Speaker 1: Part one of The Red Headed League. This is a
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Speaker 1: Recording by Phil Schinebert. The Red Headed League by Sir
Speaker 1: Arthur Conan Doyle, Part one. I had called upon my
Speaker 1: friend mister Sherlock Holmes one day in the autumn of
Speaker 1: last year, and found him in deep conversation with a
Speaker 1: very stout, florid faced, elderly gentleman with fiery red hair,
Speaker 1: with an apology for my intrusion. I was about to
Speaker 1: withdraw when Holmes pulled me abruptly into the room and
Speaker 1: closed the door behind me. You could not possibly have
Speaker 1: come at a better time, my dear Watson, he said cordially.
Speaker 1: I was afraid that you were engaged, so I am
Speaker 1: very much so then I can wait in the next room.
Speaker 1: Not at all, this gentleman, mister Wilson, has been my
Speaker 1: partner and helper in many of my most successful cases,
Speaker 1: and I have no doubt that he will be of
Speaker 1: the utmost use to me in yours. Also, the stout
Speaker 1: gentleman half rose from his chair and gave a bob
Speaker 1: of greeting with a quick, little questioning glance from his small,
Speaker 1: fat encircled eyes. Try the settee, said Holmes, relapsing into
Speaker 1: his arm chair and putting his finger tips together, as
Speaker 1: was his custom when in judicial moods. I know, my
Speaker 1: dear Watson, that you share my love of all that
Speaker 1: is bizarre and outside the conventions and hum drum routine
Speaker 1: of everyday life. You have shown your relish for it
Speaker 1: by the enthusiasm which has prompted you to chronicle. And
Speaker 1: if you will excuse my saying so somewhat to embellish
Speaker 1: so many of my own little adventures, your cases have
Speaker 1: indeed been of greatest interest to me, I observed. You
Speaker 1: will remember that I remarked the other day, just before
Speaker 1: we went into the very simple problem presented by Miss
Speaker 1: Mary Sutherland, that for strange effects and extraordinary combinations, we
Speaker 1: must go to life itself, which is always far more
Speaker 1: daring than any effort of the imagination, A proposition which
Speaker 1: I took the liberty of doubting you did, doctor, But
Speaker 1: none the less, you must come round to my view,
Speaker 1: for otherwise I shall keep on piling fact upon fact
Speaker 1: on you until your reason breaks down under them and
Speaker 1: acknowledges me to be right. Now. Mister Jobez Wilson here
Speaker 1: has been good enough to call upon me this morning
Speaker 1: and to bring a narrative which promises to be one
Speaker 1: of the most singular which I have listened to for
Speaker 1: some time. You have heard me remark that the strangest
Speaker 1: and most unique things are very often connected not with
Speaker 1: the larger but with these smaller crimes, and occasionally, indeed,
Speaker 1: where there is room for doubt whether any positive crime
Speaker 1: has been committed. As far as I have heard, it
Speaker 1: is impossible for me to say whether the present case
Speaker 1: is an instance of crime or not. But the course
Speaker 1: of events is certainly among the most singular that I
Speaker 1: have ever listened to. Perhaps, mister Wilson, you would have
Speaker 1: the great kindness to recommence your narrative. I ask you
Speaker 1: not merely because my friend doctor Watson has not heard
Speaker 1: the opening part, but also because the peculiar nature of
Speaker 1: the story makes me anxious to have every possible detail
Speaker 1: from your lips. As a rule, when I have heard
Speaker 1: some slight indication of the course of events, I am
Speaker 1: able to goud myself by the thousands of other similar
Speaker 1: cases which occur to my memory. In the present instance,
Speaker 1: I am forced to admit that the facts are, to
Speaker 1: the best of my belief unique. The portly client puffed
Speaker 1: out his chest with an appearance of some little pride,
Speaker 1: and pulled a dirty and wrinkled newspaper from the inside
Speaker 1: pocket of his greatcoat, as he glanced down the advertisement
Speaker 1: column with his head thrust forward and the paper flattened
Speaker 1: out upon his knee. I took a good look at
Speaker 1: the man, and endeavored, after the fashion of my companion,
Speaker 1: to read the indications which might be presented by his
Speaker 1: dress or appearance. I did not gain very much. However,
Speaker 1: by my inspection, our visitor bore every mark of being
Speaker 1: an average commonplace British tradesman, obese, pompous, and slow. He
Speaker 1: wore rather backy gray sh shepherd's check trousers, a not
Speaker 1: over clean black frock coat unbuttoned in the front, and
Speaker 1: a drab waistcoat with a heavy brassy Albert chain and
Speaker 1: a square pierced bit of metal dangling down as an ornament.
Speaker 1: A frayed top hat and a faded brown overcoat with
Speaker 1: a wrinkled velvet color lay upon a chair beside him.
Speaker 1: Altogether look as I would. There was nothing remarkable about
Speaker 1: the man save his blazing red head and the expression
Speaker 1: of extreme chagrin and discontent upon his features. Sherlock Holmes's
Speaker 1: quick eye took in my occupation, and he shook his
Speaker 1: head with a smile as he noticed my questioning glances.
Speaker 1: Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time
Speaker 1: done manual labor, that he takes snuff, that he is
Speaker 1: a freemason, that he has been to China, and that
Speaker 1: he has done a considerable amount of writing lately, I
Speaker 1: can deduce nothing else. Mister job Ass. Wilson started up
Speaker 1: in his chair with his forefinger upon the paper, put
Speaker 1: his eyes upon my companion. How in the name of
Speaker 1: good fortune did you know all that, mister Holmes, he asked,
Speaker 1: How did you know, for example, that I did manual labor?
Speaker 1: It's true as gospel, for I began as a ship's carpenter.
Speaker 1: Your hands, my dear sir, your right hand is quite
Speaker 1: a size larger than your left. You have worked with it,
Speaker 1: and the muscles are more developed. Well. The snuff, then,
Speaker 1: and the freemasonry. I won't insult your intelligence by telling
Speaker 1: you how I read that, especially as rather against the
Speaker 1: strict rules of your order. You use an arc and
Speaker 1: compass breastpin. Oh, of course I forgot that. But the
Speaker 1: writing what else can be indicated by that right cop
Speaker 1: so very shiny for five inches, and the left one
Speaker 1: with the smooth patch near the elbow where you rested
Speaker 1: upon the desk. Well, but China. The fish that you
Speaker 1: have tattooed immediately above your right wrist could only have
Speaker 1: been done in China. I have made a small study
Speaker 1: of tattoo marks, and have even contributed to the literature
Speaker 1: of the subject. The trick of staining the fish's scales
Speaker 1: of a delicate pink is quite peculiar to China. When,
Speaker 1: in addition I see a Chinese coin hanging from your
Speaker 1: watch chain, the matter becomes even more simple. Mister Jabez
Speaker 1: Wilson laughed heavily. I never said he. I thought at
Speaker 1: first that you had done something clever, But I see
Speaker 1: that there was nothing in it. After all, I begin
Speaker 1: to think, Watson, said Holmes, that I make a mistake
Speaker 1: in explaining omne ignotum pro magnifico. You know, and my
Speaker 1: poor little reputations, such as it is, will suffer shipwreck.
