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Speaker 1: The Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton. It is years since

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the incidents of which I speak took place, and yet

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it is with diffidence that I allude to them. For

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a long time, even with the utmost discretion and reticence,

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it would have been impossible to make the facts public.

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But now the principal person concerned is beyond the reach

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of human law, and with due suppression, the story may

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be told in such fashion as to injure no one.

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It records an absolutely unique experience in the career, both

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of mister Sherlock Holmes and of myself. The reader will

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excuse me if I concealed the date or any other

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fact by which he might trace the actual occurrence. We

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had been out for one of our evening rambles Homes

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and I and had returned about six o'clock on a cold,

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frosty winter's evening. As Holmes turned up the lamp, the

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light fell upon a card on the table. He glanced

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at it, and then, with an ejaculation of disgusted, threw

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it on the floor. I picked it up and read,

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Charles Augustus Milverton Appledore Towers Hampstead Agent. Who is he?

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I asked the worst man in London. Holmes answered, as

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he sat down and stretched his legs before the fire.

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He is anything on the back of the card. I

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turned it over. We'll call at six thirty see a

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m I read hum he's about you. Do you feel

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a creeping, shrinking sensation, Watson? When you stand before the

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serpents in the zoo and see the slithery, gliding, venomous

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creatures with their deadly eyes and wicked, flattened faces, Well,

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that's how Milverton impresses me. I've had to do with

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fifty murderers in my career, but the worst of them

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never gave me the repulsion which I have for this fellow.

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And yet I can't get out of doing business with him. Indeed,

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he's here at my invitation. But who is he? I'll

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tell you, Watson. He is the king of all the blackmailers.

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Heaven help the man, and still more the woman whose

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secret and reputation come into the power of Milverton. With

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a smiling face and a heart of marble, he will

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squeeze and squeeze until he has drained them dry. The

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fellow is a genius in his way, and would have

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made his mark in some more savory trade. His method

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is as follows. He allows it to be known that

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he is prepared to pay very high sums for letters

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which compromise people of wealth and position. He receives these

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wares not only from treacherous valets or maids, but frequently

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from genteel ruffians who have gained the confidence and affection

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of trusting women. He deals with no niggard hand. I

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happen to know that he paid seven hundred pounds to

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a footman for a note two lines in length, and

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that the ruin of a noble family was the result.

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Everything which is in the market goes to Milverton. And

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there are hundreds in this great city who turn white

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at his name. No one knows where his grip may fall,

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for he is far too rich and far too cunning

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to work from hand to mouth. He will hold a

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card back for years in order to play it at

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the moment when the stake is best worth winning. I've

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said that he is the worst man in London, and

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I would ask you how could one compare the ruffian who,

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in hot blood bludgeons his mate with this man who

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methodically and it is leisure tortures the soul and wrings

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the nerves in order to add to his already swollen

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money bags. I had seldom heard my friends speak with

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such intensity of feeling, But surely, said I, the fellow

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must be within the grasp of the law. Technically, no doubt,

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but practically not. What would it profit a woman, for example,

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to get him a few months imprisonment, if her own

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ruin must immediately follow his victims, dare not hit back?

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If ever he blackmailed an innocent person, then indeed we

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should have him. But he is as cunning as the

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evil one. No, no, we must find other ways to

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fight him. And why is he here? Because an illustrious

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client has placed her piteous case in my hands. It

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is the lady Eva Blackwell, the most beautiful debutante of

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last season. She is to be married in a fortnight

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to the Earl of Dovercourt. This fiend has several imprudent

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letters imprudent Watson, nothing worse, which were written to an

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impecunious young squire in the country, they would suffice to

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break off the match. Milverton will send the letters to

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the Earl unless a large sum of money is paid him.

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I have been commissioned to meet him, and to make

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the best terms I can. At that instant there was

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a clatter and the rattle in the street below. Looking down,

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I saw a stately carriage and pair the brilliant lamps

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gleaming on the glossy haunches of the noble chestnuts. A

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footman opened the door, and a small, stout man in

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a shaggy Astrakhan overcoat descended. A minute later he was

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in the room. Charles Augustus Milverton was a man of fifty,

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with a large intellectual head, a round, plump, hairless face,

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a perpetual frozen smile, and two keen gray eyes which

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gleamed brightly from behind broad gold rimmed glasses. There was

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something of mister Pickwick's benevolence in his appearance, marred only

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by the insincerity of the fixed smile and by the

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hard glitter of those restless and penetrating eyes. His voice

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was as smooth and suave as his countenance, as he

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advanced with a plump little hand extended, murmuring his regret

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for having missed us at his first visit. Holmes disregarded

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the outstretched hand and looked at him with a face

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of granite. Milverton's smile broadened. He shrugged his shoulders, removed

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his overcoat, folded it with great deliberation over the back

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of a chair, and then took a seat. This gentleman

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said he with a wave in my direction. Is it discreet?

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Is it right? Dr Watson is my friend and partner.

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Very good, mister Holmes. It is only in your client's

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interests that I protested. The matter is so very delicate.

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Dr Watson has already heard of it. Then we can

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proceed to business. Say that your acting for lady Eva,

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has she empowered you to accept my terms? What are

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your terms? Seven thousand pounds and the alternative? My dear sir,

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it is painful for me to discuss it, but if

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the money is not paid on the fourteenth, there certainly

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will be no marriage on the eighteenth. His insufferable smile

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was more complaisant than ever. Holmes thought, for a while,

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you appear to me, he said, at last, to be

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taking matters too much. For granted, I am, of course

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familiar with the contents of these letters. My client will

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certainly do what I may advise. I shall counsel her

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to tell her future husband the whole story and to

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trust to his generosity. Milverton chuckled, You evidently do not

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know the Earl, said he. From the baffled look upon

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her Holmes's face, I could see clearly that he did.

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What harm is there in the letters? He asked? They

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are sprightly, very sprightly. Milverton answered, the lady was a

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charming correspondent. But I can assure you that the Earl

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of Dovercourt would fail to appreciate them. However, since you

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think otherwise, we'll let it rest at that. It is

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purely a matter of business. If you think that it

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is in the best interests of your client that these

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letters should be placed in the hands of the Earl,

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then you would indeed be foolish to pay so large

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a sum of money to regain them. He rose and

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seized his Astrakhan coat. Holmes was gray with anger and mortification.

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Wait a little, he said, you go too fast. We

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should certainly make every effort to avoid scandal in so

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delicate a matter. Milverton relapsed into his chair. I was

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sure that you would see it in that light, he purred.

