry of triumph.
Speaker 1: Here you are Holmes. Here it is Holmes. Took the
Speaker 1: book from my hand, garydeb n. He read one hundred
Speaker 1: and thirty six little writer Street West. Sorry to disappoint you,
Speaker 1: my dear Watson, but this is the man himself. That
Speaker 1: is the address upon his letter. We want another to
Speaker 1: match him. Missus Hudson had come in with a card
Speaker 1: upon a tray. I took it up and glanced at it.
Speaker 1: Why here it is, I cried, in amazement. This is
Speaker 1: a different initial. John garrydeb counselor at law, Morville, Kansas,
Speaker 1: U S. A. Holmes smiled as he looked at the card.
Speaker 1: I am afraid you must make yet another effort, Watson
Speaker 1: said he But this gentleman is also in the plot already,
Speaker 1: though I certainly did not expect to see him this morning. However,
Speaker 1: he is in a position to tell us a good deal,
Speaker 1: which I want to know. A moment later he was
Speaker 1: in the room. Mister John garrideb, Counselor at law, was
Speaker 1: a short, powerful man with the round, fresh, clean shaven
Speaker 1: face characteristic of so many American men of affairs. The
Speaker 1: general effect was chubby and rather childlike, so that one
Speaker 1: received the impression of quite a young man with a
Speaker 1: broad set smile upon his face. His eyes, however, were arresting.
Speaker 1: Seldom in any human head of I seen a pair
Speaker 1: which bespoke a more intense inward life. So bright were
Speaker 1: they so alert, so responsive to every change of thought.
Speaker 1: His accent was American, but was not accompanied by any
Speaker 1: eccentricity of speech. Mister Holmes, he asked, glancing from one
Speaker 1: to the other. Ah, yes, your pictures are not unlike you, sir,
Speaker 1: If I may say so, I believe you have had
Speaker 1: a letter from my namesake, mister Nathan Garydeb, Have you
Speaker 1: not praise it down? Said Sherlock Holmes. We shall, I
Speaker 1: fancy have a good deal to discuss. He took up
Speaker 1: his sheets of fool's cap. You are, of course thee
Speaker 1: mister John Garydeb, mentioned in this document. But surely you
Speaker 1: have been in England some time? Why do you say that,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes. I seem to read sudden suspicion in those
Speaker 1: expressive eyes. Your whole outfit is English, mister garadeb forced
Speaker 1: to laugh. I have read of your tricks, mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: but I never thought I would be subject of them.
Speaker 1: Where do you read that the shoulder cut of your coat,
Speaker 1: the toes of your boots could any one undoubted? Well? Well,
Speaker 1: I had no idea. I was so obvious a Britisher.
Speaker 1: But business brought me over here some time ago. And
Speaker 1: so as you say, my outfit is nearly all London. However,
Speaker 1: I guess your time is of value. And we did
Speaker 1: not meet to talk about the cut of my socks?
Speaker 1: What about getting down to that paper you hold in
Speaker 1: your hand. Holmes had in some way ruffled our visitor,
Speaker 1: whose chubby face had assumed a far less amiable expression. Patience. Patience,
Speaker 1: mister Garydeb, said my friend in a soothing voice. Dr
Speaker 1: Watson would tell you that these little digressions of mine
Speaker 1: sometimes prove in the end to have some bearing on
Speaker 1: the matter. But why did mister Nathan Garydeb not come
Speaker 1: with you? Why did he ever drag you into it
Speaker 1: at all? Asked our visitor, with a sudden outflame of anger,
Speaker 1: What in thunder had you to do with it? Here
Speaker 1: was a bit of professional business between two gentlemen, and
Speaker 1: one of them, as needs call in a detective. I
Speaker 1: saw him this morning and he told me this full
Speaker 1: trick he had played me, and that's why I'm here.
Speaker 1: But I feel bad about it all the same. There
Speaker 1: was no reflection upon you, mister Garydem. It was simply
Speaker 1: zeal upon his part to gain your end, an end
Speaker 1: which is I understand, equally vital for both of you.
Speaker 1: He knew that I had means of getting information, and
Speaker 1: therefore it was very natural that he should apply to me.
Speaker 1: Our visitor's angry face gradually cleared. Well, that puts it different,
Speaker 1: said he. When I went to see him this morning
Speaker 1: and he told me he had sent to a detective.
Speaker 1: I just asked for your address and came right away.