Speaker 1: If I am so candid, Can you not find the advertisement.
Speaker 1: Mister Wilson, Yes, I have got it now, he answered,
Speaker 1: with his thick red finger planted half way down the column.
Speaker 1: Here it is, this is what we get at all.
Speaker 1: You just read it for yourself, sir. I took the
Speaker 1: paper from him and read as follows to the Red
Speaker 1: Headed League, on account of the bequest of the late
Speaker 1: Ezekiah Hopkins of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U. S A. There is
Speaker 1: now another vacancy open which entitles a member of the
Speaker 1: League to a salary of four pounds a week for
Speaker 1: purely nominal services. All Red Headed men who are sound
Speaker 1: in body and mind and above the age of twenty
Speaker 1: one years are eligible. Apply in person on Monday at
Speaker 1: eleven o'clock to Duncan Ross at the offices of the League,
Speaker 1: seven Pope's Court, Fleet Street. What on earth does this mean?
Speaker 1: I ejaculated after I had twice read over the extraordinary announcement.
Speaker 1: Holmes chuckled and wriggled in his chair, as was his
Speaker 1: habit when in high spirits. It is a little off
Speaker 1: the beaten track, isn't it? Said he? And now, mister Wilson,
Speaker 1: off you go with scratch and tell us all about yourself,
Speaker 1: your household, and the effect which this advertisement had upon
Speaker 1: your fortunes. You will first make a note doctor of
Speaker 1: the paper and the date hum. It is the Morning
Speaker 1: Chronicle of April twenty seven, eighteen ninety, just two months ago.
Speaker 1: Very good, now, mister Wilson, Well, it is just as
Speaker 1: I've been telling you, mister Sherlock Holmes said job as
Speaker 1: Wilson mopping his forehead. I have a small pawnbroker's business
Speaker 1: at Coburg Square, near the city. It is not a
Speaker 1: very large affair, and of late years it has not
Speaker 1: done more than just give me a living. I used
Speaker 1: to be able to keep two assistants, but now I
Speaker 1: only keep one, and I would have a job to
Speaker 1: pay him, but that he is willing to come for
Speaker 1: half wages so as to learn the business. What is
Speaker 1: the name of this obliging youth, asked Sherlock Holmes. His
Speaker 1: name is Vincent Spalding, and he's not such a youth either.
Speaker 1: It's hard to say his age. I should not wish
Speaker 1: a smart to assistant, mister Holmes, and I know very
Speaker 1: well that he could better himself and earn twice what
Speaker 1: I am able to give him. But after all if
Speaker 1: he is satisfied, why should I put ideas in his head?
Speaker 1: Why indeed, you seem most fortunate in having an employee
Speaker 1: who comes under the full market price. It is not
Speaker 1: a common experience among employers in this age. I don't
Speaker 1: know that your assistant is not as remarkable as your advertisement.
Speaker 1: Oh he has his faults too, said mister Wilson. Never
Speaker 1: was such a fellow for photography, snapping away with a
Speaker 1: camera when he ought to be improving his mind, and
Speaker 1: then diving down into the cellar like a rabbit into
Speaker 1: its hole to develop his pictures. That is his main fault.
Speaker 1: But on the whole he's a good worker. There's no
Speaker 1: vice in him. He is still with you, I presume, yes, sir.
Speaker 1: He and a girl of fourteen who does a bit
Speaker 1: of simple cooking and keeps the place clean. That's all
Speaker 1: I have in the house, for I am a widower
Speaker 1: and never had any family. We live very quietly, sir,
Speaker 1: the three of us, and we keep a roof over
Speaker 1: our heads and pay our debts if we do nothing more.
Speaker 1: The first thing that put us out was that advertisement. Spaulding.
Speaker 1: He came down into the office just this day, eight
Speaker 1: weeks with this very paper in his hand, and he says,
Speaker 1: I wish to the Lord mister Wilson that I was
Speaker 1: a red headed man. Why is that? I asks? Why?
Speaker 1: Says he? Here's another vacancy on the League of the
Speaker 1: Red Headed Men. It's worth quite a little fortune to
Speaker 1: any man who gets it. And I understand that there
Speaker 1: are more vacancies than there are men, so that the
Speaker 1: trustees are at their wits end what to do with
Speaker 1: the money. If my hair would only change color, here's
Speaker 1: a nice little crib all ready for me to step into.
Speaker 1: Why what is it? Then? I asked, you, see, mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: I'm a very stay at home man, and as my
Speaker 1: business came to me instead of my having to go
Speaker 1: to it, I was often weeks on end without putting
Speaker 1: my foot over the door mat. In that way, I
Speaker 1: don't know much of what was going on outside, and
Speaker 1: I was always glad of a bit of news. Have
Speaker 1: you never heard of the League of the Red Headed Men?
Speaker 1: He asked, with his eyes open. Never. Why I wonder
Speaker 1: at that? For you are eligible yourself for one of
Speaker 1: the vacancies. And what are they worth? I asked, Oh,
Speaker 1: merely a couple of hundred a year. But the work
Speaker 1: is slight, and it need not interfere very much with
Speaker 1: one's other occupations. Well, you can easily think that that
Speaker 1: made me pick up my ears, for the business has
Speaker 1: not been over good for some years, and an extra
Speaker 1: couple of hundred would have been very handy. Tell me
Speaker 1: all about it, said I, well, said he, showing me
Speaker 1: the advertisement. You can see for yourself that the league
Speaker 1: has a vacancy, and there is the address where you
Speaker 1: should apply for particulars. As far as I can make
Speaker 1: The league was founded by an American millionaire, Ezekiah Hopkins,
Speaker 1: who was very peculiar in his ways. He himself was
Speaker 1: red headed, and he had a great sympathy for all
Speaker 1: red headed men. So when he died, it was found
Speaker 1: that he had left his enormous fortune in the hands
Speaker 1: of trustees, with instructions to apply the interest to the
Speaker 1: providing of easy berths to men whose hair is of
Speaker 1: that color. From all I hear, it is splendid pay
Speaker 1: and very little to do. But said I, there would
Speaker 1: be millions of red headed men who would apply. Not
Speaker 1: so many as you might think, he answered, You see,
Speaker 1: it is really confined to Londoners and to grown men.
Speaker 1: This American had started from London when he was young,
Speaker 1: and he wanted to do the old town a good turn.
Speaker 1: Then again, I have heard it is of no use
Speaker 1: your replying if your hair is light red or dark red,
Speaker 1: or anything but real, bright, blazing, fiery red. Now, if
Speaker 1: you cared to apply, mister Wilson, you would just walk in.