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At the same time, Holmes continued, Lady Eva is not

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a wealthy woman. I assure you that two thousand pounds

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would be a drain upon her resources, and that the

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sum you name is utterly beyond her power. I beg therefore,

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that you will moderate your demands, and that you will

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return the letters at the price I indicate, which is,

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I assure you the highest that you can get. Milverton's

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smile broadened and his eyes twinkled humorously. I am aware

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that what you say is true about the lady's resources,

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said he. At the same time, you must admit that

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the occasion of a lady's marriage is a very suitable

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time for her friends and relatives to make some little

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effort upon her behalf. They may hesitate as to an

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acceptable wedding present. Let me assure them that this little

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bundle of letters would give more joy than all the

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candelarbra and butter dishes in London. It is impossible, said Holmes.

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Dear me, dear me, how unfortunate, cried Milverton, taking out

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a bulky pocket book. I cannot help thinking that ladies

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are ill advised in not making an effort. Look at this.

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He held up a little note with a coat of

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arms upon the envelope that belongs to well, perhaps it

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is hardly fair to tell the name until to morrow morning.

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But at that time it will be in the hands

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of the lady's husband, and all because she will not

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find a beggarly sum which she could get by turning

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her diamonds into paste. It is such a pity. Now

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you remember the sudden end of the engagement between the

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honorable Miss Miles and Colonel Dorking. Only two days before

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the wedding, there was a paragraph in the Morning Post

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to say that it was all off, and why it

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is almost incredible. But the absurd sum of twelve hundred

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pounds would have settled the whole question. Is it not pitiful?

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And here I find you a man of sense, boggling

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about terms when your client's future and honor are at stake.

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You surprise me, mister Holmes. What I say is true,

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Holmes answered, the money cannot be found. Surely it is

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better for you to take the substantial sum which I offer,

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and to ruin this woman's career, which can profit you

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in no way. There you make a mistake, mister Holmes.

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An exposure would profit me indirectly to a considerable extent.

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I have eight or ten similar cases, maturing if it

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was circulated among them that I had made a severe

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example of the lady Eva, I should find all of

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them much more open to reason. You see my point?

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Holmes sprang from his chair. Get behind him, Watson, don't

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let him out now, sir, let us see the contents

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of that note book. Milberton had glided as quickly as

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a rat to the side of the room and stood

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with his back against the wall. Mister Holmes, Mister Holmes,

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he said, turning the front of his coat and exhibiting

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the butt of a large revolver, which projected from the

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inside pocket. I have been expecting you to do something original.

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This has been done so often, and what good has

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ever come from it. I assure you that I am

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armed to the teeth, and I am perfectly prepared to

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use my weapons, knowing that the law will support me. Besides,

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your supposition that I would bring the letters here in

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a note book is entirely mistaken. I would do nothing

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so foolish. And now, gentlemen, I have one or two

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little interviews this evening, and it is a long drive

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to Hampstead. He stepped forward, took up his coat, laid

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his hand on his revolver and turned to the door.

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I picked up a chair, but Holmes shook his head,

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and I laid it down again with bow, a smile

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and a twinkle. Milverton was out of the room, and

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a few moments after we heard the slam of the

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carriage door and the rattle of the wheels as he

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drove away. Holmes sat motionless by the fire, his hands

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buried deep in his trouser pockets, his chin sunk upon

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his breast, his eyes fixed upon the glowing embers. For

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half an hour. He was silent and still. Then, with

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the gesture of a man who has taken his decision,

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he sprang to his feet and passed into his bedroom.

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A little later, a rakish young workman with a goatey

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beard and a swagger, lit his clay pipe at the

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lamp before descending into the street. I'll be back some time, Watson,

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said he, and vanished into the night. I understood that

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he had opened his campaign against Charles Augustus Milverton, but

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I little dreamed the strange shape which that campaign was

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destined to take. For some days Holmes came and went

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at all hours in this attire, but beyond the remark

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that his time was spent at Hampstead, and that it

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was not wasted. I knew nothing of what he was doing.

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At last, However, on a wild, tempestuous evening, when the

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wind screamed and rattled against the windows, he returned from

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his last expedition, and having removed his disguise, he sat

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before the fire and laughed heartily in his sight inward fashion.

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You would not call me a marrying man, Watson. No, indeed,

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you will be interested to hear that I am engaged,

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my dear fellow, I congret to Milverton's housemaid, Good heavens, Holmes,

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I wanted information, Watson. Surely you've gone too far. It

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was a most necessary step. I am a plumber with

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a rising business, Escott by name. I have walked out

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with her each evening, and I have talked with her.

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Good heavens those talks, however, I have got all I wanted.

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I know Milverton's house as I know the palm of

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my hand. But the girl, Holmes, he shrugged his shoulders.

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You can't help it, my dear Watson. You must play

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your cards as best you can when such a stake

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is on the table. However, I rejoice to say that

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I have a hated rival who will certainly cut me

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out the instant that my back is turned. What a

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splendid night it is. You like this weather? It suits

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my purpose, Watson, I mean to burgle Milverton's house to night.

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I had a catching of the breath, and my skin

240
00:16:18,080 --> 00:16:20,679
went cold at the words, which were slowly uttered in

241
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a tone of concentrated resolution. As a flash of lightning

242
00:16:25,159 --> 00:16:27,559
in the night shows up in an instant every detail

243
00:16:27,639 --> 00:16:31,639
of a wild landscape. So at one glance I seem

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00:16:31,679 --> 00:16:35,799
to see every possible result of such an action, the detection,

245
00:16:36,440 --> 00:16:41,480
the capture, the honored career, ending in irreparable failure and disgrace,

246
00:16:42,200 --> 00:16:46,440
my friend himself lying at the mercy of the odious Milverton.

247
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For Heaven's sake, Holmes, think what you're doing, I cried,

248
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my dear fellow. I have given it every consideration. I

249
00:16:58,120 --> 00:17:01,679
am never precipitate in my actions, nor would I adopt

250
00:17:01,799 --> 00:17:06,319
so energetic, and indeed so dangerous a course if any

251
00:17:06,359 --> 00:17:09,799
other were possible. Let us look at the matter clearly

252
00:17:09,839 --> 00:17:13,720
and fairly. I suppose that you admit that the action

253
00:17:13,920 --> 00:17:19,519
is morally justifiable, though technically criminal. To burgle his house

254
00:17:19,599 --> 00:17:22,000
is no more than to forcibly take his pocket book,

255
00:17:22,559 --> 00:17:25,319
an action in which you were prepared to aid me.