Speaker 1: I don't want police budding into a private matter. But
Speaker 1: if you are contentious to help us find the man,
Speaker 1: there can be no harm in that. Well, that is
Speaker 1: just how it stands, said Holmes. And now, sir, since
Speaker 1: you are here, we had best have a clear account
Speaker 1: from your own lips. My friend here knows nothing of
Speaker 1: the details, mister Garydeb surveyed me, with not too friendly
Speaker 1: a gaze. Need he know, he asked, We usually worked together. Well,
Speaker 1: there's no reason it should be kept a secret. I'll
Speaker 1: give you the facts as short as I can make them.
Speaker 1: If you came from Kansas, I would not need to
Speaker 1: explain to you who Alexander Hamilton Garydeb was. He made
Speaker 1: his money in real estate and afterwards in the wheat
Speaker 1: pit at Chicago. But he spent it buying up as
Speaker 1: much land as would make one of your counties. Lying
Speaker 1: along the Arkansas River west of Fort Dodge, It's grazing
Speaker 1: land and lumber land, and arable land and mineralized land,
Speaker 1: and just every sort of land that brings dollars to
Speaker 1: the man that owns it. He had no kith nor kin,
Speaker 1: or if he had, I never heard of it. But
Speaker 1: he took a kind of pride in the queerness of
Speaker 1: his name. That's what brought us together. I was in
Speaker 1: the law at Tepeak, and one day I had a
Speaker 1: visit from the old man, and he was tickled to
Speaker 1: death to meet another man with his own name. It
Speaker 1: was his pet fad, and he was dead set to
Speaker 1: find out if there were any more Garydbs in the world.
Speaker 1: Find me another, said he. I told him I was
Speaker 1: a busy man and could not spend my life hiking
Speaker 1: round the world in search of Garydebs. None the less,
Speaker 1: said he, that is just what you will do if
Speaker 1: things pan out as I planned them. I thought he
Speaker 1: was joking, but there was a powerful lot of meaning
Speaker 1: in the words, as I was soon to discover, for
Speaker 1: he died within a year of saying them, and he
Speaker 1: left a will behind him. It was the queerest will
Speaker 1: that has ever been filed in the state of Kansas.
Speaker 1: His property was divided into three parts, and I was
Speaker 1: to have one on condition that I found two Garrydebs
Speaker 1: who would share the remainder. It's five million dollars for
Speaker 1: each if it is a cent, but we can't lay
Speaker 1: a finger on it until we all all three stand
Speaker 1: in a row. It was so big a chance that
Speaker 1: I'd just let my legal practice slide. And I set
Speaker 1: forth looking for Garydebs. There is not one in the
Speaker 1: United States. I went through it, sir, with a fine
Speaker 1: toothed comb, and never a garydeb could I catch. Then
Speaker 1: I tried the old country. Sure enough, there was the
Speaker 1: name in the London telephone directory. I went after him
Speaker 1: two days ago and explained the whole matter to him.
Speaker 1: But he is a lone man, like myself, with some
Speaker 1: women relations, but no men. It says three adult men
Speaker 1: in the will. So you see, we still have a vacancy,
Speaker 1: and if you can help to fill it, we will
Speaker 1: be very ready to pay your charges. Well, Watson, said
Speaker 1: Holmes with a smile. I said it was rather whimsical,
Speaker 1: did I not? I should have thought, sir, that your
Speaker 1: obvious way was to advertise in the agony columns of
Speaker 1: the papers. I have done that, mister Holmes, no, replies
Speaker 1: dear me, Well, it is certainly a most curious little problem.
Speaker 1: I may take a glance at it in my leisure.
Speaker 1: By the way, it is curious that you should have
Speaker 1: come from Topeka. I used to have a correspondent. He
Speaker 1: is dead now, old doctor Lysander Starr, who was mayor
Speaker 1: in eighteen ninety. Good old doctor Starr said, our visitor,
Speaker 1: his name is still honored. Well, mister Holmes, I suppose
Speaker 1: all we can do is to report to you and
Speaker 1: let you know how we progress. I reckon you will
Speaker 1: hear within a day or two. With this assurance, our
Speaker 1: American bowed and departed. Holmes had lit his pipe, and
Speaker 1: he sat for some time with a curious smile upon
Speaker 1: his face. Well, I asked at last, I am wondering, Watson,
Speaker 1: just wondering, but what Holmes took his pipe from his lips.
Speaker 1: I was wondering, Watson, what on earth could be the
Speaker 1: object of this man in telling us such a rigmarole
Speaker 1: of lies. I nearly asked him so, for there are
Speaker 1: times when a brutal, frontal attack is the best policy.