Speaker 1: But perhaps it would hardly be worth your while to
Speaker 1: put yourself out of the way for the sake of
Speaker 1: a few hundred pounds. Now it is a fact, gentleman,
Speaker 1: as you may see for yourselves, that my hair is
Speaker 1: of a very full and rich tint. So that it
Speaker 1: seemed to me that if there was to be any
Speaker 1: competition in the matter, I stood as good a chance
Speaker 1: as any man that I had ever met. Vincent Spalding
Speaker 1: seemed to know so much about it that I thought
Speaker 1: he might prove useful. So I ordered him to put
Speaker 1: up the shutters for the day and to come right
Speaker 1: away with me. He was very willing to have a holiday,
Speaker 1: so we shut the business up and started off for
Speaker 1: the address that was given us in the advertisement. I
Speaker 1: never hoped to see such a sight as that. Again,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, from North, Southeast and West every man who
Speaker 1: had a shade of red in his hair, had tramped
Speaker 1: into the city to answer the advertisement. Fleet Street was
Speaker 1: choked with red headed folk, and Pope's Court looked like
Speaker 1: a coaster's orange barrow. I should not have thought there
Speaker 1: was so many in the whole country as were brought
Speaker 1: together by that single advertisement, every shade of color. They
Speaker 1: were straw, lemon, orange, brick, irish setter, liver clay. But
Speaker 1: as Spalding said, there were not many who had the
Speaker 1: real vivid, flame colored tint. When I saw how many
Speaker 1: were waiting, I would have given it up in despair,
Speaker 1: But Spalding would not hear of it. How he did
Speaker 1: it I could not imagine. But he pushed and pulled
Speaker 1: and butted until he got me through the crowd and
Speaker 1: right up to the steps which led to the office.
Speaker 1: There was a double stream upon the stair, some going
Speaker 1: up in hope and some coming back dejected. But we
Speaker 1: wedged in as well as we could and found ourselves
Speaker 1: in the office. Your experience has been a most entertaining one,
Speaker 1: remarked Holmes, as his client paused and refreshed his memory
Speaker 1: with a huge, pincious snuff. Pray continue your very interesting statement.
Speaker 1: There was nothing in the office but a couple of
Speaker 1: wooden chairs and a deal table, behind which sat a
Speaker 1: small man with a head that was even redder than mine.
Speaker 1: He said a few words to each candidate as he
Speaker 1: came up, and then he always managed to find some
Speaker 1: fault in them which would disqualify them. Getting a vacancy
Speaker 1: did not seem to be such a very easy matter
Speaker 1: after all. However, when our turn came, the little man
Speaker 1: was much more favorable to me than to any of
Speaker 1: the others, and he closed the door as we entered,
Speaker 1: so that he might have a private word with us.
Speaker 1: This is mister jobas Wilson, said, my assistant, and he
Speaker 1: is willing to fill a vacancy in the league, and
Speaker 1: he is admirably suited for it. The other answered, he
Speaker 1: has every requirement. I cannot recall when I have seen
Speaker 1: anything so fine. He took a step backward, cocked his
Speaker 1: head on one side, and gazed at my hair until
Speaker 1: I felt quite bashful. Then suddenly he plunged forward, wrung
Speaker 1: my hand, and congratulated me warmly on my success. It
Speaker 1: would be injustice to hesitate, said he You will, however,
Speaker 1: I am sure excuse me for taking an obvious precaution.
Speaker 1: With that, he seized my hair in both his hands
Speaker 1: and tugged until I yelled with the pain. There is
Speaker 1: water in your eyes, said he as he released me.
Speaker 1: I perceive that all is as it should be, but
Speaker 1: we have to be careful, for we have twice been
Speaker 1: deceived by wigs and once by paint. I could tell
Speaker 1: you tales of cobbler's wax which would discust you with
Speaker 1: human nature. He stepped over to the window and shouted
Speaker 1: through it at the top of his voice that the
Speaker 1: vacancy was filled. A groan of disappointment came up from below,
Speaker 1: and the folk all trooped away in different directions, until
Speaker 1: there was not a red head to be seen except
Speaker 1: my own and that of the manager. My name, said
Speaker 1: He is mister Duncan Ross, and I am myself one
Speaker 1: of the pensioners upon the fund left by our noble benefactor.
Speaker 1: Are you a married man, mister Wilson, have you a family?
Speaker 1: I answered that I had not. His face fell immediately.
Speaker 1: Dear me, he said, gravely, that is very serious. Indeed,
Speaker 1: I am sorry to hear you say that the fund was,
Speaker 1: of course for the propagation and spread of the redheads,
Speaker 1: as well as for their maintenance. It is exceedingly unfortunate
Speaker 1: that you should be a bachelor. My face lengthened at this,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, for I thought that I was not to
Speaker 1: have the vacancy after all. But after thinking it over
Speaker 1: for a few minutes, he said that it would be
Speaker 1: all right in the case of another, said he. The
Speaker 1: objection might be fatal, but we must stretch a point
Speaker 1: in favor of a man with such a head of
Speaker 1: hair as yours. When shall you be able to enter
Speaker 1: upon your new duties? Well, it is a little awkward,
Speaker 1: for I have a business already, said I. Oh, never
Speaker 1: mind about that, mister Wilson, said Vincent Spalding, I should
Speaker 1: be able to look after that for you. What would
Speaker 1: be the ours, I asked? Ten to two. Now upon
Speaker 1: broker's business is mostly done of an evening, mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: especially Thursday and Friday evenings, which is just before pay day,
Speaker 1: So it would suit me very well to earn a
Speaker 1: little in the mornings. Besides, I knew that my assistant
Speaker 1: was a good man, and that he would see to
Speaker 1: anything that turned up. That would suit me very well,
Speaker 1: said I. And the pay is four pounds a week,
Speaker 1: and the work is purely nominal. What do you call
Speaker 1: purely nominal? Well, you have to be in the office,
Speaker 1: or at least in the building the whole time. If
Speaker 1: you leave, you forfeit your whole position forever. The will
Speaker 1: is very clear upon that point. You don't comply with
Speaker 1: the conditions if you budge from the office during that time.
Speaker 1: It's only four hours a day, and I should not
Speaker 1: think of leaving, said I. No excuse will avail, said
Speaker 1: mister duncan Ross, neither sickness, nor business nor anything else.
Speaker 1: There you must stay or you lose your billet. And
Speaker 1: the work is to copy out the Encyclopedia Britannica. There
Speaker 1: is the first volume of it in that press. You
Speaker 1: must find your own inche pens and blotting paper. But
Speaker 1: we provide this table and chair. Will you be ready tomorrow? Certainly?
Speaker 1: I answered, Then, goodbye, mister Jabez Wilson, and let me
Speaker 1: congratulate you once more on the important position which you
Speaker 1: have been fortunate enough to gain. He bowed me out
Speaker 1: of the room, and I went home with my assistant,
Speaker 1: hardly knowing what to say or do. I was so
Speaker 1: pleased at my own good fortune end Part one, Part
Speaker 1: two of The Red Headed League by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
Speaker 1: This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Part two. Well,
Speaker 1: I I thought over the matter all day, and by
Speaker 1: evening I was in low spirits again, for I had
Speaker 1: quite persuaded myself that the whole affair must be some
Speaker 1: great hoax or fraud. Though what its object might be
Speaker 1: I could not imagine. It seemed altogether past belief that
Speaker 1: anyone could make such a will, or that they would
Speaker 1: pay such a sum for doing anything so simple as
Speaker 1: copying out the Encyclopedia Britannica. Vincent Spaulding did what he
Speaker 1: could to cheer me up, but by bedtime I had
Speaker 1: reasoned myself out of the whole thing. However, in the
Speaker 1: morning I determined to have a look at it anyhow
Speaker 1: so I bought a pity bottle of ink, and with
Speaker 1: a quill pin and seven sheets of full scap paper,
Speaker 1: I started off for Pope's court. Well, to my surprise
Speaker 1: and delight, everything was as right as possible. The table
Speaker 1: was set out ready for me, and mister Duncan Ross
Speaker 1: was there to see that I got fairly to work.