256
00:17:26,519 --> 00:17:30,440
I turned it over in my mind. Yes, I said,

257
00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:34,559
it is morally justifiable, so long as our object is

258
00:17:34,599 --> 00:17:37,160
to take no articles, save those which are used for

259
00:17:37,200 --> 00:17:44,240
an illegal purpose. Exactly since it is morally justifiable, I

260
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have only to consider the question of personal risk. Surely

261
00:17:48,240 --> 00:17:51,559
a gentleman should not lay much stress upon this. When

262
00:17:51,599 --> 00:17:54,599
a lady is in most desperate need of his help,

263
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you will be in such a false position. Well, that

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is part of the risk. There is no other possible

265
00:18:01,960 --> 00:18:05,720
way of regaining those letters. The unfortunate lady is not

266
00:18:05,839 --> 00:18:07,759
the money, and there are none of her people in

267
00:18:07,799 --> 00:18:10,839
whom she could confide to Morrow is the last day

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of grace, and unless we can get the letters to night,

269
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this villain will be as good as his word and

270
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will bring about her ruin. I must therefore abandon my

271
00:18:20,559 --> 00:18:24,440
client to her fate, or I must play this last

272
00:18:24,559 --> 00:18:29,960
card between ourselves. Watson, it's a sporting duel between this

273
00:18:30,079 --> 00:18:33,440
fellow Milverton and me. He had, as you saw, the

274
00:18:33,480 --> 00:18:37,599
best of the first exchanges. But my self, respect and

275
00:18:37,759 --> 00:18:43,720
my reputation are concerned to fight it to a finish. Well,

276
00:18:43,759 --> 00:18:46,079
I don't like it, but I suppose it must be,

277
00:18:46,519 --> 00:18:51,359
said I, when do we start? You are not coming?

278
00:18:52,559 --> 00:18:55,519
Then you are not going? Said I. I give you

279
00:18:55,599 --> 00:18:57,680
my word of honor, and I never broke it in

280
00:18:57,720 --> 00:18:59,880
my life that I will take a cab straight to

281
00:19:00,119 --> 00:19:02,200
the police station and give you a way. Unless you

282
00:19:02,319 --> 00:19:06,359
let me share this adventure with you. You can't help me.

283
00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:10,039
How do you know that you can't tell what may

284
00:19:10,079 --> 00:19:14,519
happen anyway? My resolution is taken other people. Besides, you

285
00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:20,519
have self respect and even reputations. Holmes had looked annoyed,

286
00:19:20,759 --> 00:19:25,480
but his brow cleared and he clapped me on the shoulder. Well, well,

287
00:19:25,559 --> 00:19:29,400
my dear fellow, be it so we have shared this

288
00:19:29,519 --> 00:19:32,440
same room for some years, and it would be amusing

289
00:19:32,440 --> 00:19:36,000
if we ended by sharing the same cell. You know, Watson,

290
00:19:36,599 --> 00:19:38,720
I don't mind confessing to you that I have always

291
00:19:38,759 --> 00:19:40,799
had an idea that I would have made a highly

292
00:19:40,839 --> 00:19:44,680
efficient criminal. This is the chance of my lifetime in

293
00:19:44,720 --> 00:19:48,640
that direction. See here he took a neat little leather

294
00:19:48,680 --> 00:19:51,599
case out of a drawer, and opening it, he exhibited

295
00:19:51,599 --> 00:19:55,559
a number of shining instruments. This is a first class,

296
00:19:55,680 --> 00:19:59,799
up to date burgling kit with nickel plated Jemmy, diamond

297
00:20:00,000 --> 00:20:04,880
lipped glass cutter, adaptable keys, and every modern improvement which

298
00:20:04,920 --> 00:20:09,359
the March of civilization demands. Here too is my dark lantern.

299
00:20:10,319 --> 00:20:13,480
Everything is in order. Have you a pair of silent shoes?

300
00:20:14,799 --> 00:20:18,799
I have rubber soled tennis shoes excellent, and a mask.

301
00:20:19,759 --> 00:20:22,960
I can make a couple out of black silk. I

302
00:20:23,000 --> 00:20:25,559
can see that you have a strong natural turn for

303
00:20:25,599 --> 00:20:29,960
this sort of thing. Very good? Do you make the masks?

304
00:20:30,559 --> 00:20:33,200
We shall have some cold supper before we start. It

305
00:20:33,279 --> 00:20:36,680
is now nine thirty. At eleven. We shall drive as

306
00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:39,480
far as Church Row. It is a quarter of an

307
00:20:39,480 --> 00:20:43,079
hour's walk from there to apple Doore Towers. We shall

308
00:20:43,119 --> 00:20:46,720
be at work before midnight. Milverton is a heavy sleeper

309
00:20:47,160 --> 00:20:51,440
and retires punctually at ten thirty. With any luck, we

310
00:20:51,480 --> 00:20:54,319
should be back here by two. With the lady Eva's

311
00:20:54,400 --> 00:20:58,680
letters in my pocket. Holmes and I put on our

312
00:20:58,759 --> 00:21:01,160
dress clothes so that we might appear to be two

313
00:21:01,359 --> 00:21:05,799
theater goers. Homeward bound in Oxford Street, we picked up

314
00:21:05,799 --> 00:21:09,200
a hansom and drove to an address in Hampstead. Here

315
00:21:09,240 --> 00:21:12,559
we paid off our cab and with our greatcoats buttoned up,

316
00:21:12,640 --> 00:21:15,279
for it was bitterly cold, and the wind seemed to

317
00:21:15,279 --> 00:21:18,119
blow through us. We walked along the edge of the heath.

318
00:21:19,480 --> 00:21:24,039
It's a business that needs delicate treatment, said Holmes. These

319
00:21:24,079 --> 00:21:28,160
documents are contained and safe in the fellow's study, and

320
00:21:28,200 --> 00:21:32,519
the study is the ante room of his bedchamber. On

321
00:21:32,559 --> 00:21:36,319
the other hand, like all these stout little men who

322
00:21:36,359 --> 00:21:42,000
do themselves well, he is a plethoric sleeper. Agatha, that's

323
00:21:42,039 --> 00:21:45,079
my fiance, says. It is a joke in the servants

324
00:21:45,160 --> 00:21:48,599
hall that it's impossible to wake the master. He has

325
00:21:48,640 --> 00:21:51,599
a secretary who is devoted to his interests and never

326
00:21:51,680 --> 00:21:55,440
budges from the study all day. That's why we're going

327
00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:58,559
at night. Then he has a beast of a dog

328
00:21:59,000 --> 00:22:02,799
which roams the guard. I met Agatha late the last