Speaker 1: But I judged it better to let him think he
Speaker 1: had fooled us. Here is a man with an English
Speaker 1: coat frayed at the elbow, and trousers bagged at the
Speaker 1: knee with a year's wear, And yet by this document
Speaker 1: and by his own account, he is a provincial American,
Speaker 1: lately landed in London. There have been no advertisements in
Speaker 1: the agony columns. You know I miss nothing there. They
Speaker 1: are my favorite covet for putting up a bird, and
Speaker 1: I would never have overlooked such a cock pheasant as that.
Speaker 1: I never knew a doctor Lysander Star of Topeka. Touch
Speaker 1: him where you would? He was false. I think the
Speaker 1: fellow is really an American, but he has worn his
Speaker 1: accent smooth with years of London. What is his game, then,
Speaker 1: and what motive lies behind this preposterous search for Garydeb's
Speaker 1: It's worth our attention for granting that the man is
Speaker 1: a rascal. He is certainly a complex and ingenious one.
Speaker 1: We must now find out if our other correspondent is
Speaker 1: a fraud also just ring him up, Watson. I did
Speaker 1: so and heard a thin, quavering voice at the other
Speaker 1: end of the line. Yes, yes, I am mister Nathan
Speaker 1: garydeb is mister Holmes there. I should very much like
Speaker 1: to have a word with mister Holmes. My friend took
Speaker 1: the instrument, and I heard the usual syncopated dialogue. Yes,
Speaker 1: he has been here. I understand that you don't know him.
Speaker 1: How long? Only two days? Yes, yes, of course it
Speaker 1: is a most captivating prospect. Will you be at home
Speaker 1: this evening? I suppose your namesake will not be there.
Speaker 1: Very good, We will come then, for I would rather
Speaker 1: have a chat without him. Dr Watson will come with me.
Speaker 1: I understand from your note that you did not go
Speaker 1: out often. Well, we shall be round about six. You
Speaker 1: need not mention it to the American lawyer. Very good, goodbye.
Speaker 1: It was twilight of a lovely spring evening, and even
Speaker 1: Little Ryder Street, one of the smaller offshoots from the
Speaker 1: Edgeware Road, within a stonecast of old Tyburn Tree of
Speaker 1: Evil Memory, looked golden and wonderful in the slanting rays
Speaker 1: of the setting sun. The particular house to which we
Speaker 1: were directed was a large, old fashioned Early Georgian edifice
Speaker 1: with a flat brick face broken only by two deep
Speaker 1: bay windows on the ground floor. It was on this
Speaker 1: ground floor that our client lived, and indeed the low
Speaker 1: window proved to be the front of the huge room
Speaker 1: in which he spent his waking hours. Holmes pointed as
Speaker 1: we passed to the small brass plate which bore the
Speaker 1: curious name up some years Watson, he remarked, indicating its
Speaker 1: discolored surface. It's his real name, anyhow, and that is
Speaker 1: something to note. The house had a common stare and
Speaker 1: there were a number of names painted in the hall,
Speaker 1: some indicating offices and some private chambers. It was not
Speaker 1: a collection of residential flats, but rather the abode of
Speaker 1: bohemian bachelors. Our client opened the door for us himself
Speaker 1: and apologized by saying that the woman in charge left
Speaker 1: at four o'clock. Mister Nathan garydeb proved to be a
Speaker 1: very tall, loose jointed, round backed person, gaunt and baled
Speaker 1: some sixty odd year years of age. He had a
Speaker 1: cadaverous face with the dull, dead skin of a man
Speaker 1: to whom exercise was unknown. Large round spectacles and a
Speaker 1: small projecting goat's beard combined with his stooping attitude to
Speaker 1: give him an expression of peering curiosity. The general effect, however,
Speaker 1: was amiable, though eccentric. The room was as curious as
Speaker 1: its occupant. It looked like a small museum. It was
Speaker 1: both broad and deep, with cupboards and cabinets all round,
Speaker 1: crowded with specimens. Geological and anatomical cases of butterflies and
Speaker 1: moths flanked each side of the entrance. A large table
Speaker 1: in the center was littered with all sorts of debris,
Speaker 1: while the tall brass tube of a powerful microscope bristled
Speaker 1: up among them. As I glanced round, I was surprised
Speaker 1: at the universality of the man's entrists. Here was a
Speaker 1: case of ancient coins. There was a cabinet of flint instruments.
Speaker 1: Behind his central table was a large cupboard of fossil bones.
Speaker 1: Above was a line of plaster skulls with such names
Speaker 1: as Neanderthal, Heidelberg, chro Magnon printed beneath them. It was
Speaker 1: clear that he was a student of many subjects as
Speaker 1: he stood in front of us. Now he held a
Speaker 1: piece of chamois leather in his right hand, with which
Speaker 1: he was polishing a coin syracusan of the best period,
Speaker 1: he explained, holding it up. They degenerated greatly towards the end.