Speaker 1: He started me off upon the letter A, and then
Speaker 1: he left me, but he would drop in from time
Speaker 1: to time to see that all was right with me.
Speaker 1: At two o'clock he bade me good day, complimented me
Speaker 1: upon the amount that I had written, and locked the
Speaker 1: door of the office after me. This went on day
Speaker 1: after day, mister Holmes, And on Saturday the manager came
Speaker 1: in and planked down four golden sovereigns for my week's work.
Speaker 1: It was the same next week, and the same the
Speaker 1: week after. Every morning I was there at ten, and
Speaker 1: every afternoon I left it two by degrees. Mister Duncan
Speaker 1: Ross took two, coming in only once of a morning,
Speaker 1: and then after a time he did not come in
Speaker 1: at all. Still, of course, I never dared to leave
Speaker 1: the room for an instant, for I was not sure
Speaker 1: when he might come. And the billet was such a
Speaker 1: good one and suited me so well that I would
Speaker 1: not risk the loss of it. Eight weeks passed away
Speaker 1: like this, and I had written about abbots and archery,
Speaker 1: and armor, and architecture and attica, and hoped with diligence
Speaker 1: that I might get on to the bees before very long.
Speaker 1: It cost me something in foolscap and I had pretty
Speaker 1: nearly filled a shelf with my writings, and then suddenly
Speaker 1: the whole business came to an end. To an end, yes, sir,
Speaker 1: and no later than this morning. I went to my
Speaker 1: work as usual at ten o'clock, but the door was
Speaker 1: shut and locked with a little square of cardboard hammered
Speaker 1: on to the middle of the panel with attack, Here
Speaker 1: it is, and you can read for yourself. He held
Speaker 1: up a piece of white cardboard about the size of
Speaker 1: a sheet of notepaper. It read, in this fashion, the
Speaker 1: red headedly is dissolved. October ninth, eighteen nineteen. Sherlock Holmes
Speaker 1: and I surveyed this curt announcement and the rueful face
Speaker 1: behind it, until the comical side of the affair so
Speaker 1: completely overtopped every other consideration that we both burst out
Speaker 1: into a roar of laughter. I cannot see that there
Speaker 1: is anything very funny, cried our client, flushing up to
Speaker 1: the roots of his flaming head. If you can do
Speaker 1: nothing better than laugh at me, I can go elsewhere. No, no,
Speaker 1: cried Holmes, shoving him back into the chair from which
Speaker 1: he had half risen. I really wouldn't miss your case
Speaker 1: for the world. It is most refreshingly unusual. But there is,
Speaker 1: if you will excuse my saying, so, something just a
Speaker 1: little funny about it. Pray what steps did you take
Speaker 1: when you found the card upon the door? I was sir,
Speaker 1: I did not know what to do. Then I called
Speaker 1: at the offices round, but none of them seemed to
Speaker 1: know anything about it. Finally I went to the landlord,
Speaker 1: who is an accountant living on the ground floor, and
Speaker 1: I asked him if he could tell me what had
Speaker 1: become of the red headed league. He said that he
Speaker 1: had never heard of any such body. Then I asked
Speaker 1: him who mister Duncan Ross was. He answered that the
Speaker 1: name was new to him. Well, said I, the gentleman
Speaker 1: at number four, what the red headed man? Yes? Oh?
Speaker 1: Said he. His name was William Morris. He was a
Speaker 1: solicitor and was using my room as a temporary convenience
Speaker 1: until his new premises were ready. He moved out yesterday.
Speaker 1: Where could I find him? Oh? At his new offices.
Speaker 1: He did tell me the dress, Yes, seventeen King Edward Street,
Speaker 1: near Saint Paul's. I started off mister Holmes, but when
Speaker 1: I had got to that address it was a manufactory
Speaker 1: of artificial knee caps, and no one in it had
Speaker 1: ever heard of either mister William Morris or mister Duncan Ross.
Speaker 1: And what did you do, then, asked Holmes. I went
Speaker 1: home to Saxe Coburg Square, and I took the advice
Speaker 1: of my assistant, but he could not help me in
Speaker 1: any way. He could only say that if I waited,
Speaker 1: I should hear my post. But that was not quite
Speaker 1: good enough, mister Holmes. I did not wish to lose
Speaker 1: such a place without a struggle. So as I had
Speaker 1: heard that you were good enough to give advice to
Speaker 1: poor folk who were in need of it, I came
Speaker 1: right away to you, and you did very wisely, said Holmes.
Speaker 1: Your case is an exceedingly remarkable one, and I shall
Speaker 1: be happy to look into it. From what you have
Speaker 1: told me, I think that it is possible that graver
Speaker 1: issues hang from it than might at first site appear
Speaker 1: grave enough, said mister job As Wilson. Why I have
Speaker 1: lost four pounds a week? As far as you are
Speaker 1: personally concerned, remarked Holmes, I do not see that you
Speaker 1: have any grievance against this extraordinary league. On the contrary,
Speaker 1: you are, as I understand, richer by some thirty pounds,
Speaker 1: to say nothing of the minute knowledge which you have
Speaker 1: gained on every subject which comes under the letter A.
Speaker 1: You have lost nothing by them, No, sir, But I
Speaker 1: want to find out about them and who they are,
Speaker 1: and what their object was in playing this prank. If
Speaker 1: it was a prank upon me, it was a pretty
Speaker 1: expensive joke for them, for it cost them two and
Speaker 1: thirty pounds. We shall endeavor to clear up the points
Speaker 1: for you. And first, one or two questions, mister Wilson,
Speaker 1: this assistant of yours who first called your attention to
Speaker 1: the advertisement? How long has he been with you? About
Speaker 1: a month? Then? How did he come in answer to
Speaker 1: an advertisement? Was he the only applicant? No? I had
Speaker 1: a dozen. Why did you pick him? Because he was
Speaker 1: handy and would come cheap at half wages? In fact? Yes?
Speaker 1: What is he like? This? Vincent Spalding? Small stout, built,
Speaker 1: very quick in his ways, no hair on his face,
Speaker 1: though he's not short of thirty, has a white splash
Speaker 1: of acid upon his forehead. Holmes sat up in his
Speaker 1: chair in considerable excitement. I thought as much, said he.