329
00:22:02,799 --> 00:22:05,799
two evenings, and she locks the brute up so as

330
00:22:05,799 --> 00:22:08,799
to give me a clear run. This is the house,

331
00:22:09,319 --> 00:22:12,519
this big one, in its own grounds. Through the gate

332
00:22:12,960 --> 00:22:15,960
now to the right, among the laurels, we might put

333
00:22:16,000 --> 00:22:18,920
on our masks here. I think you see there is

334
00:22:18,920 --> 00:22:21,079
not a glimmer of light in any of the windows,

335
00:22:21,640 --> 00:22:27,519
and everything is working splendidly. With our black silk face coverings,

336
00:22:27,799 --> 00:22:30,359
which turned us into two of the most truculent figures

337
00:22:30,359 --> 00:22:33,559
in London. We stole up to the silent, gloomy house,

338
00:22:34,640 --> 00:22:37,839
a sort of tiled verandah extended along one side of it,

339
00:22:38,279 --> 00:22:43,319
lined by several windows and two doors. That's his bedroom,

340
00:22:43,640 --> 00:22:48,240
Holmes whispered. This door opened straight into the study. It

341
00:22:48,240 --> 00:22:51,319
would suit us best, but it is bolted as well

342
00:22:51,359 --> 00:22:54,319
as locked, and we should make too much noise getting in.

343
00:22:56,640 --> 00:23:00,759
Come round here. There's a greenhouse which opened into the

344
00:23:00,880 --> 00:23:05,119
drawing room. The place was locked, but Homes removed a

345
00:23:05,160 --> 00:23:09,039
circle of glass and turned the key from the inside.

346
00:23:09,079 --> 00:23:12,160
An instant afterwards, he had closed the door behind us,

347
00:23:12,519 --> 00:23:15,000
and we had become felons in the eyes of the law.

348
00:23:16,160 --> 00:23:19,279
The thick, warm air of the conservatory and the rich,

349
00:23:19,400 --> 00:23:24,000
choking fragrance of exotic plants took us by the throat.

350
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He seized my hand in the darkness and led me

351
00:23:27,400 --> 00:23:31,079
swiftly past banks of shrubs which brushed against our faces.

352
00:23:32,119 --> 00:23:37,039
Holmes had remarkable powers, carefully cultivated of seeing in the dark.

353
00:23:38,039 --> 00:23:40,720
Still holding my hand in one of his, he opened

354
00:23:40,720 --> 00:23:42,799
a door, and I was vaguely conscious that we had

355
00:23:42,960 --> 00:23:45,640
entered a large room in which a cigar had been

356
00:23:45,640 --> 00:23:50,079
smoked not long before. He felt his way among the furniture,

357
00:23:50,640 --> 00:23:55,079
opened another door and closed it behind us, putting out

358
00:23:55,119 --> 00:23:58,079
my hand, I felt several coats hanging from the wall,

359
00:23:58,880 --> 00:24:02,039
and I understood that I was in a passage. We

360
00:24:02,119 --> 00:24:05,039
passed along it, and Homes very gently opened the door

361
00:24:05,079 --> 00:24:08,559
upon the right hand side. Something rushed out at us,

362
00:24:08,559 --> 00:24:11,440
and my heart sprang into my mouth, but I could

363
00:24:11,440 --> 00:24:14,000
have laughed when I realized that it was the cat.

364
00:24:15,200 --> 00:24:18,000
A fire was burning in this new room, and again

365
00:24:18,039 --> 00:24:22,359
the air was heavy with tobacco smoke. Holmes entered on tiptoe,

366
00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:26,519
waited for me to follow, and then very gently closed

367
00:24:26,559 --> 00:24:31,000
the door. We were in Milverton's study, and a portiere

368
00:24:31,119 --> 00:24:35,319
at the farther side showed the entrance to his bedroom.

369
00:24:35,720 --> 00:24:38,640
It was a good fire, and the room was illuminated

370
00:24:38,640 --> 00:24:41,400
by it. Near the door, I saw the gleam of

371
00:24:41,440 --> 00:24:45,039
an electric switch, but it was unnecessary, even if it

372
00:24:45,079 --> 00:24:48,319
had been safe to turn it on. At one side

373
00:24:48,359 --> 00:24:51,279
of the fireplace was a heavy curtain which covered the

374
00:24:51,319 --> 00:24:55,720
bay window we had seen from outside. On the other

375
00:24:55,799 --> 00:25:00,319
side was the door which communicated with the verandah deesque

376
00:25:00,359 --> 00:25:03,200
stood in the center with a turning chair of shining

377
00:25:03,240 --> 00:25:07,319
red leather. Opposite was a large bookcase with a marble

378
00:25:07,359 --> 00:25:11,000
bust of athene on the top. In the corner between

379
00:25:11,000 --> 00:25:14,400
the bookcase and the wall, there stood a tall green safe,

380
00:25:15,119 --> 00:25:18,799
the firelight flashing back from the polished brass knobs upon

381
00:25:18,799 --> 00:25:23,000
its face. Home stole across and looked at it. Then

382
00:25:23,039 --> 00:25:25,519
he crept to the door of the bedroom and stood

383
00:25:25,519 --> 00:25:32,240
with slanting head, listening intently. No sound came from within. Meanwhile,

384
00:25:32,240 --> 00:25:33,920
it had struck me that it would be wise to

385
00:25:33,920 --> 00:25:37,480
secure our retreat through the outer door, so I examined it.

386
00:25:38,240 --> 00:25:42,640
To my amazement, it was neither locked nor bolted. I

387
00:25:42,680 --> 00:25:44,960
touched homes on the arm, and he turned his masked

388
00:25:45,000 --> 00:25:48,799
face in that direction. I saw him start, and he

389
00:25:48,839 --> 00:25:53,359
was evidently as surprised as I was. I don't like it,

390
00:25:53,799 --> 00:25:57,000
he whispered, putting his lips to my very ear. I

391
00:25:57,039 --> 00:26:00,599
can't quite make it out anyhow. We have no time

392
00:26:00,599 --> 00:26:05,920
to lose. Can I do anything? Yes, stand by the door.

393
00:26:06,519 --> 00:26:09,640
If you hear anyone come, bolt it on the inside

394
00:26:09,920 --> 00:26:12,400
and we can get away as we came. If they

395
00:26:12,400 --> 00:26:14,759
come the other way, we can get through the door.

