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Speaker 1: The man with the twisted lip. Isa Whitney, brother of

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the late Elias Whitney, d d. Principle of the Theological

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College of Saint George's, was much addicted to opium. The

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habit grew upon him, as I understand, from some foolish

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freak when he was at college, for having read de

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Quincey's description of his dreams and sensations, he had drenched

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his tobacco with laudanum in an attempt to produce the

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same effects. He found, as so many more have done,

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that the practice is easier to attain than to get

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rid of, And for many years he continued to be

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a slave to the drug, an object of mingled horror

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and pity to his friends and relatives. I can see

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him now, with yellow pasty face, drooping lids, and pin

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point pupils, all huddled in a chair, the wreck and

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ruin of a noble man. One night, it was in

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June eighty nine, there came a ring to my bell,

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about the hour when a man gives his first yawn

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and glances at the clock. I sat up in my chair,

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and my wife laid her needlework down in her lap,

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and made a little face of disappointment. A patient said

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she you'll have to go out. I groaned, for I

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was newly come back from a weary day. We heard

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the door open, a few hurried words, and then quick

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steps upon the linoleum. Our own door flew open, and

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a lady clad in some dark colored stuff with a

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black veil, entered the room. You will excuse me calling

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so late, she began, and then, suddenly losing her self control,

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she ran forward, threw her arms about my wife's neck,

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and sobbed upon her shoulder. Oh I am in such trouble,

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she cried. I do so want a little help. Why,

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said my wife, pulling up her veil. It is Kate Whitney.

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How you startled me? Kate, I had not an idea

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who you were when you came in. I didn't know

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what to do, so I came straight to you. That

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was always the way folk who were in grief came

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to my wife like birds to a lighthouse. It was

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very sweet of you to come. Now. You must have

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some wine and water and sit here comfortably and tell

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us all about it. Or should you rather that? I

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sent James off to bed. Oh no, no, I want

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the doctor's advice. And help too. It's about Isa. He

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has not been home for two days. I'm so frightened

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about him. It was not the first time that she

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had spoken to us of her husband's trouble, to me

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as a doctor, to my wife as an old friend

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and school companion. We soothed and comforted her by such

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words as we could find. Did she know where her

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husband was? Was it possible that we could bring him

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back to her? It seems that it was. She had

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the surest information that of late he had when the

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fit was on him, made use of an opium den

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in the farthest east of the city. Hitherto his orgies

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had always been confined to one day, and he'd come

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back twitching and shattered in the evening. But now the

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spell had been upon him eight and forty hours, and

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he lay there, doubtless among the dregs of the docks,

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breathing in the poison or sleeping off the effects. There

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he was to be found, she was sure of it,

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at the bar of Gold in Upper Swandham Lane. But

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what was she to do? How could she, a young

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and timid woman, make her way into such a place

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and pluck her husband out from among the ruffians who

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surrounded him. There was the case, and of course there

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was but one way out of it. Might I not

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escort her to this place? And then, as a second thought,

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why should she come at all? I was Asa Whitney's

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medical adviser, and as such I had influence over him.

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I could manage it better if I were alone. I

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promised her on my word that I would send him

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home in a cab within two hours if he were

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indeed at the address which she had given me, And

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so in ten minutes I had left my arm chair

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and cheery sitting room behind me, and was speeding eastward

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in a hansom on a strange errand, as it seemed

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to me at the time, though the future only could

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show how strange it was to be. But there was

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no great difficulty in the first stage of my adventure.

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Upper Swandam Lane is a vile alley lurking behind the

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high wharves which line the north side of the river

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to the east of London Bridge, between a slop shop

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and a gin shop. Approached by a steep flight of

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steps leading down to a black gap like the mouth

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of a cave. I found the den of which I

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was in search ordering my cab to wait, I passed

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down the steps, worn hollow in the center by the

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ceaseless tread of drunken feet, and by the light of

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a flickering oil lamp above the door. I found the

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latch and made my way into a long, low room,

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thick and heavy with the brown opium smoke, and terraced

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with wooden berths, like the forecastle of an emigrant ship.