Speaker 1: At their best, I hold them supreme, though some prefer
Speaker 1: the Alexandrian school. You will find a chair here, mister Holmes.
Speaker 1: Pray allow me to clear these bones, and you, sir ah, yes,
Speaker 1: doctor Watson, if you would have the goodness to put
Speaker 1: the Japanese vase to one side. You see round me
Speaker 1: my little interests in life. My doctor lectures me about
Speaker 1: never going out, But why should I go out when
Speaker 1: I have so much to hold me here. I can
Speaker 1: assure you that the adequate catalogging of one of those
Speaker 1: cabinets would take me three good months. Holmes looked round
Speaker 1: him with curiosity. But do you tell me that you
Speaker 1: never go out, he said, now and again, I drive
Speaker 1: down to Southerbis or Christie's. Otherwise I very seldom leave
Speaker 1: my room. I am not too strong, and my researches
Speaker 1: very absorbing. But you can imagine, mister Holmes, what a
Speaker 1: terrific shock, pleasant but terrific it was for me when
Speaker 1: I heard of this unparalleled good fortune. It only needs
Speaker 1: one more grideb to complete the matter, and surely we
Speaker 1: can find one. I had a brother, but he is dead,
Speaker 1: and female relatives are disqualified. But there must surely be
Speaker 1: others in the world. I had heard that you handled
Speaker 1: strange cases, and that was why I sent to you.
Speaker 1: Of course, this American gentleman is quite right, and I
Speaker 1: should have taken his advice first, But I acted for
Speaker 1: the best. I think you acted very wisely, indeed, said Holmes,
Speaker 1: But are you really anxious to acquire an estate in America?
Speaker 1: Certainly not, sir. Nothing would induce me to leave my collection.
Speaker 1: But this gentleman has assured me that he will buy
Speaker 1: me out as soon as we have established our claim.
Speaker 1: Five million dollars was the sum named. There are a
Speaker 1: dozen specimens in the market at the present moment which
Speaker 1: fill gaps in my collection, and which I am unable
Speaker 1: to purchase for want of a few hundred pounds. Just
Speaker 1: think what I could do with five million dollars. Why
Speaker 1: I have the nucleus of a national collection. I should
Speaker 1: be the hands sloan of my age. His eyes gleamed
Speaker 1: behind his great spectacles. It was very clear that no
Speaker 1: pains would be spared by mister Nathan garydeb in finding
Speaker 1: a namesake. I merely called to make your acquaintance, and
Speaker 1: there is no reason why I should interrupt your studies,
Speaker 1: said Holmes. I prefer to establish personal touch with those
Speaker 1: with whom I do business. There are few questions I
Speaker 1: need to ask for. I have your very clear narrative
Speaker 1: in my pocket, and I filled up the blanks when
Speaker 1: this American gentleman called, I understand that up to this
Speaker 1: week you were unaware of his existence. That is so
Speaker 1: he called last Tuesday. Did he tell you of our
Speaker 1: interview to day? Yes, he came straight back to me.
Speaker 1: He had been very angry. Why should he be angry?
Speaker 1: He seemed to think it was some reflection on Hi
Speaker 1: his honor, But he was quite cheerful again when he returned.
Speaker 1: Did he suggest any course of action, No, sir, he
Speaker 1: did not. Has he had or asked for any money
Speaker 1: from you? No, sir, never you see no possible object
Speaker 1: he has in view, none except what he states. Did
Speaker 1: you tell him of our telephone appointment? Yes, sir, I did.
Speaker 1: Holmes was lost in thought. I could see that he
Speaker 1: was puzzled. Have you any articles of great value in
Speaker 1: your collection? No, sir, I am not a rich man.
Speaker 1: It is a good collection, but not a very valuable one.
Speaker 1: You have no fear of burglars, not the least. How
Speaker 1: long have you been in these rooms? Nearly five years?
Speaker 1: Holmes's cross examination was interrupted by an imperative knocking at
Speaker 1: the door. No sooner had our client unlatched it than
Speaker 1: the American lawyer burst excitedly into the room. Here you are,
Speaker 1: he cried, waving a paper over his head. I thought
Speaker 1: I should be in time to get you, mister Nathan garadeb.
Speaker 1: My congratulations. You are a rich man, sir. Our business
Speaker 1: is happily finished and all is well. As to you,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, we can only say we are sorry if
Speaker 1: we have given you any useless trouble. He handed over
Speaker 1: the paper to our client, who stood staring at a
Speaker 1: marked advertisement. Holmes and I leaned forward and read it
Speaker 1: over his shoulder. This is how it ran, Howard garrydeb
Speaker 1: constructor of agricultural machinery, binders, reapers, steam at hand, plows, drills, harrows,
Speaker 1: farmer's carts, buck boards, and all other appliances. Estimates for
Speaker 1: Arteesian wells apply, Grosvenor Building's aston glorious, gasped our host.