Speaker 1: Have you ever observed that his ears are pierced for earrings? Yes, sir,
Speaker 1: he told me that a gipsy had done it for
Speaker 1: him when he was a lad. Hm, said Holmes, sinking
Speaker 1: back in deep thought. He is still with you? Oh yes, sir,
Speaker 1: I have only just left him, and has your business
Speaker 1: been attended to in your absence? Nothing to complain of, sir.
Speaker 1: There is never very much to do of a morning.
Speaker 1: That will do, mister Wilson, I shall be happy to
Speaker 1: give you an opinion upon the subject in the course
Speaker 1: of a day or two. To day is Saturday, and
Speaker 1: I hope that by Monday we may come to a conclusion. Well, Watson,
Speaker 1: said Holmes, when our visitor had left us, What do
Speaker 1: you make of it? All? I make nothing of it,
Speaker 1: I answered, frankly. It is a most mysterious business. As
Speaker 1: a rule, said Holmes, the more bizarre a thing is,
Speaker 1: the less mysterious it proves to be. It is your
Speaker 1: commonplace featureless crimes, which are really puzzling, just as a
Speaker 1: commonplace face is the most difficult to identify. But I
Speaker 1: must be prompt over this matter. What are you going
Speaker 1: to do? Then, I asked to smoke? He answered, it
Speaker 1: is quite a three pipe problem. And I beg that
Speaker 1: you won't speak to me for fifty minutes, he curled
Speaker 1: himself up in his chair, with his thin knees drawn
Speaker 1: up to his hawk like nose, and there he sat,
Speaker 1: with his eyes closed and his black clay pipe thrusting
Speaker 1: out like the bill of some strange bird. I had
Speaker 1: come to the conclusion that he had dropped asleep, and
Speaker 1: indeed was nodding myself, when he suddenly sprang out of
Speaker 1: his chair with the gesture of a man who has
Speaker 1: made up his mind, and put his pipe down upon
Speaker 1: the mantelpiece satasate plays at the Saint James's Hall this afternoon.
Speaker 1: He remarked, what do you think, Watson? Could your patience
Speaker 1: spare you for a few hours. I have nothing to
Speaker 1: do to day. My practice is never very absorbing. Then
Speaker 1: put on your hat and come. I am going through
Speaker 1: the city first, and we can have some lunch on
Speaker 1: the way. I observe that there is a good deal
Speaker 1: of German music on the program, which is rather more
Speaker 1: to my taste than Italian or French. It is introspective,
Speaker 1: and I want to introspect. Come along. We traveled by
Speaker 1: the underground as far as Aldersgate, and a short walk
Speaker 1: took us to Saxe Coburg Square, the scene of the
Speaker 1: singular story which we had listened to in the morning.
Speaker 1: It was a poky, little shabby, genteel place where four
Speaker 1: lines of dingy two storied brick houses looked out into
Speaker 1: a small rail in enclosure, where a lawn of weedy
Speaker 1: grass and a few clumps of faded laurel bushes made
Speaker 1: a hard fight against a smoke laden an uncongenial atmosphere,
Speaker 1: three gilt balls, and a brown board with job as
Speaker 1: Wilson in white letters. Upon a corner house announced the
Speaker 1: place where our red headed client carried on his business.
Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes stopped in front of it, with his hat
Speaker 1: on one side, and looked it all over with his
Speaker 1: eyes shining brightly between puckered lids. Then he walked slowly
Speaker 1: up the street and then down again to the corner,
Speaker 1: still looking keenly at the houses. Finally he returned to
Speaker 1: the pawnbrokers, and, having thumped vigorously upon the pavement with
Speaker 1: his stick two or three times, he went up to
Speaker 1: the door and knocked. It was instantly opened by a
Speaker 1: bright looking, clean shaven young fellow, who asked him to
Speaker 1: step in. Thank you, said home, I only wish to
Speaker 1: ask you how you would go from here to the
Speaker 1: strand third right, fourth left, answered the assistant, promptly closing
Speaker 1: the door. Smart fellow that observed Holmes as we walked away.
Speaker 1: He is, in my judgment, the fourth smartest man in London,
Speaker 1: and for daring, I am not sure that he has
Speaker 1: not a claim to be third. I have known something
Speaker 1: of him before, evidently, said I, Mister Wilson's assistant counts
Speaker 1: for a good deal in this mystery of the red
Speaker 1: Headed League. I am sure that you inquired your way
Speaker 1: merely in order that you might see him, not him?
Speaker 1: What then, the knees of his trousers? And what did
Speaker 1: you see what I expected to see? Why did you
Speaker 1: beat the pavement? My dear doctor, This is the time
Speaker 1: for observation, not talk. We are spies in an enemy's country.
Speaker 1: We know something of Saxe Coburg Square. Let us now
Speaker 1: explore the parts which lie behind it. The road in
Speaker 1: which we found ourselves as we turned round the corner
Speaker 1: from the retired Saxe Coburg Square presented as great a
Speaker 1: contrast to it as the front of a picture does
Speaker 1: to the back. It was one of the main arteries
Speaker 1: which conveyed the traffic of the city to the north
Speaker 1: and west. The roadway was blocked with the immense stream
Speaker 1: of commerce flowing at a double tide inward and outward,
Speaker 1: while the footpaths were black with the hurrying swarm of pedestrians.
Speaker 1: It was difficult to realize as we looked at the
Speaker 1: line of fine shops and stately business premises, that they
Speaker 1: really abutted on the other side with the faded and
Speaker 1: stagnant square which we had just quitted. Let me see,
Speaker 1: said Holmes, standing at the corner and glancing along the line.
Speaker 1: I should like just to remember the order of the
Speaker 1: houses here. It is a hobby of mine to have
Speaker 1: an exact knowledge of London. There is Mortimer's, the Tobacconist,
Speaker 1: the little newspaper shop, the Cobourg branch of the City
Speaker 1: and Suburban Bank, the vegetarian restaurant, and McFarlane's carriage building
Speaker 1: depot that carries us right on to the other block.
Speaker 1: And now, doctor, we've done our work, so it's time
Speaker 1: we had some play, a sandwich and a cup of
Speaker 1: coffee and then off to violin Land. We're all a
Speaker 1: sweetness and delicacy in harmony and there are no red
Speaker 1: headed clients to vex us with their conundrums. End of
Speaker 1: Part two, Part three of The Red Headed League by
Speaker 1: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This LibriVox recording is in the
Speaker 1: public domain. Part three. My friend was an enthusiastic musician,
Speaker 1: being himself not only a very capable performer, but a
Speaker 1: composer of no ordinary merit. All the afternoon he sat
Speaker 1: in the stalls, wrapped in the most perfect happiness, gently
Speaker 1: waving his long, thin fingers in time to the music,
Speaker 1: while his gently smiling face and his languid, dreamy eyes
Speaker 1: were as unlike those of Holmes the sleuth hound, Holmes
Speaker 1: the relentless, keen witted, ready handed criminal agent, as it
Speaker 1: was possible to conceive in his singular character, the dual
Speaker 1: nature alternately asserted itself, and his extreme exactness and astuteness represented,
Speaker 1: as I have often thought, the reaction against the poetic
Speaker 1: and contemplative mood which occasionally predominated in him. The swing
Speaker 1: of his nature took him from extreme languor to devouring energy,
Speaker 1: And as I knew well, he was never so truly
Speaker 1: formidable as when for days on end he had been
Speaker 1: lounging in his arm chair amid his improvisations and his
Speaker 1: black letter editions. Then it was that the lust of
Speaker 1: the chase would suddenly come upon him, and that his
Speaker 1: brilliant reasoning power would rise to the level of intuition,
Speaker 1: until those who were unacquainted with his methods would look
Speaker 1: askance at him, as on a man whose knowledge was
Speaker 1: not that of other mortals. When I saw him that afternoon,
Speaker 1: so enwrapped in the music at Saint James's Hall, I
Speaker 1: felt that an evil time it might be coming upon
Speaker 1: those whom he had set himself to hunt down. You
Speaker 1: want to go home, no doubt, doctor, he remarked, as
Speaker 1: we emerged. Yes, it would be as well, And I
Speaker 1: have some business to do which will take some hours.