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Through the gloom, one could dimly catch a glimpse of

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bodies lying in strange fantastic poses, bowed shoulders, bent knees,

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heads thrown back, and chin pointing upward, with here and

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there a dark, lackluster eye turned upon the newcomer. Out

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of the black shadows, there glimmered little red circles of light,

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now bright, now faint, as the burning poison waxed or waned.

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In the bowls of the metal pipes. The most lay silent,

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but some muttered to themselves, and others talked together in

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a strange, low, monotonous voice, their conversation coming in gushes

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and then suddenly tailing off into silence, each mumbling out

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his own thoughts and paying little heed to the words

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of his neighbor. At the farther end was a small

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brazier of burning charcoal, beside which on a three legged

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wooden stool, there sat a tall, thin old man, with

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his jaw resting upon his two fists and his elbows

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upon his knees, staring into the fire. As I entered,

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a sallow malay attendant had hurried up with a pipe

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for me and a supply of the drug, beckoning me

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to an empty berth, thank you. I have not come

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to stay. There is a friend of mine here, mister

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Isa Whitney, and I wished to speak with him. There

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was a movement and an exclamation from my right, and

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peering through the gloom, I saw Whitney, pale, haggard and unkempt,

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staring out at me. My god, it's Watson, said he.

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He was in a pitiable state of reaction, with every

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nerve in a twitter. I say, Watson, what o'clock is it?

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Nearly eleven of what day of Friday, June nineteenth? Good heavens,

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I thought it was Wednesday. It is Wednesday. What do

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you want to frighten a chap for He sank his

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face unto his arms and began to sob in a

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high treble key. I tell you that it is Friday. Man.

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Your wife has been waiting this two days for you.

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You should be ashamed of yourself, so I am. But

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you've got mixed, Watson, for I've only been here a

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few hours. Three pipes, four pipes, I forget how many.

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But I'll go home with you. I wouldn't frighten Kate,

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poor little Kate. Give me your hand, and have you

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a cab? Yes, I have one waiting. Then I shall

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go in it. But I must owe something, find what

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I owe, Watson. I am all off color. I can

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do nothing for myself. I walked down the narrow passage

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between the double row of sleepers, holding my breath to

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keep out the vile, stupefying fumes of the drug, and

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looking about for the manager. As I passed the tall

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man who sat by the brazier, I felt a sudden

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pluck at my skirt, and a low voice whispered walk

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past me, and then look back at me. The words

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fell quite distinctly upon my ear. I glanced down. They

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could only have come from the old man at my side.

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And yet he sat now as absorbed as ever, very thin,

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very wrinkled, bent with age, an opium pipe dangling down

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from between his knees, as though it had dropped in

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sheer lassitude from his fingers. I took two steps forward

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and looked back. It took all my self control to

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prevent me from breaking out into a cry of astonishment.

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He turned his back so that none could see him

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but I. His form had filled out, his wrinkles were gone,

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the dull eyes had regained their fire, And there, sitting

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by the fire and grinning at my surprise, was none

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other than Sherlock Holmes. He made a slight motion to

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me to approach him, and instantly as he turned his

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face half round to the company, once more subsided into

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a doddering, loose lipped senility. Holmes, I whispered, what on

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earth are you doing in this den? As low as

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you can, he answered, I have excellent ears. If you

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would have the great kindness to get rid of that

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sawtish friend of yours, I should be exceedingly glad to

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have a little talk with you. I have a cab outside,

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then pray send him home in it. You may safely

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trust him, for he appears to be too limp to

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get into any mischief. I should recommend you also to

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send a note by the cabman to your wife to

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say that you have thrown in your lot with me.

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If you will wait outside, I shall be with you

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in five minutes. It was difficult to refuse any of

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Sherlock Holmbs's requests, for they were always so exceedingly definite

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and put forward with such a quiet air of mastery.

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I felt, however, that when Whitney was once confined in

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the cab, my mission was practically accomplished, and for the

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rest I could not wish anything better than to be

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associated with my friend in one of those singular adventures

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which were the normal condition of his existence. In a

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few minutes, I had written my note, paid Whitney's bill,

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led him out to the cab, and seen him driven

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through the darkness. In a very short time, a decrepit

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figure had emerged from the opium den, and I was

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walking down the street with Sherlock Holmes for two streets.