Speaker 1: That makes our third man. I had opened up inquiries
Speaker 1: in Birmingham, said the American, and my agent there has
Speaker 1: sent me this vertisement from a local paper. We must
Speaker 1: hustle and put the thing through. I have written to
Speaker 1: this man and told him that you will see him
Speaker 1: in his office tomorrow afternoon at four o'clock. You want
Speaker 1: me to see him? What do you say, mister Holmes?
Speaker 1: Don't you think it would be wiser? Here? Am I
Speaker 1: a wandering American with a wonderful tale. Why should he
Speaker 1: believe what I tell him? But you are a Britisher
Speaker 1: with solid references and he is bound to take notice
Speaker 1: of what you say. I would go with you if
Speaker 1: you wished, but I have a very busy day tomorrow,
Speaker 1: and I could always follow you if you are in
Speaker 1: any trouble. Well, I have not made such a journey
Speaker 1: for years. It is nothing, mister Garrydab I have figured
Speaker 1: out our connections. You leave at twelve and should be
Speaker 1: there soon after two. Then you can be back the
Speaker 1: same night. All you have to do is to see
Speaker 1: this man, explain the matter, and get an affidavid of
Speaker 1: his existence by the Lord. He added, considering I've come
Speaker 1: all the way from the center of America. It is
Speaker 1: surely little enough if you go one hundred miles in
Speaker 1: order to put this matter through. Quite so, said Holmes.
Speaker 1: I think what this gentleman says is very true. Mister
Speaker 1: Nathan garydeb shrugged his shoulders with a disconsolate air. Well,
Speaker 1: if you insist, I shall go, said he. It is
Speaker 1: certainly hard for me to refuse you anything, considering the
Speaker 1: glory of hope that you have brought into my life.
Speaker 1: Then that is agreed, said Holmes, And no doubt you
Speaker 1: will let me have a report as soon as you can.
Speaker 1: I'll see to that said the American. Well, he added,
Speaker 1: looking at his watch, I'll have to get on. I'll
Speaker 1: call tomorrow, mister Nathan and see you after Birmingham coming
Speaker 1: my way, mister Holmes, Well then goodbye, and we may
Speaker 1: have good news for you tomorrow night. I noticed that
Speaker 1: my friend's face cleared when the American left the room,
Speaker 1: and the look of thoughtful perplexity had vanished. I wish
Speaker 1: I could look over your collection, mister Garry Dabb, said he.
Speaker 1: In my profession, all sorts of odd knowledge comes useful,
Speaker 1: and this room of yours is a storehouse of it.
Speaker 1: Our client shone with pleasure, and his eyes gleamed from
Speaker 1: behind his big glasses. I had always heard, sir, that
Speaker 1: you were a very intelligent man, said he. I could
Speaker 1: take you round now, if you have the time. Unfortunately
Speaker 1: I have not. But these specimens are so well labeled
Speaker 1: and classified that they hardly need your personal explanation. If
Speaker 1: I should be able to look in to morrow, I
Speaker 1: presume that there would be no objection to my glancing
Speaker 1: over them. Not at all. You are most welcome. The
Speaker 1: place will of course be shut up, But missus Saunders
Speaker 1: is in the basement up to four o'clock and would
Speaker 1: let you in with her key. Well, I happen to
Speaker 1: be clear to morrow afternoon. If you would say a
Speaker 1: word to missus Saunders, it would be quite in order.
Speaker 1: By the way, who is your house agent? Our client
Speaker 1: was amazed at the sudden question. Holloway and steel in
Speaker 1: the Edgeware Road. But why, I am a bit of
Speaker 1: an archeologist myself when it comes to houses, said Holmes, laughing.
Speaker 1: I was wondering if this was Queen Anne or Georgean
Speaker 1: Georgean beyond doubt. Really I should have thought a little earlier.
Speaker 1: However it is easily ascertained. Well, good bye, mister Garrydebb,
Speaker 1: and may you have every success in your Birmingham journey.
Speaker 1: The house agents was close by, but we found that
Speaker 1: it was closed for the day, so we made our
Speaker 1: way back to Baker Street. It was not till after
Speaker 1: dinner that Holmes reverted to the subject. Our little problem
Speaker 1: draws to a close, said he. No doubt you have
Speaker 1: outlined the solution, and your own mind, I can make
Speaker 1: neither head nor tail of it. The head is surely
Speaker 1: clear enough, and the tale we should see to morrow.