Speaker 1: This business at Coburg Square is serious? Why serious? A
Speaker 1: considerable crime is in contemplation. I have every reason to
Speaker 1: believe that we shall be in time to stop it.
Speaker 1: But to day being Saturday, rather complicates the matters. I
Speaker 1: shall want your help to night. At what time ten
Speaker 1: will be early enough. I shall be in Baker Street
Speaker 1: at ten very well, And I say, doctor, there may
Speaker 1: be some little danger, so kindly put your army revolver
Speaker 1: in your pocket. He waved his hand, turned on his heel,
Speaker 1: and disappeared in an instant among the crowd. I trust
Speaker 1: that I am not more dense than my names, but
Speaker 1: I was always oppressed with a sense of my own
Speaker 1: stupidity in my dealings with Sherlock Holmes. Here I had
Speaker 1: heard what he had heard. I had seen what he
Speaker 1: had seen, and yet from his words it was evident
Speaker 1: that he saw clearly not only what had happened, but
Speaker 1: what was about to happen. While to me the whole
Speaker 1: business was still confused and grotesque. As I drove home
Speaker 1: to my house in Kensington, I thought over it all,
Speaker 1: from the extraordinary story of the red headed copier of
Speaker 1: the Encyclopedia, down to the visit to Saxe Coburg Square
Speaker 1: and the ominous words with which he had parted from me.
Speaker 1: What was this nocturnal expedition and why should I go armed?
Speaker 1: Where were we going? And what were we to do?
Speaker 1: I had the hint from Holmes that this smooth faced
Speaker 1: pawnbroker's assistant was a formidable man, a man who might
Speaker 1: play a deep game. I tried to puzzle it out,
Speaker 1: but gave it up in despair and set the matter
Speaker 1: aside until Knights should bring an explanation. It was a
Speaker 1: quarter past nine when I started from home and made
Speaker 1: my way across the park and so through Oxford Street
Speaker 1: to Baker Street. Two Hansoms were standing at the door,
Speaker 1: and as I entered the passage, I heard the sound
Speaker 1: of voices from above. On entering his room, I found
Speaker 1: Holmes in animated conversation with two men, one of whom
Speaker 1: I recognized as Peter Jones, the official police agent, while
Speaker 1: the other was a long, thin, sad faced man with
Speaker 1: a very shiny hat and oppressively respectable frock coat. Ah
Speaker 1: Our party is complete, said Holmes, buttoning up his pea
Speaker 1: jacket and taking his heavy hunting crop from the wreck. Watson,
Speaker 1: I think you know mister Jones of Scott Lanyard. Let
Speaker 1: me introduce you to mister Merriwether, who is to be
Speaker 1: our companion in tonight's adventure. We are hunting in couples again, doctor,
Speaker 1: you see, said Jones in his consequential way. Our friend
Speaker 1: here is a wonderful man for starting a chase. All
Speaker 1: he wants is an old dog to help him to
Speaker 1: do the running down. I hope a wild goose may
Speaker 1: not prove to be the end of our chase, observed
Speaker 1: mister Merriwether gloomily. You may place considerable confidence in mister Holmes, Sir,
Speaker 1: said the police agent loftily. He has his own little methods,
Speaker 1: which are, if he won't mind my saying so, just
Speaker 1: stay little too theoretical and fantastic. But he has the
Speaker 1: makings of a detective in him. It is not too
Speaker 1: much to say that once or twice, as in that
Speaker 1: business of the soulto murder and the agra treasure, he
Speaker 1: has been more nearly correct than the official force. Oh,
Speaker 1: if you say so, mister Jones, it is all right,
Speaker 1: said the stranger, with deference. Still, I confess that I
Speaker 1: miss my rubber. It is the first Saturday night for
Speaker 1: seven and twenty years that I have not had my rubber.
Speaker 1: I think you will find, said Sherlock Holmes, that you
Speaker 1: will play for a higher stake tonight than you have
Speaker 1: ever done yet, and that the play will be more exciting.
Speaker 1: For you, mister Merriwether, the steak will be some thirty
Speaker 1: thousand pounds, and for you Jones, it will be the
Speaker 1: man upon whom you wish to lay your hands. John Clay,
Speaker 1: the murderer, thief, smasher and forger. Ha'sy young man, mister Merriwether,
Speaker 1: But he is at the head of his profession and
Speaker 1: I would rather have my bracelets on him than any
Speaker 1: criminal in London. He's a remarkable man, is young John Clay.
Speaker 1: His grandfather was a royal duke, and he himself has
Speaker 1: been to Eton and Oxford. His brain is as cunning
Speaker 1: as his fingers, and though we meet signs of him
Speaker 1: at every turn, we never know where to find the
Speaker 1: man himself. He'll crack a crib in Scotland one week
Speaker 1: and be raising money to build an orphanage in Cornwall
Speaker 1: the next. I've been on his track for years and
Speaker 1: have never set eyes on him yet. I hope that
Speaker 1: I may have the pleasure of introducing you tonight. I've
Speaker 1: had one or two little turns also with mister John Clay,
Speaker 1: and I agree with you that he is at the
Speaker 1: head of his profession. It is past ten, however, and
Speaker 1: quite time that we started. If you two will take
Speaker 1: the first, handsome Watson, and I will follow in the second.
Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes was not very communicative during the long drive
Speaker 1: and lay back in the cab humming the tune which
Speaker 1: he had heard in the afternoon. We rattled through an
Speaker 1: endless labyrinth of gas lit streets until we emerged into
Speaker 1: Farrington Street. We are close there now, my friend remarked.
Speaker 1: This fellow Merriweather is a bank director and personally interested
Speaker 1: in the matter. I thought it is well to have
Speaker 1: Jones with us. Also, he is not a bad fellow.
Speaker 1: Though an absolute imbecile in his profession, he has one
Speaker 1: positive virtue. He is as brave as a bulldog and
Speaker 1: as tenacious as a lobster if he gets his claws
Speaker 1: upon anyone. Here we are, and they are waiting for us.