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He shuffled along with a bend back and an uncertain foot. Then,

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glancing quickly round, he straightened himself out and burst into

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a hearty fit of laughter. I suppose Watson said he

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that you imagine that I have added opium smoking, to

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cocaine injections, and all the other little weaknesses on which

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you have favored me with your medical views. I was

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certainly surprised to find you there, but not more so

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than I to find you. I came to find a friend,

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and I to find an enemy, an enemy, yes, one

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of my natural enemies, or shall I say my natural prey? Briefly, Watson,

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I am in the midst of a very remarkable inquiry,

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and I have hoped to find a clue in the

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incoherent ramblings of these sots, as I have done before. Now.

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Had I been recognized in that den, my life would

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not have been worth an hour's purchase. For I have

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used it before now for my own purposes, and the

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rascally lascar who runs it has sworn to have vengeance

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upon me. There is a trap door at the back

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of that building, near the corner of Paul's Wharf, which

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could tell some strange tales of what has passed through

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it upon the moonless nights. What you do not mean bodies? Aye, bodies, Watson.

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We should be rich men if we had a thousand

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pounds of every poor devil who had been done to

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death in that den. It is the vilest murder trap

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on the whole river side. And I fear that Neville

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Saint Clair has entered it, never to leave it more.

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But our trap should be here. He put his two

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forefingers between his teeth and whistled shrilly, a signal, which

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was answered by a similar whistle from the distance, followed

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shortly by the rattle of wheels and the clink of

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horses hoofs now. Watson, said Holmes, as a tall dog

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cart dashed up through the gloom, throwing out two golden

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tunnels of yellow light from its side. Lands. You'll come

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with me, won't you? If I can be of use. Oh,

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A trusty comrade is always of use, and a chronicler

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still more so. My room at the Cedars is a

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double bedded one the Cedars. Yes, that is mister Saint

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Clair's house. I am staying there while I conduct the inquiry.

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Where is it then, near Lee in Kent? We have

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a seven mile drive before us. But I am all

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in the dark. Of course you are. You'll know all

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about it presently. Jump up here, all right, John, we

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shall not need you. Here's half a crown look out

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for me. Tomorrow about eleven, give her her head so long.

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Then he flicked the horse with his whip, and we

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dashed away through the endless succession of somber and deserted streets,

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which widened gradually until we were flying across a broad,

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balustraded bridge, with the murky river flowing sluggishly beneath us.

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Beyond lay another dull wilderness of bricks and mortar, its

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silence broken only by the heavy regular footfall of the policeman,

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or the songs and shouts of some belated party of revelers.

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A dull rack was drifting slowly across the sky, and

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a star or two twinkled dimly here and there through

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the rifts of the clouds. Holmes drove in silence, with

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his head sunk upon his breast, and the air of

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a man who is lost in thought, while I sat

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beside him, curious to learn what this new quest might be,

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which seemed to tax his powers so sorely, and yet

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afraid to break in upon the current of his thoughts.

237
00:12:59,480 --> 00:13:02,000
We had driven several miles and were beginning to get

238
00:13:02,000 --> 00:13:04,399
to the fringe of the belt of suburban villas when

239
00:13:04,440 --> 00:13:07,480
he shook himself shrugged his shoulders and lit up his

240
00:13:07,559 --> 00:13:09,519
pipe with the air of a man who is satisfied

241
00:13:09,600 --> 00:13:13,519
himself that he is acting for the best. You have

242
00:13:13,600 --> 00:13:17,320
a grand gift of silence, Watson said he. It makes

243
00:13:17,360 --> 00:13:20,799
you quite invaluable as a companion. Upon my word, it

244
00:13:20,879 --> 00:13:22,320
is a great thing for me to have some one

245
00:13:22,360 --> 00:13:25,279
to talk to for my own thoughts are not over pleasant.

246
00:13:25,759 --> 00:13:27,559
I was wondering what I should say to this dear

247
00:13:27,559 --> 00:13:29,759
little woman to night when she meets me at the door.

248
00:13:31,279 --> 00:13:34,720
You forget that I know nothing about it. I shall

249
00:13:34,960 --> 00:13:36,320
just have time to tell you the facts of the

250
00:13:36,360 --> 00:13:39,759
case before we get to Lee. It seems absurdly simple,

251
00:13:39,799 --> 00:13:42,320
and yet somehow I can get nothing to go upon.