Speaker 1: Did you notice nothing curious about that advertisement? I saw
Speaker 1: that the word plow was misspelled. Oh you did notice that,
Speaker 1: did you come, Watson? You improve all the time? Yes,
Speaker 1: it was bad English, but good American. The printer had
Speaker 1: set it up as received. Then the buckboards that is
Speaker 1: American also, and Artesian wells are commoner with them than
Speaker 1: with us. It was a typical American advertisement, but purporting
Speaker 1: to be from an English firm. What do you make
Speaker 1: of that? I can only suppose that this American lawyer
Speaker 1: put it in himself. What his object was I failed
Speaker 1: to understand. Well, there are alternative explanations. Anyhow, he wanted
Speaker 1: to get this good old fossil up to Birmingham. That
Speaker 1: is very clear. I might have told him that he
Speaker 1: was clearly going on a wild goose chaise, but on
Speaker 1: second thoughts, it seemed better to clear the stage by
Speaker 1: letting him go to morrow. Watson, Well, to morrow, we'll
Speaker 1: speak for itself. Holmes was up and out early. When
Speaker 1: he returned at lunch time, I noticed that his face
Speaker 1: was very grave. This is a more serious matter than
Speaker 1: I had expected, Watson said he It is fair to
Speaker 1: tell you so, though I know it will only be
Speaker 1: an additional reason to you for running your head into danger.
Speaker 1: I should know my Watson by now, but there is danger,
Speaker 1: and you should know it well. It is not the
Speaker 1: first we have shared, Holmes, I hope it may not
Speaker 1: be the last. What is the particular danger? This time?
Speaker 1: We are up against a very hard case. I have
Speaker 1: identified mister John Garrydebb, counselor at law. He is none
Speaker 1: other than Killer Evans, of sinister and murderous reputation. I
Speaker 1: fear I am none the wiser. Ah, it is not
Speaker 1: part of your profession to carry about a portable Newgate
Speaker 1: calendar in your memory. I have been down to see
Speaker 1: friend Lestrade at the yard. There may be an occasional
Speaker 1: want of imaginative intuition down there, but they lead the
Speaker 1: world for thoroughness and method. I had an idea that
Speaker 1: we might get on the track of our American friend
Speaker 1: in their records. Sure enough I found his chubby face
Speaker 1: smiling up at me from the rogue's portrait gallery. James
Speaker 1: Winter alias Morecroft, alias Killer Evans was the inscription below.
Speaker 1: Holmes drew an envelope from his pocket. I scribbled down
Speaker 1: a few points from his dossier. Aged forty four, native
Speaker 1: of Chicago, known to have shot three men in the States,
Speaker 1: escaped from penitentiary through political influence, came to London in
Speaker 1: eighteen ninety three, shot a man over cards in a
Speaker 1: nightclub in the Waterloo Road in January eighteen ninety five.
Speaker 1: Man died, but he was shown to have been the
Speaker 1: aggressor in the row. Dead man was identified as Roger Prescott,
Speaker 1: famous as Forger and coiner in Chicago. Killer Evans, released
Speaker 1: in nineteen oh one, has been under police supervision since,
Speaker 1: but so far as known, has led an honest life.
Speaker 1: Very dangerous man usually carries arms and is prepared to
Speaker 1: use them. That is our bird, Watson, a sporting bird,
Speaker 1: as you must admit. But what is his game? Well
Speaker 1: it begins to define itself. I have been to the
Speaker 1: house agents. Our client, as he told us, has been
Speaker 1: there five years. It was unlet for a year before then.
Speaker 1: The previous ten was a gentleman at large named Waldron.
Speaker 1: Waldron's appearance was well remembered at the office. He had
Speaker 1: suddenly vanished and nothing more been heard of him. He
Speaker 1: was a tall bearded man with very dark features. Now Prescott,
Speaker 1: the man whom killer Evans had shot, was, according to
Speaker 1: Scotland Yard, a tall, dark man with a beard as
Speaker 1: a working hypothesis. I think we may take it that Prescott,
Speaker 1: the American criminal, used to live in the very room
Speaker 1: which our innocent friend now devotes to his museum. So
Speaker 1: at last we get a link, you see, and the link, well,
Speaker 1: we must go now and look for that. He took
Speaker 1: a revolver from the drawer and handed it to me.
Speaker 1: I have my old favorite with me. If our wild
Speaker 1: West friend tries to live up to his nickname, we
Speaker 1: must be ready for him. I'll give you an hour
Speaker 1: for a siesta, Watson, and then I think it will
Speaker 1: be time for our rider Street adventure. It was just
Speaker 1: four o'clock when we reached the curious apartment of Nathan Garrideb.