Speaker 1: We had reached the same crowded thoroughfare in which we
Speaker 1: had found ourselves in the morning. Our calves were dismissed, and,
Speaker 1: following the guidance of mister Merriwether, we passed down a
Speaker 1: narrow passage and through a side door which he opened
Speaker 1: for us. Within there was a small corridor which ended
Speaker 1: in a very massive hour and gate. This also was
Speaker 1: opened and led down a flight of winding stone steps,
Speaker 1: which terminated at another formidable gate. Mister Merriweather stopped to
Speaker 1: light a lantern and then conducted us down a dark
Speaker 1: earth smelling passage, and so after opening a third door
Speaker 1: into a huge vault or cellar, which was piled all
Speaker 1: round with crates and massive boxes. You are not very
Speaker 1: vulnerable from above, Holmes remarked, as he held up the
Speaker 1: lantern and gazed about him, Nor from below, said mister Meriwether,
Speaker 1: striking his stick upon the flags which lined the floor.
Speaker 1: Why dear me, it sounds quite hollow, he remarked, looking
Speaker 1: up in surprise. I must really ask you to be
Speaker 1: a little more quiet, said Holmes, severely. You have already
Speaker 1: imperiled the whole success of our ex pedition. Might I
Speaker 1: beg that you would have the goodness to sit down
Speaker 1: upon one of these boxes, and not to interfere. The
Speaker 1: solemn mister Merriweather perched himself upon a crate, with a
Speaker 1: very injured expression upon his face, while Holmes fell upon
Speaker 1: his knees upon the floor, and with the lantern and
Speaker 1: the magnifying lins, began to examine minutely the cracks between
Speaker 1: the stones. A few seconds sufficed to satisfy him, for
Speaker 1: he sprang to his feet again and put his glass
Speaker 1: to his pocket. We have at least an hour before us,
Speaker 1: he remarked, For they can hardly take any steps until
Speaker 1: the good pawn broker is safely in bed. Then they
Speaker 1: will not lose a minute, for the sooner they do
Speaker 1: their work, the longer they will have for their escape.
Speaker 1: We are at present, doctor, as no doubt you have
Speaker 1: divined in the cellar of the City branch of one
Speaker 1: of the principal London banks. Mister Merriweather is the Chairman
Speaker 1: of directors, and he will explain to you that there
Speaker 1: are reasons why the more daring criminals of London should
Speaker 1: take a considerable interest in this cellar. At present it
Speaker 1: is our French gold, whispered the director. We have had
Speaker 1: several warnings that an attempt might be made upon it,
Speaker 1: your French gold. Yes, we had occasion some months ago
Speaker 1: to strengthen our resources, and borrowed for that purpose thirty
Speaker 1: thousand napoleons from the Bank of France. It has become
Speaker 1: known that we have never had occasion to unpack the money,
Speaker 1: and that it is still lying in our cellar. The
Speaker 1: crate upon which I sit contains two thousand napoleons packed
Speaker 1: between layers of lead foil. Our reserve of bullion is
Speaker 1: much larger at present than is usually kept in a
Speaker 1: single branch office, and the directors have had misgivings upon
Speaker 1: the subject, which were very well justify, observed Holmes. And
Speaker 1: now it is time that we arranged our little plans.
Speaker 1: I expect that within an hour matters will come to
Speaker 1: a head. In the meantime, mister Meriwether, we must put
Speaker 1: the screen over that dark lantern and sit in the dark.
Speaker 1: I am afraid so. I had brought a pack of
Speaker 1: cards in my pocket, and I thought that as we
Speaker 1: were a partie Carree, you might have your rubber after all.
Speaker 1: But I see that the enemy's preparations have gone so
Speaker 1: far that we cannot risk the presence of a light.
Speaker 1: And first of all, we must choose our positions. These
Speaker 1: are daring men, and though we shall take them at
Speaker 1: a disadvantage, they may do us some harm unless we
Speaker 1: are careful. I shall stand behind this crate, and do
Speaker 1: you conceal yourselves behind those? Then, when I flash a
Speaker 1: light upon them, close in swiftly. If they fire, Watson
Speaker 1: have no compunction about shooting them down. I placed my
Speaker 1: revolver cocked upon the top of the wooden case behind
Speaker 1: which I crouched. Holmes shot the slide across the front
Speaker 1: of his lantern and left us in pitch darkness, such
Speaker 1: an absolute darkness as I have never before experienced. The
Speaker 1: smell of hot metal remained to assure us that the
Speaker 1: light was still there, ready to flash out at a
Speaker 1: moment's notice. To me, with my nerves worked up to
Speaker 1: a pitch of expectancy, there was something depressing and subduing
Speaker 1: in the sudden gloom, and in the cold, dank air
Speaker 1: of the vault. They have but one retreat, whispered Holmes.
Speaker 1: That is back through the house into Saxe Coburg Square.
Speaker 1: I hope that you have done what I asked you, Jones.
Speaker 1: I am an inspector and two officers waiting at the
Speaker 1: front door. Then we have stopped all the holes, and
Speaker 1: now we must be silent and wait. What a time
Speaker 1: it seemed, from comparing notes afterwards, it was but an
Speaker 1: hour and a quarter. Yet it appeared to me that
Speaker 1: the night must have almost gone, and the dawn be
Speaker 1: breaking above us. My limbs were weary and stiff, for
Speaker 1: I feared to change my position. Yet my nerves were
Speaker 1: worked up to the highest pitch of tension, and my
Speaker 1: hearing was so acute that I could not only hear
Speaker 1: the gentle breathing of my companions, but I could distinguish
Speaker 1: the deeper, heavier in breadth of the bulky jones from
Speaker 1: the thin sighing note of the bank director. From my position,
Speaker 1: I could look over the case in the direction of
Speaker 1: the floor. Suddenly my eyes caught the glint of a light.
Speaker 1: At first it was but a lurid spark upon the
Speaker 1: stone pavement. Then it leathened out until it became a
Speaker 1: yellow line, and then, without any warning or sound, a
Speaker 1: gash seemed to open, and hand appeared, a white, almost
Speaker 1: womanly hand, which felt about in the center of the
Speaker 1: little area of light. For a minute or more, the hand,
Speaker 1: with its writhing fingers, protruded out of the floor. Then
Speaker 1: it was withdrawn as suddenly as it appeared, and all
Speaker 1: was dark again, save the single lurid spark, which marked
Speaker 1: a chink between the stones. Its disappearance, however, was but momentary,
Speaker 1: with a rending, tearing sound. One of the broad white
Speaker 1: stones turned over upon its side and left a square,
Speaker 1: gaping hole through which streamed the light of a lantern.
Speaker 1: Over the edge. There peeped a clean cut, boyish face
Speaker 1: which looked keenly about it, and then, with a hand
Speaker 1: on either side of the aperture, drew itself shoulder high,
Speaker 1: and waisted high until one knee rested upon the edge.