252
00:13:42,919 --> 00:13:45,080
There's plenty of thread, no doubt, but I can't get

253
00:13:45,080 --> 00:13:47,879
the end of it into my hand. Now I'll state

254
00:13:47,919 --> 00:13:50,919
the case clearly and concisely to you, Watson, and maybe

255
00:13:50,919 --> 00:13:53,279
you can see a spark where all is dark to me.

256
00:13:54,600 --> 00:13:59,559
Proceed then, some years ago to be definite. In May

257
00:13:59,639 --> 00:14:03,399
eighteen eighty four, there came to Lee a gentleman Neville,

258
00:14:03,399 --> 00:14:06,799
Saint Clair by name, who appeared to have plenty of money.

259
00:14:07,360 --> 00:14:10,480
He took a large villa, laid out the grounds very nicely,

260
00:14:10,799 --> 00:14:14,200
and lived generally in good style. By degrees, he made

261
00:14:14,279 --> 00:14:17,279
friends in the neighborhood, and in eighteen eighty seven he

262
00:14:17,320 --> 00:14:20,039
married the daughter of a local brewer, by whom he

263
00:14:20,120 --> 00:14:23,799
now has two children. He had no occupation, but was

264
00:14:23,840 --> 00:14:26,360
interested in several companies, and went into town as a

265
00:14:26,399 --> 00:14:29,440
rule in the morning, returning by the five fourteen from

266
00:14:29,480 --> 00:14:33,039
Cannon Street every night. Mister Saint Clair is now thirty

267
00:14:33,039 --> 00:14:36,080
seven years of age, is a man of temperate habits,

268
00:14:36,360 --> 00:14:39,559
a good husband, a very affectionate father, and a man

269
00:14:39,600 --> 00:14:42,559
who's popular with all who know him. I may add

270
00:14:42,600 --> 00:14:44,559
that his whole debts at the present moment, as far

271
00:14:44,559 --> 00:14:47,120
as we have been able to ascertain, amount to eighty

272
00:14:47,159 --> 00:14:50,600
eight pounds ten shillings, while he has two hundred twenty

273
00:14:50,639 --> 00:14:53,840
pounds standing to his credit in the Capital and County's bank.

274
00:14:54,120 --> 00:14:56,279
There is no reason, therefore to think that money troubles

275
00:14:56,279 --> 00:15:00,000
have been weighing upon his mind. Last Monday, mister Neville

276
00:15:00,080 --> 00:15:03,519
Saint Clair went into town rather earlier than usual, remarking

277
00:15:03,559 --> 00:15:06,600
before he started that he had two important commissions to perform,

278
00:15:07,080 --> 00:15:08,840
and that he would bring his little boy home a

279
00:15:08,840 --> 00:15:12,559
box of bricks. Now by the merest chance. His wife

280
00:15:12,559 --> 00:15:15,960
received a telegram upon this same Monday, very shortly after

281
00:15:16,000 --> 00:15:18,679
his departure, to the effect that a small parcel of

282
00:15:18,759 --> 00:15:22,399
considerable value, which she had been expecting, was waiting for

283
00:15:22,399 --> 00:15:25,919
her the offices of the Aberdeen Shipping Company. Now, if

284
00:15:25,919 --> 00:15:27,840
you are well up in your London, you will know

285
00:15:27,879 --> 00:15:30,360
that the office of the company is in Fresno Street,

286
00:15:30,679 --> 00:15:33,720
which branches out of upper Swandham Lane, where you found me.