396
00:26:14,799 --> 00:26:17,640
If our job is done, or hide behind these window

397
00:26:17,680 --> 00:26:22,440
curtains if it is not, Do you understand? I nodded

398
00:26:22,759 --> 00:26:26,160
and stood by the door. My first feeling of fear

399
00:26:26,200 --> 00:26:29,200
had passed away, and I thrilled now with a keener

400
00:26:29,319 --> 00:26:31,440
zest than I had ever enjoyed when we were the

401
00:26:31,480 --> 00:26:35,799
defenders of the law instead of its defires. The high

402
00:26:35,799 --> 00:26:39,279
object of our mission, the consciousness that it was unselfish

403
00:26:39,279 --> 00:26:44,079
and chivalrous, the villainous character of our opponent, all added

404
00:26:44,119 --> 00:26:48,319
to the sporting interest of the adventure. Far from feeling guilty,

405
00:26:48,839 --> 00:26:52,480
I rejoiced and exalted in our dangers with a glow

406
00:26:52,519 --> 00:26:56,000
of admiration. I watched Holmes unrolling his case of instruments

407
00:26:56,359 --> 00:27:00,359
and choosing his tool with the calm, scientific accuracy a

408
00:27:00,440 --> 00:27:05,279
surgeon who performs a delicate operation. I knew that the

409
00:27:05,319 --> 00:27:08,880
opening of safes was a particular hobby with him, and

410
00:27:09,000 --> 00:27:11,680
I understood the joy which it gave him to be

411
00:27:11,720 --> 00:27:15,680
confronted with this green and gold monster, the dragon which

412
00:27:15,720 --> 00:27:19,440
held in its more the reputations of many fair ladies.

413
00:27:20,759 --> 00:27:23,359
Turning up the cuffs of his dress coat, he had

414
00:27:23,359 --> 00:27:27,559
placed his overcoat on a chair. Homes laid out two drills,

415
00:27:27,920 --> 00:27:31,720
a Gemmy and several skeleton keys. I stood at the

416
00:27:31,759 --> 00:27:34,400
center door, with my eyes glancing at each of the others,

417
00:27:34,920 --> 00:27:39,640
ready for any emergency, though indeed my plans were somewhat

418
00:27:39,759 --> 00:27:42,359
vague as to what I should do if we were interrupted.

419
00:27:43,640 --> 00:27:48,000
For half an hour, Holmes worked with concentrated energy, laying

420
00:27:48,039 --> 00:27:51,880
down one tool, picking up another, handling each with the

421
00:27:51,920 --> 00:27:57,000
strength and delicacy of the trained mechanic. Finally I heard

422
00:27:57,000 --> 00:28:01,880
a click. The broad green door swung open, and inside

423
00:28:02,359 --> 00:28:04,759
I had a glimpse of a number of paper packets,

424
00:28:05,279 --> 00:28:10,359
each tied, sealed and inscribed. Holmes picked one out, but

425
00:28:10,440 --> 00:28:12,640
it was as hard to read by the flickering fire,

426
00:28:13,240 --> 00:28:15,880
and he drew out his little dark lantern, for it

427
00:28:15,920 --> 00:28:19,039
was too dangerous with Milerton in the next room to

428
00:28:19,079 --> 00:28:23,720
switch on the electric light. Suddenly I saw him halt,

429
00:28:24,480 --> 00:28:28,119
listen intently, and then in an instant he had swung

430
00:28:28,160 --> 00:28:30,519
the door of the safe too, picked up his coat,

431
00:28:30,720 --> 00:28:33,319
stuffed his tools into the pockets, and darted behind the

432
00:28:33,359 --> 00:28:37,519
window curtain, motioning me to do the same. It was

433
00:28:37,559 --> 00:28:39,720
only when I had joined him there that I heard

434
00:28:39,759 --> 00:28:43,839
what had alarmed his quicker senses. There was a noise

435
00:28:43,920 --> 00:28:47,400
somewhere within the house. A door slammed in the distance.

436
00:28:48,119 --> 00:28:51,240
Then a confused dull murmur broke itself into the measured

437
00:28:51,279 --> 00:28:55,240
thud of heavy footsteps rapidly approaching. They were in the

438
00:28:55,319 --> 00:29:00,640
passage outside the room. They paused at the door opened.

439
00:29:01,279 --> 00:29:03,799
There was a sharp snick as the electric light was

440
00:29:03,799 --> 00:29:08,119
turned on. The door closed once more, and the pungent

441
00:29:08,160 --> 00:29:11,039
reek of a strong cigar was borne to our nostrils.

442
00:29:12,359 --> 00:29:16,920
Then the footsteps continued backward and forward, backward and forward,

443
00:29:17,440 --> 00:29:20,680
within a few yards of us. Finally there was a

444
00:29:20,720 --> 00:29:24,960
creak from a chair, and the footsteps ceased. Then a

445
00:29:25,039 --> 00:29:27,640
key clicked in a lock, and I heard the rustle

446
00:29:27,680 --> 00:29:31,559
of papers. So far I had not dared to look out,

447
00:29:32,279 --> 00:29:34,799
But now I gently parted the division of the curtains

448
00:29:34,839 --> 00:29:38,640
in front of me and peeped through. From the pressure

449
00:29:38,640 --> 00:29:41,559
of Holmes's shoulder against mine, I knew that he was

450
00:29:41,599 --> 00:29:46,079
sharing my observations. Right in front of us, and almost

451
00:29:46,119 --> 00:29:49,759
within our reach was the broad rounded back of Milverton.

452
00:29:51,160 --> 00:29:54,799
It was evident that we had entirely miscalculated his movements,

453
00:29:55,400 --> 00:29:57,839
that he'd never been to his bedroom, but that he'd

454
00:29:57,839 --> 00:30:00,759
been sitting up in some smoking or billiard room in

455
00:30:00,799 --> 00:30:03,839
the farther wing of the house, the windows of which

456
00:30:03,839 --> 00:30:07,920
we had not seen. His broad, grizzled head with its

457
00:30:07,960 --> 00:30:11,519
shining patch of baldness, was in the immediate foreground of

458
00:30:11,559 --> 00:30:14,720
our vision. He was leaning far back in the red

459
00:30:14,839 --> 00:30:19,720
leather chair, his legs outstretched, a long black cigar projecting

460
00:30:19,759 --> 00:30:22,960
at an angle from his mouth. He wore a semi

461
00:30:22,960 --> 00:30:26,880
military smoking jacket, claret colored with a black velvet collar.