Speaker 1: In another instant he stood at the side of the
Speaker 1: hole and was hauling after him a companion, lithe and
Speaker 1: small like himself, with a pale face and a shock
Speaker 1: of very red hair. It's all clear, he whispered, Have
Speaker 1: you the chisel and the bags, Great Scott, jump, Archie, jump,
Speaker 1: and I'll swing for it, Sherlock. Holmes had sprung out
Speaker 1: and seized the intruder by the collar. The other dived
Speaker 1: down the hole, and I heard the sound of rending
Speaker 1: cloth as Jones clutched at his skirts. The light flashed
Speaker 1: down the barrel of a revolver, but Holmes's hunting crop
Speaker 1: came down on the man's wrist, and the pistol clinked
Speaker 1: upon the stone. It's no use, John Clay, said Holmes, blandly,
Speaker 1: you have no chance at all. So I see the
Speaker 1: other answered, with the utmost coolness. I fancy that my
Speaker 1: pal is all right, though I see you have got
Speaker 1: his coat tails. There are three men waiting for him
Speaker 1: at the door, said Holmes. Oh, indeed, you seem to
Speaker 1: have done the thing very completely. I must compliment you,
Speaker 1: and I you, Holmes answered, your red headed idea was
Speaker 1: very new and effective. You'll see your palagan presently, said Jones.
Speaker 1: He's quickerly climbing down holes than I am. Just hold
Speaker 1: out while I fix the derbys. I beg that you
Speaker 1: will not touch me with your filthy hands, remarked our prisoner,
Speaker 1: as the handcuffs clattered upon his wrists. You may not
Speaker 1: be aware that I have royal blood in my veins.
Speaker 1: Have the goodness also when you address me, always to
Speaker 1: say sir and please all right, said Jones, with a
Speaker 1: stare and a snigger. Well, would you, please, sir march
Speaker 1: upstairs where we can get a cab to carry your
Speaker 1: highness to the police station. That is better, said John
Speaker 1: Clay serenely. He made a sweeping bow to the three
Speaker 1: of us and walked quietly off in the custody of
Speaker 1: the detective. Really, mister Holmes, said mister Merriwether, as we
Speaker 1: followed them from the cellar. I do not know how
Speaker 1: the bank can thank you or repay you. There is
Speaker 1: no doubt that you have detected and defeated in the
Speaker 1: most complete manner. One of the most determined attempts at
Speaker 1: bank robbery that has ever come within my experience. I
Speaker 1: have had one or two little scores of my own
Speaker 1: to settle with mister John Clay, said Holmes. I have
Speaker 1: been at some small expense over this matter, which I
Speaker 1: shall expect the bank to refund. But beyond that I
Speaker 1: am amply repaid by having had an experience which is
Speaker 1: in many ways unique, and by hearing the very remarkable
Speaker 1: narrative of the red Headed League. You see, Watson, he
Speaker 1: explained in the early hours of the morning, as we
Speaker 1: sat over a glass of whiskey and soda in Baker Street,
Speaker 1: it was perfectly obvious from the first that the only
Speaker 1: possible object of this rather fantastic business, of the advertisement
Speaker 1: of the league and the copying of the encyclopedia, must
Speaker 1: be to get this not over bright pawnbroker out of
Speaker 1: the way for a number of hours every day. It
Speaker 1: was a curious way of managing it, but really it
Speaker 1: would be difficult to suggest a better The method was
Speaker 1: no doubt suggested to Clay's ingenious mind by the color
Speaker 1: of his accomplice's hair. The four pounds a week was
Speaker 1: a lure which must draw him, and what was it
Speaker 1: to them who were playing for thousands? They put in
Speaker 1: the advertisement. One rogue has the temporary office, the other
Speaker 1: rogue incites the man to apply for it, and together
Speaker 1: they managed to secure his absence every morning in the week.
Speaker 1: From the time that I heard of the assistant having
Speaker 1: come for half wages, it was obvious to me that
Speaker 1: he had some strong motive for securing the situation. But
Speaker 1: how could you guess what the motive was? Had there
Speaker 1: been a woman in the house, I should have suspected
Speaker 1: a mere vulgar intrigue, That, however, was out of the question.
Speaker 1: The man's business was a small one, and there was
Speaker 1: nothing in his house which could account for such elaborate
Speaker 1: preparations and such an expenditure as they were at. It
Speaker 1: must then be something out of the house. What could
Speaker 1: it be? I thought of the assistant's fund for photography
Speaker 1: and his trick of vanishing into the cellar. The cellar
Speaker 1: there was the end of this tangled clue that I
Speaker 1: made my inquiries as to this mysterious assistant and found
Speaker 1: that I had to deal with one of the coolest
Speaker 1: and most daring criminals in London. He was doing something
Speaker 1: in the cellar, something which took many hours a day
Speaker 1: for months on end. What could it be? Once more,
Speaker 1: I could think of nothing, say that he was running
Speaker 1: a tunnel to some other building. So far I had got.
Speaker 1: When we went to visit the scene of action, I
Speaker 1: surprised you by beating upon the pavement with my stick.
Speaker 1: I was ascertaining whether the cellar stretched out in front
Speaker 1: or behind. It was not in front. Then I rang
Speaker 1: the bell, and as I hoped, the assistant answered it.
Speaker 1: We have had some skirmishes, but we had never set
Speaker 1: eyes upon each other before. I hardly looked at his face.
Speaker 1: His knees were what I wished to see. You must
Speaker 1: yourself have remarked how worn, wrinkled and stained they were.
Speaker 1: They spoke of those hours of burrowing. The only remaining
Speaker 1: point was what were they burrowing? For? I walked round
Speaker 1: the corner, saw the city in suburban bank about it
Speaker 1: on our friend's premises, and felt that I had solved
Speaker 1: my problem. When you drove home after the concert, I
Speaker 1: called upon Scotland Yard and upon the chairman of the
Speaker 1: bank directors, with the result that you have seen, and
Speaker 1: how could you tell that they would make their attempt tonight?
Speaker 1: I asked, well, when they closed their league offices, that
Speaker 1: was a sign that they cared no longer about mister
Speaker 1: Jabez Wilson's presence. In other words, that they had completed
Speaker 1: their tunnel, but it was essential that they should use
Speaker 1: it soon, as it might be discovered or the bullion
Speaker 1: might be removed. Saturday would suit them better than any
Speaker 1: other day, as it would give them two days for
Speaker 1: their escape. For all these reasons, I expected them to
Speaker 1: come to night. You reasoned it out beautifully, I exclaimed,
Speaker 1: in unfeigned admiration. It is so long a chain, and
Speaker 1: yet every link rings true. It saved me from aennyui,
Speaker 1: he answered, yawning. Alas I already feel it closing and
Speaker 1: upon me. My life is spent in one long effort
Speaker 1: to escape from the commonplaces of existence. Ah, these little
Speaker 1: problems help me to do so, and you are a
Speaker 1: benefactor of the race, said I. He shrugged his shoulders. Well, perhaps,
Speaker 1: after all, it is of some little use, he remarked, long.
Speaker 1: Serrier Lo sait too, as Gustave Flaubert wrote to George
Speaker 1: sand end of Part three, End of the Red Headed
Speaker 1: League by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The story read by
Speaker 1: phil Chennebert