287
00:15:33,840 --> 00:15:37,320
To night, Missus Saint Clair had her lunch, started for

288
00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:40,720
the city, did some shopping, proceeded to the company's office,

289
00:15:40,960 --> 00:15:44,159
got her packet, and found herself at exactly four thirty

290
00:15:44,159 --> 00:15:46,960
five walking through Swandham Lane on her way back to

291
00:15:47,000 --> 00:15:50,720
the station. Have you followed me so far? It is

292
00:15:51,039 --> 00:15:56,080
very clear if you remember. Monday was an exceedingly hot day,

293
00:15:56,559 --> 00:15:59,360
and Missus Saint Clair walked slowly, glancing about in the

294
00:15:59,360 --> 00:16:01,639
hope of seeing it cab, as she did not like

295
00:16:01,639 --> 00:16:04,399
the neighborhood in which she found herself. While she was

296
00:16:04,399 --> 00:16:07,080
walking in this way down Swandham Lane, she suddenly heard

297
00:16:07,080 --> 00:16:10,279
an ejaculation or cry, and was struck cold to see

298
00:16:10,279 --> 00:16:13,200
her husband looking down at her, and, as it seemed

299
00:16:13,200 --> 00:16:16,000
to her beckoning to her from a second floor window.

300
00:16:16,399 --> 00:16:19,240
The window was open, and she distinctly saw his face,

301
00:16:19,559 --> 00:16:23,240
which she describes as being terribly agitated. He waved his

302
00:16:23,279 --> 00:16:26,159
hands frantically to her, and then vanished from the window,

303
00:16:26,279 --> 00:16:28,320
so suddenly that it seemed to her that he had

304
00:16:28,320 --> 00:16:32,879
been plucked back by some irresistible force from behind. One

305
00:16:32,960 --> 00:16:36,600
singular point which struck her quite feminine eye was that,

306
00:16:36,639 --> 00:16:39,159
although he wore some dark coat, such as he had

307
00:16:39,200 --> 00:16:43,000
started to town in, he had on neither collar nor necktie.

308
00:16:43,679 --> 00:16:46,559
Convinced that something was amiss with him, she rushed down

309
00:16:46,600 --> 00:16:48,480
the steps, for the house was none other than the

310
00:16:48,480 --> 00:16:51,240
opium den in which you found me to night, and

311
00:16:51,320 --> 00:16:53,840
running through the front room, she attempted to ascend the stairs,

312
00:16:53,840 --> 00:16:56,120
which led to the first floor. At the foot of

313
00:16:56,159 --> 00:16:58,960
the stairs, however, she met this less scar scoundrel of

314
00:16:59,000 --> 00:17:02,039
whom I have spoken, who thrust her back, and, aided

315
00:17:02,120 --> 00:17:05,319
by a Dane who acts as assistant, there pushed her

316
00:17:05,359 --> 00:17:08,559
out into the street. Filled with the most maddening doubts

317
00:17:08,559 --> 00:17:11,319
and fears, she rushed down the lane, and, by rare

318
00:17:11,359 --> 00:17:14,839
good fortune, met in Fresno Street a number of constables

319
00:17:14,880 --> 00:17:17,200
with an inspector, all on their way to their beat.

320
00:17:17,599 --> 00:17:20,720
The inspector and two men accompanied her back, and in

321
00:17:20,720 --> 00:17:23,599
spite of the continued resistance of the proprietor, they made

322
00:17:23,599 --> 00:17:25,480
their way up to the room in which mister Saint

323
00:17:25,480 --> 00:17:28,359
Clair had last been seen. There was no sign of

324
00:17:28,440 --> 00:17:31,119
him there. In fact, in the whole of that floor,

325
00:17:31,160 --> 00:17:33,480
there was no one to be seen save a crippled

326
00:17:33,480 --> 00:17:37,160
wretch of hideous aspect, who it seems made his home there.

327
00:17:37,880 --> 00:17:41,240
Both he and the lascar stoutly swore that no one

328
00:17:41,240 --> 00:17:43,319
else had been in the front room during the afternoon.

329
00:17:44,039 --> 00:17:47,119
So determined was their denial that the Inspector was staggered

330
00:17:47,480 --> 00:17:49,599
and had almost come to believe that missus Sinclair had

331
00:17:49,599 --> 00:17:52,359
been deluded, when with a cry, she sprang at a

332
00:17:52,400 --> 00:17:54,720
small deal box which lay upon the table, and tore

333
00:17:54,799 --> 00:17:57,880
the lid from it. Out there fell a cascade of

334
00:17:57,960 --> 00:18:01,599
children's bricks. It was a toy which he had promised

335
00:18:01,720 --> 00:18:06,000
to bring home. This discovery and the evident confusion which

336
00:18:06,039 --> 00:18:08,680
the cripple showed, made the inspector realize that the matter

337
00:18:08,799 --> 00:18:12,759
was serious. The rooms were carefully examined, and results all

338
00:18:12,799 --> 00:18:17,000
pointed to an abominable crime. The front room was plainly furnished,

339
00:18:17,000 --> 00:18:19,599
as a sitting room, and led into a small bedroom

340
00:18:19,880 --> 00:18:22,200
which looked out upon the back of one of the wharves.