462
00:30:27,720 --> 00:30:31,359
In his hand he held a long legal document which

463
00:30:31,400 --> 00:30:34,759
he was reading in an indolent fashion, blowing rings of

464
00:30:34,799 --> 00:30:38,839
tobacco smoke from his lips as he did so. There

465
00:30:38,880 --> 00:30:41,680
was no promise of a speedy departure. In his composed

466
00:30:41,720 --> 00:30:47,440
bearing and his comfortable attitude. I felt Holmes's hand steal

467
00:30:47,440 --> 00:30:51,240
into mine and give me a reassuring shake, as if

468
00:30:51,279 --> 00:30:53,799
to say that the situation was within his powers and

469
00:30:53,839 --> 00:30:57,119
that he was easy in his mind. I was not

470
00:30:57,200 --> 00:30:59,400
so sure that he'd seen what was only too obvious

471
00:30:59,400 --> 00:31:02,440
from my pers that the door of the safe was

472
00:31:02,519 --> 00:31:07,359
imperfectly closed, and that Milverton might at any moment observe it.

473
00:31:08,680 --> 00:31:11,680
In my own mind, I had determined that if I

474
00:31:11,839 --> 00:31:14,720
was sure from the rigidity of his gaze that it

475
00:31:14,759 --> 00:31:17,960
had caught his eye. I would at once spring out,

476
00:31:18,400 --> 00:31:21,799
throw my greatcoat over his head, pinion him, and leave

477
00:31:21,839 --> 00:31:26,359
the rest to Holmes. But Milverton never looked up. He

478
00:31:26,519 --> 00:31:29,680
was languidly interested by the papers in his hand, and

479
00:31:29,880 --> 00:31:32,880
page after page was turned as he followed the argument

480
00:31:32,960 --> 00:31:36,319
of the lawyer. At least, I thought, when he's finished

481
00:31:36,319 --> 00:31:39,160
the document and the cigar, he will go to his room.

482
00:31:40,240 --> 00:31:42,920
But before he had reached the end of either, there

483
00:31:42,960 --> 00:31:46,960
came a remarkable development which turned our thoughts into quite

484
00:31:47,000 --> 00:31:51,599
another channel. Several times I had observed that Milverton looked

485
00:31:51,599 --> 00:31:54,200
at his watch, and once he had risen and sat

486
00:31:54,279 --> 00:31:59,400
down again with a gesture of impatience. The idea, however,

487
00:31:59,440 --> 00:32:01,880
that he might have an appointment at so strange an hour,

488
00:32:02,039 --> 00:32:05,200
never occurred to me until a faint sound reached my

489
00:32:05,319 --> 00:32:10,119
ears from the verandah outside. Milverton dropped his papers and

490
00:32:10,200 --> 00:32:14,640
sat rigid in his chair. The sound was repeated, and

491
00:32:14,680 --> 00:32:18,160
then there came a gentle tap at the door. Millerton

492
00:32:18,279 --> 00:32:23,319
rose and opened it well, said he curtly, you're nearly

493
00:32:23,359 --> 00:32:27,599
half an hour late. So this was the explanation of

494
00:32:27,640 --> 00:32:31,440
the unlocked door and of the nocturnal vigil of Milverton.

495
00:32:32,960 --> 00:32:35,880
There was the gentle rustle of a woman's dress. I

496
00:32:35,920 --> 00:32:39,319
had closed the slit between the curtains as Milverton's face

497
00:32:39,359 --> 00:32:42,839
had turned in our direction, But now I ventured very

498
00:32:42,880 --> 00:32:46,799
carefully to open it once more. He had resumed his seat,

499
00:32:47,240 --> 00:32:50,240
the cigar still projecting at an insolent angle from the

500
00:32:50,240 --> 00:32:53,759
corner of his mouth. In front of him, in the

501
00:32:53,759 --> 00:32:57,720
full glare of the electric light, there stood a tall, slim,

502
00:32:57,839 --> 00:33:01,599
dark woman, a veil over her face, a mantle drawn

503
00:33:01,680 --> 00:33:05,519
round her chin. Her breath came quick and fast, and

504
00:33:05,640 --> 00:33:10,920
every inch of the lithe figure was quivering with strong emotion. Well,

505
00:33:11,240 --> 00:33:14,559
said Milverton, you made me lose a good night's rest,

506
00:33:14,680 --> 00:33:18,079
my dear. I hope you'll prove worth it. You couldn't

507
00:33:18,079 --> 00:33:22,880
come any other time, eh, The woman shook her head. Well,

508
00:33:22,920 --> 00:33:26,200
if you couldn't, you couldn't. If the Countess is a

509
00:33:26,240 --> 00:33:29,200
hard mistress, you have your chance to get level with her. Now,

510
00:33:30,160 --> 00:33:33,599
bless the girl. What are you shivering about? Now? Write?

511
00:33:33,680 --> 00:33:37,839
Pull yourself together. Now let's get down to business. He

512
00:33:37,880 --> 00:33:39,839
took a note book from the drawer of his desk.

513
00:33:40,839 --> 00:33:44,640
You say that you have five letters which compromise the

514
00:33:44,759 --> 00:33:49,039
Countess Delbert. You want to sell them, I want to

515
00:33:49,119 --> 00:33:53,279
buy them. So far, so good, It only remains to

516
00:33:53,319 --> 00:33:56,880
fix a price. I should want to inspect the letters,

517
00:33:56,880 --> 00:34:02,119
of course, if they're really good specimens, great heavens, is

518
00:34:02,119 --> 00:34:05,599
it you? The woman without a word, had raised her

519
00:34:05,680 --> 00:34:08,920
veil and dropped the mantle from her chin. It was

520
00:34:08,960 --> 00:34:14,039
a dark, handsome, clear cut face which confronted Milverton, a

521
00:34:14,119 --> 00:34:18,960
face with a curved nose, strong dark eyebrows shading hard

522
00:34:19,119 --> 00:34:22,719
glittering eyes, and a straight, thin lipped mouth set in

523
00:34:22,760 --> 00:34:28,400
a dangerous smile. It is I, she said, the woman

524
00:34:28,480 --> 00:34:34,559
whose life you have ruined. Milverton laughed, but fear vibrated

525
00:34:34,599 --> 00:34:38,639
in his voice. You were so very obstinate, said he.

526
00:34:39,119 --> 00:34:42,480
Why did you drive me to such extremities. I assure

527
00:34:42,519 --> 00:34:44,719
you I wouldn't hurt a fly of my own accord,

528
00:34:45,280 --> 00:34:47,559
But every man has his business, and what was I

529
00:34:47,639 --> 00:34:50,480
to do. I put the price well within your means.

530
00:34:50,519 --> 00:34:54,039
You would not pay. So you sent the letters to

531
00:34:54,119 --> 00:34:58,199
my husband, and he the noblest gentleman that ever lived,

532
00:34:58,559 --> 00:35:01,000
a man whose boots I was never worthy to lace.