Speaker 1: Missus Saunders, the caretaker, was about to leave, but she
Speaker 1: had no hesitation in admitting us. For the door shut
Speaker 1: with a spring lock, and Holmes promised to see that
Speaker 1: all was safe before we left. Shortly afterwards, the outer
Speaker 1: door closed, her bonnet passed the bow window, and we
Speaker 1: knew that we were alone. In the lower floor of
Speaker 1: the house. Holmes made a rapid examination of the premises.
Speaker 1: There was one cupboard in a dark corner which stood
Speaker 1: out a little from the wall. It was behind this
Speaker 1: that we eventually crouched while Holmes, in a whisper outlined
Speaker 1: his intentions. He wanted to get our amiable friend out
Speaker 1: of his room. That is very clear, and as the
Speaker 1: collector never went out, it took some planning to do it.
Speaker 1: The whole of this Garydab invention was apparently for no
Speaker 1: other end. I must say, Watson, that there is a
Speaker 1: certain devilish ingenuity about it. Even if the queer name
Speaker 1: of the tenant did give him an opening which he
Speaker 1: could hardly have expected. He wove his plot with remarkable cunning.
Speaker 1: But what did he want? Well, that is what we
Speaker 1: are here to find out. It has nothing whatever to
Speaker 1: do with our client, so far as I can read
Speaker 1: the situation. It is something connected with the man he murdered,
Speaker 1: the man who may have been his confederate in crime.
Speaker 1: There is some guilty secret in the room, that is
Speaker 1: how I read it. At first, I thought our friend
Speaker 1: might have something in his collection more valuable than he knew,
Speaker 1: something worth the attention of a big criminal. But the
Speaker 1: fact that Roger Prescott of evil men Memory inhabited these
Speaker 1: rooms points to some deeper reason. Well, Watson, we can
Speaker 1: but possess our souls in patience and see what the
Speaker 1: hour may bring. That hour was not long in striking.
Speaker 1: We crouched closer in the shadow as we heard the
Speaker 1: outer door open and shut. Then came the sharp metallic
Speaker 1: snap of a key, and the American was in the room.
Speaker 1: He closed the door softly behind him, took a sharp
Speaker 1: glance around him to see that all was safe, threw
Speaker 1: off his overcoat and walked up to the central table
Speaker 1: with the brisk manner of one who knows exactly what
Speaker 1: he has to do and how to do it. He
Speaker 1: pushed the table to one side, tore up the square
Speaker 1: of carpet on which it rested, rolled it completely back,
Speaker 1: and then, drawing a jemmy from his inside pocket, he
Speaker 1: knelt down and worked vigorously upon the floor. Presently we
Speaker 1: heard the sound of sliding boards, and an instant later
Speaker 1: a square had opened in the planks. Killer Evans struck
Speaker 1: a match, lit a stump of candle, and vanished from
Speaker 1: our view. Clearly our moment had come. Holmes touched my
Speaker 1: wrist as a signal, and together we stole across to
Speaker 1: the open trap door. Gently as we moved. However, the
Speaker 1: old floor must have creaked under our feet, for the
Speaker 1: head of our American, peering anxiously round, emerged suddenly from
Speaker 1: the open space. His face turned upon us with a
Speaker 1: glare of baffled rage, which gradually softened into a rather
Speaker 1: shamefaced grin as he realized that two pistols were pointed
Speaker 1: at his head. Well, well, said he coolly, as he
Speaker 1: scrambled to the surface. I guess you have been one
Speaker 1: too many for me. Mister Holmes saw through my game,
Speaker 1: I suppose, and played me for a sucker from the
Speaker 1: first Well, sir, I hand it to you. You have
Speaker 1: me beat, And in an instant he had whisked out
Speaker 1: a revolver from his breast and had fired two shots.
Speaker 1: I felt a sudden hot sear, as if a red
Speaker 1: hot iron had been pressed to my thigh. There was
Speaker 1: a crash as Holmes's pistol came down on the man's head.
Speaker 1: I had a vision of him sprawling upon the floor
Speaker 1: with blood running down his face, while Holmes rummaged him
Speaker 1: for weapons. Then my friend's wiry arms were round me
Speaker 1: and he was leading me to a chair. You're not hurt, Watson,
Speaker 1: for God's sake, say that you are not hurt. It
Speaker 1: was worth a wound. It was worth many wounds to
Speaker 1: know the depth of loyalty and love which lay behind
Speaker 1: that cold mask. The clear, hard eyes were dimmed for
Speaker 1: a moment, and the firm lips were shaking. For the
Speaker 1: one and only time, I caught a glimpse of a
Speaker 1: great heart, as well as of a great brain. All
Speaker 1: my years of humble but single minded service culminated in
Speaker 1: that moment of revelation. It's nothing, Holmes, It's a mere scratch.