341
00:18:22,759 --> 00:18:25,359
Between the wharf and the bedroom window is a narrow

342
00:18:25,400 --> 00:18:28,759
strip which is dry and low tide, but is covered

343
00:18:28,759 --> 00:18:30,400
at high tide with at least four and a half

344
00:18:30,440 --> 00:18:33,519
feet of water. The bedroom window was a broad one

345
00:18:33,880 --> 00:18:37,799
and opened from below. On examination, traces of blood were

346
00:18:37,839 --> 00:18:40,640
to be seen upon the window sill, and several scattered

347
00:18:40,680 --> 00:18:43,240
drops were visible upon the wooden floor of the bedroom.

348
00:18:44,039 --> 00:18:46,720
Thrust away behind a curtain in the front room were

349
00:18:46,759 --> 00:18:49,839
all the clothes of mister Neville Saint Clair, with the

350
00:18:49,880 --> 00:18:54,319
exception of his coat, his boots, his socks, his hat,

351
00:18:54,559 --> 00:18:58,400
and his watch all were there. There were no signs

352
00:18:58,400 --> 00:19:01,079
of violence upon any of these garments, and there were

353
00:19:01,119 --> 00:19:04,839
no other traces of mister Neville Saint Clair out of

354
00:19:04,839 --> 00:19:07,319
the window. He must apparently have gone for no other

355
00:19:07,359 --> 00:19:10,559
excit could be discovered, and the ominous blood stains upon

356
00:19:10,599 --> 00:19:13,480
the sill gave little promise that he could save himself

357
00:19:13,519 --> 00:19:16,400
by swimming, for the tide was at its very highest

358
00:19:16,519 --> 00:19:19,799
at the moment of the tragedy. And now as to

359
00:19:19,839 --> 00:19:22,519
the villains, who seemed to be immediately implicated in the matter.

360
00:19:23,079 --> 00:19:24,799
The Lascar was known to be a man of the

361
00:19:24,880 --> 00:19:28,759
vilest antecedents, but as by Missus Saint Clair's story, he

362
00:19:28,839 --> 00:19:30,039
was known to have been at the foot of the

363
00:19:30,079 --> 00:19:32,720
stair within a very few seconds of her husband's appearance

364
00:19:32,720 --> 00:19:35,160
at the window, he could hardly have been more than

365
00:19:35,200 --> 00:19:38,279
an accessory to the crime. His defense was one of

366
00:19:38,359 --> 00:19:41,759
absolute ignorance, and he protested that he had no knowledge

367
00:19:41,759 --> 00:19:45,119
as to the doings of Hugh Boone, his lodger, and

368
00:19:45,200 --> 00:19:46,720
that he could not account in any way for the

369
00:19:46,759 --> 00:19:50,799
presence of the missing gentleman's clothes. So much for the

370
00:19:50,920 --> 00:19:55,160
Lascar manager, now for this sinister cripple who lives upon

371
00:19:55,160 --> 00:19:57,519
the second floor of the Opium Den, and who was

372
00:19:57,519 --> 00:20:01,640
certainly the last human being whose eyes upon Neville Saint Clair.

373
00:20:02,519 --> 00:20:05,839
His name is Hugh Boone, and his hideous face is

374
00:20:05,880 --> 00:20:08,559
one which is familiar to every man who goes much

375
00:20:08,640 --> 00:20:11,839
to the city. He is a professional beggar, though in

376
00:20:11,920 --> 00:20:14,920
order to avoid the police regulations, he pretends to a

377
00:20:14,960 --> 00:20:19,119
small trade in wax veestas. Some little distance down thread

378
00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:22,559
Needle Street, upon the left hand side, there is, as

379
00:20:22,599 --> 00:20:25,200
you may have remarked, a small angle in the wall.