533
00:35:01,719 --> 00:35:05,920
He broke his gallant heart and died. You remember that

534
00:35:06,079 --> 00:35:08,840
last night, when I came through that door. I begged

535
00:35:08,840 --> 00:35:11,840
and prayed you for mercy, and you laughed in my face.

536
00:35:11,880 --> 00:35:14,960
As you are trying to laugh now. Only your coward

537
00:35:15,039 --> 00:35:18,599
heart can't keep your lips from twitching. Yes, you never

538
00:35:18,639 --> 00:35:21,159
thought to see me here again. But it was that

539
00:35:21,360 --> 00:35:23,400
night which taught me how I could meet you face

540
00:35:23,440 --> 00:35:28,599
to face and alone. Well, Charles Milburton, what have you

541
00:35:28,679 --> 00:35:33,159
to say. Don't imagine that you can bully me, said he,

542
00:35:33,280 --> 00:35:37,079
rising to his feet. I have only to raise my voice,

543
00:35:37,400 --> 00:35:40,000
and I could call my servants and have your rested.

544
00:35:41,000 --> 00:35:44,840
But I'll make allowance for your natural anger. Leave the

545
00:35:44,920 --> 00:35:46,920
room at once as you came, and I will say

546
00:35:46,920 --> 00:35:50,719
no more. The woman stood with her hand buried in

547
00:35:50,760 --> 00:35:54,800
her bosom, and the same deadly smile on her thin lips.

548
00:35:55,480 --> 00:35:58,039
You will ruin no more lives as you have ruined mine.

549
00:35:58,639 --> 00:36:01,199
You will ring no more heart, But as you wrung mine,

550
00:36:01,880 --> 00:36:05,599
I will free the world of a poisonous thing. Take that,

551
00:36:05,840 --> 00:36:10,519
you hound, and that and that and that. She had

552
00:36:10,599 --> 00:36:14,559
drawn a little gleaming revolver and emptied barrel after barrel

553
00:36:14,559 --> 00:36:17,840
into Milverton's body, the muzzle within two feet of his

554
00:36:17,920 --> 00:36:21,599
shirt front. He shrank away, and then fell forward upon

555
00:36:21,639 --> 00:36:26,320
the table, coughing furiously and clawing among the papers. Then

556
00:36:26,360 --> 00:36:29,920
he staggered to his feet, received another shot, and rolled

557
00:36:29,960 --> 00:36:35,079
upon the floor. You've done me, he cried, and lay still.

558
00:36:36,760 --> 00:36:40,000
The woman looked at him intently and ground her heel

559
00:36:40,079 --> 00:36:44,280
into his upturned face. She looked again, but there was

560
00:36:44,320 --> 00:36:48,440
no sound or movement. I heard a sharp rustle the

561
00:36:48,559 --> 00:36:51,760
night air blew into the heated room, and the avenger

562
00:36:51,920 --> 00:36:57,039
was gone. No interference upon our part could have saved

563
00:36:57,039 --> 00:36:59,960
the man from his fate. But as the woman poured

564
00:37:00,079 --> 00:37:03,679
bullet after bullet into Milverton's shrinking body, I was about

565
00:37:03,679 --> 00:37:07,480
to spring out when I felt Holmes's cold, strong grasp

566
00:37:07,559 --> 00:37:11,840
upon my wrist. I understood the whole argument of that firm,

567
00:37:11,920 --> 00:37:16,360
restraining grip, that it was no affair of ours, that

568
00:37:16,679 --> 00:37:19,519
justice had overtaken a villain, that we had our own

569
00:37:19,599 --> 00:37:22,559
duties and our own objects which were not to be

570
00:37:22,639 --> 00:37:26,079
lost sight of. But hardly had the woman rushed from

571
00:37:26,079 --> 00:37:30,360
the room when Holmes, with swift, silent steps, was over

572
00:37:30,400 --> 00:37:32,960
at the other door. He turned the key in the lock.

573
00:37:34,000 --> 00:37:36,519
At the same instant we heard voices in the house

574
00:37:36,719 --> 00:37:40,079
and the sound of hurrying feet the revolver shots had

575
00:37:40,159 --> 00:37:45,000
roused the household with perfect coolness. Holmes slipped across to

576
00:37:45,039 --> 00:37:48,119
the safe, filled his two arms with bundles of letters,

577
00:37:48,440 --> 00:37:52,199
and poured them all into the fire. Again and again.

578
00:37:52,239 --> 00:37:56,000
He did it until the safe was empty. Some one

579
00:37:56,119 --> 00:37:58,719
turned the handle and beat upon the outside of the door.

580
00:37:59,719 --> 00:38:03,039
Home looked swiftly round the letter, which had been the

581
00:38:03,079 --> 00:38:06,599
messenger of death for Milverton lay All mottled with his

582
00:38:06,679 --> 00:38:10,039
blood upon the table. Holmes tossed it in among the

583
00:38:10,039 --> 00:38:13,360
blazing papers. Then he drew the key from the outer door,

584
00:38:13,840 --> 00:38:16,199
passed through after me, and locked it on the outside.

585
00:38:17,199 --> 00:38:20,440
This way, Watson said he we can scale the garden

586
00:38:20,480 --> 00:38:24,320
wall in this direction. I could not have believed that

587
00:38:24,360 --> 00:38:28,199
an alarm could have spread so swiftly. Looking back, the

588
00:38:28,280 --> 00:38:31,840
huge house was one blaze of light. The front door

589
00:38:31,920 --> 00:38:35,800
was open, and figures were rushing down the drive. The

590
00:38:35,840 --> 00:38:39,280
whole garden was alive with people, and one fellow raised

591
00:38:39,280 --> 00:38:42,280
a view hallo. As we emerged from the verandah and

592
00:38:42,360 --> 00:38:46,039
followed hard at our heels. Holmes seemed to know the

593
00:38:46,039 --> 00:38:49,440
grounds perfectly, and he threaded his way swiftly among a

594
00:38:49,480 --> 00:38:53,800
plantation of small trees. I close at his heels, and

595
00:38:53,880 --> 00:38:57,840
our foremost pursuer panting behind us. It was a six

596
00:38:57,840 --> 00:39:00,840
foot wall which barred our path, but he sprang to

597
00:39:00,920 --> 00:39:03,880
the top and over. As I did the same, I

598
00:39:03,960 --> 00:39:06,119
felt the hand of the man behind me grab at

599
00:39:06,119 --> 00:39:09,320
my ankle, but I kicked myself free and scrambled over

600
00:39:09,360 --> 00:39:13,159
a grass strewn coping. I fell upon my face among

601
00:39:13,199 --> 00:39:15,960
some bushes, but Holmes had me on my feet in

602
00:39:16,000 --> 00:39:19,599
an instant, and together we dashed away across the huge

603
00:39:19,639 --> 00:39:24,159
expanse of Hampstead Heath. We had run two miles, I suppose,

604
00:39:24,320 --> 00:39:28,480
before Holmes at last halted and listened intently. All was

605
00:39:28,559 --> 00:39:32,519
absolute silence behind us. We had shaken off our pursuers

606
00:39:32,920 --> 00:39:37,199
and was safe. We had breakfasted and were smoking our

607
00:39:37,239 --> 00:39:40,360
morning pipe. On the day after the remarkable experience which

608
00:39:40,400 --> 00:39:44,960
I have recorded, when mister Lestrade of Scotland Yard, very

609
00:39:45,039 --> 00:39:48,920
solemn and impressive, was ushered into our modest sitting room.