Speaker 1: He had ripped up my trousers with his pocket knife.
Speaker 1: You are right, he cried, with an immense sigh of relief.
Speaker 1: It is quite superficial. His face set like flint as
Speaker 1: he glared at our prisoner, who was sitting up with
Speaker 1: a dazed face. By the Lord, it is as well
Speaker 1: for you. If you had killed Watson, you would not
Speaker 1: have got out of this room alive. Now, sir, what
Speaker 1: have you to say for yourself? He had nothing to
Speaker 1: say for himself. He only sat and scowled. I leaned
Speaker 1: on Holmes's arm, and together we looked down into the
Speaker 1: small cellar, which had been disclosed by the secret flap.
Speaker 1: It was still illuminated by the candle, which Evans had
Speaker 1: taken down with him. Our eyes fell upon a mass
Speaker 1: of rusted machinery, great rolls of paper, a litter of bottles,
Speaker 1: and neatly arranged upon a small table, a number of
Speaker 1: neat little bundles, a printing press, A counterfeiter's outfit, said Holmes. Yes, sir,
Speaker 1: said our prisoner, staggering slowly to his feet, and then
Speaker 1: sinking into the chair. The greatest counterfeiter London ever saw.
Speaker 1: That's Prescott's machine, and those bundles on the table, and
Speaker 1: two thousand of Prescott's notes, worth a hundred each, and
Speaker 1: fit to pass anywhere. Help yourselves, gentlemen, call it a deal,
Speaker 1: and let me beat it, Holmes laughed. We don't do
Speaker 1: things like that, mister Evans. There is no boat hole
Speaker 1: for you in this country. You shot this man Prescott,
Speaker 1: did you not, Yes, sir, and got five years for it,
Speaker 1: though it was he who pulled on me, five years
Speaker 1: when I should have had a medal the size of
Speaker 1: a soup plate. No living man could tell a press
Speaker 1: Scot from a bank of England, And if I hadn't
Speaker 1: put him out, he would have flooded London with them.
Speaker 1: I was the only one in the world who knew
Speaker 1: where he made them? Can you wonder that I wanted
Speaker 1: to get to the place, And can you wonder that
Speaker 1: when I found this crazy boob of a bug hunter
Speaker 1: with the queer name squatting right on the top of it,
Speaker 1: never quitting his room, I had to do the best
Speaker 1: I could to shift him. Maybe I would have been
Speaker 1: wiser if I had put him away. It would have
Speaker 1: been easy enough. But I'm a soft hearted guy that
Speaker 1: can't begin shooting unless the other man has a gun. Also,
Speaker 1: But say, mister Holmes, what have I done wrong anyhow?
Speaker 1: I've not used this plant, I've not hurt this old stiff.
Speaker 1: Where do you get me? Only attempted murder so far
Speaker 1: as I can see, said Holmes. But that's not our job.
Speaker 1: They take that at the next stage. What we wanted
Speaker 1: at present was just your sweet self. Please give the
Speaker 1: yard a call, Watson. It won't be entirely unexpected. So
Speaker 1: those were the facts about Killer Evans and his remarkable
Speaker 1: invention of the three Garydebs. We heard later that our
Speaker 1: poor old friend never got over the shock of his
Speaker 1: dissipated dreams. When his castle in the air fell down.
Speaker 1: It buried him beneath the ruins. He was last heard
Speaker 1: of at a nursing home in Brixton. It was a
Speaker 1: glad day at the yard when the Prescott outfit was discovered,
Speaker 1: for though they knew that it existed, they had never
Speaker 1: been able after the death of the man to find
Speaker 1: out where it was. Evans had indeed done great service
Speaker 1: and caused several worthy cid men to sleep the sounder,
Speaker 1: for the counterfeiter stands in a class by himself as
Speaker 1: a public danger. They would willingly have subscribed to that
Speaker 1: souper plate metal of which the criminal had spoken, but
Speaker 1: an unappreciative bench took a less favorable view, and the
Speaker 1: killer returned to those shades from which he had just emerged.
Speaker 1: That is the end of the Adventure of the Three
Speaker 1: Garydebs by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, read by Greg Wagland,
Speaker 1: Magpie Audio twenty twenty. Please subscribe to my channel, Sherlock
Speaker 1: Holmes Stories, Magpie Audio. Thank you.