610
00:39:50,159 --> 00:39:54,679
Good morning, mister Elmes, said he, Good morning. May I

611
00:39:54,719 --> 00:39:57,760
ask you, if you are very busy just now, not

612
00:39:57,960 --> 00:40:01,679
too busy to listen to you. I thought that perhaps,

613
00:40:01,679 --> 00:40:04,679
if you had nothing particular on hand, you might care

614
00:40:04,719 --> 00:40:07,760
to assist us in a most remarkable case, which occurred

615
00:40:07,760 --> 00:40:13,039
only last night at Amstead. Dear me, said Holmes, what

616
00:40:13,320 --> 00:40:18,840
was that a murder? A most dramatic and remarkable murder.

617
00:40:19,519 --> 00:40:21,760
I know how keen you are upon those things, and

618
00:40:21,840 --> 00:40:23,800
I would take it as a great favor if you

619
00:40:23,800 --> 00:40:26,800
would step down to apple Doore Towers and give us

620
00:40:26,840 --> 00:40:30,559
the benefit of your advice. It is no ordinary crime.

621
00:40:31,280 --> 00:40:33,679
We have had our eyes upon this mister Milverton for

622
00:40:33,760 --> 00:40:36,519
some time, and between ourselves it was a bit of

623
00:40:36,519 --> 00:40:39,559
a villain. He is known to have held papers which

624
00:40:39,599 --> 00:40:43,239
he used for blackmailing purposes. These papers have all been

625
00:40:43,280 --> 00:40:47,000
burned by the murderers. No article of value was taken,

626
00:40:47,320 --> 00:40:50,119
as it is probable that the criminals were men of

627
00:40:50,159 --> 00:40:56,760
good position whose sole object was to prevent social exposure. Criminals,

628
00:40:57,119 --> 00:41:02,559
said Holmes, plural. Yes, there were two of em. They

629
00:41:02,599 --> 00:41:05,920
were as nearly as possible captured red handed. We have

630
00:41:06,000 --> 00:41:09,400
their footmarks, we have their description. It's ten to one

631
00:41:09,400 --> 00:41:12,119
that we trace them. The first fellow was a bit

632
00:41:12,159 --> 00:41:15,000
too active, but the second was caught by the undergardener

633
00:41:15,079 --> 00:41:17,719
and only got away after a struggle. He was a

634
00:41:17,719 --> 00:41:22,519
middle sized, strongly built man, square jaw, thick neck, mustache,

635
00:41:22,920 --> 00:41:28,000
a mask over his eyes. That's rather vague, said Sherlock Holmes.

636
00:41:28,719 --> 00:41:33,119
My it might be a description of Watson. It's true,

637
00:41:33,480 --> 00:41:36,920
said the inspector with amusement. It might be a description

638
00:41:37,039 --> 00:41:41,400
of Watson. Well, I'm afraid I can't help you, Lestrade,

639
00:41:41,679 --> 00:41:45,880
said Holmes. The fact is that I knew this fellow Milverton,

640
00:41:46,280 --> 00:41:48,679
that I considered him one of the most dangerous men

641
00:41:48,719 --> 00:41:52,079
in London, and that I think there are certain crimes

642
00:41:52,119 --> 00:41:56,559
which the law cannot touch, and which therefore, to some extent,

643
00:41:57,280 --> 00:42:01,360
justify private revenge. No, oh, it's no use arguing. I've

644
00:42:01,360 --> 00:42:04,559
made up my mind. My sympathies are with the criminals

645
00:42:04,639 --> 00:42:07,239
rather than with the victim, and I will not handle

646
00:42:07,280 --> 00:42:11,159
this case. Holmes had not said one word to me

647
00:42:11,199 --> 00:42:14,239
about the tragedy which we had witnessed, But I observed

648
00:42:14,280 --> 00:42:16,840
all the morning that he was in the most thoughtful mood,

649
00:42:17,400 --> 00:42:19,840
and he gave me the impression from his vacant eyes

650
00:42:19,920 --> 00:42:23,039
and his abstracted manner of a man who is striving

651
00:42:23,079 --> 00:42:26,679
to recall something to his memory. We were in the

652
00:42:26,679 --> 00:42:29,679
middle of our lunch when he suddenly sprang to his feet.

653
00:42:30,639 --> 00:42:35,639
By jove, Watson, I've got it, he cried, take your hat,

654
00:42:35,840 --> 00:42:39,400
come with me. He hurried at his top speed down

655
00:42:39,440 --> 00:42:43,000
Baker Street, in along Oxford Street, until we'd almost reached

656
00:42:43,079 --> 00:42:47,159
Regent's Circus. Here on the left hand there stands a

657
00:42:47,199 --> 00:42:50,719
shop window filled with photographs of the celebrities and beauties

658
00:42:50,719 --> 00:42:55,239
of the day. Holmes's eyes fixed themselves upon one of them,

659
00:42:55,360 --> 00:42:57,960
and following his gaze, I saw the picture of a

660
00:42:58,039 --> 00:43:02,360
regal and stately lady in dress with a high diamond

661
00:43:02,400 --> 00:43:06,559
tiara upon her noble head. I looked at that delicately

662
00:43:06,639 --> 00:43:10,559
curved nose, at the marked eyebrows, at the straight mouth,

663
00:43:11,079 --> 00:43:14,800
and the strong little chin beneath it. Then I caught

664
00:43:14,800 --> 00:43:17,760
my breath as I read the time honored title of

665
00:43:17,840 --> 00:43:21,239
the great nobleman and statesman whose wife she had been.

666
00:43:22,519 --> 00:43:25,360
My eyes met those of Holmes, and he put his

667
00:43:25,440 --> 00:43:30,639
finger to his lips as we turned away from the window.

668
00:43:31,480 --> 00:43:35,159
End of the Adventure of Charles Augustus Milverton