380
00:20:25,920 --> 00:20:28,200
Here it is that this creature takes his daily seat,

381
00:20:28,599 --> 00:20:31,640
cross legged, with his tiny stock of matches on his lap,

382
00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:34,640
And as he is a piteous spectacle, a small rain

383
00:20:34,720 --> 00:20:38,559
of charity descends into the greasy leather cap which lies

384
00:20:38,680 --> 00:20:42,240
upon the pavement beside him. I have watched the fellow

385
00:20:42,319 --> 00:20:44,880
more than once before ever I thought of making his

386
00:20:45,000 --> 00:20:48,319
professional acquaintance, and I have been surprised at the harvest

387
00:20:48,319 --> 00:20:51,200
which he has reaped in a short time. His appearance,

388
00:20:51,200 --> 00:20:53,640
you see, is so remarkable that no one can pass

389
00:20:53,720 --> 00:20:57,359
him without observing him. A shock of orange chair, a

390
00:20:57,400 --> 00:21:01,400
pale face disfigured by a horrible scar which, by its

391
00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:04,559
contraction has turned up the outer edges of his upper lip,

392
00:21:05,119 --> 00:21:08,799
a bulldog chin, and a pair of very penetrating dark eyes,

393
00:21:09,200 --> 00:21:12,240
which present a singular contrast to the color of his hair,

394
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:15,759
all mark him out from amid the common crowd of mendicants.

395
00:21:16,079 --> 00:21:18,279
And so too does his wit, for he is ever

396
00:21:18,319 --> 00:21:20,359
ready with a reply to any piece of chaff which

397
00:21:20,440 --> 00:21:23,160
may be thrown at him by the passers by. This

398
00:21:23,240 --> 00:21:24,839
is the man whom we now learned to have been

399
00:21:24,839 --> 00:21:27,319
the lodger at the Opium Den, and to have been

400
00:21:27,319 --> 00:21:29,599
the last man to see the gentleman of whom we

401
00:21:29,640 --> 00:21:34,000
are in quest, but a cripple, said I What could

402
00:21:34,000 --> 00:21:35,920
he have done single handed against a man in the

403
00:21:35,960 --> 00:21:39,279
prime of life. He is a cripple in the sense

404
00:21:39,319 --> 00:21:42,039
that he walks with a limp, but in other respects

405
00:21:42,039 --> 00:21:44,720
he appears to be a powerful and well nurtured man.

406
00:21:45,079 --> 00:21:48,519
Surely your medical experience would tell you, Watson, that weakness

407
00:21:48,559 --> 00:21:51,839
in one limb is often compensated for by exceptional strength

408
00:21:51,880 --> 00:21:57,759
and the others. Pray continue your narrative. Missus Sinclair had

409
00:21:57,759 --> 00:21:59,839
fainted at the sight of the blood upon the window,

410
00:22:00,200 --> 00:22:02,920
and she was escorted home in a cab by the police,

411
00:22:03,279 --> 00:22:05,160
as her presence could be of no help to them

412
00:22:05,160 --> 00:22:09,240
in their investigations. Inspector Barton, who had charge of the case,

413
00:22:09,519 --> 00:22:12,519
made a very careful examination of the premises, but without

414
00:22:12,519 --> 00:22:15,680
finding anything which threw any light upon the matter. One

415
00:22:15,720 --> 00:22:18,200
mistake had been made in not a resting Boone instantly,

416
00:22:18,559 --> 00:22:20,599
as he was allowed some few minutes during which he

417
00:22:20,640 --> 00:22:24,079
might have communicated with his friend the le scar. But

418
00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:26,640
this fault was soon remedied, and he was seized and

419
00:22:26,759 --> 00:22:30,799
searched without anything being found which could incriminate him. Their

420
00:22:30,839 --> 00:22:34,240
word is true. Some blood stains upon his right shirt sleeve,

421
00:22:34,680 --> 00:22:36,960
but he pointed to his ring finger, which had been

422
00:22:36,960 --> 00:22:39,720
cut near the nail, and explained that the bleeding came

423
00:22:39,799 --> 00:22:42,240
from there, adding that he had been to the window

424
00:22:42,319 --> 00:22:44,720
not long before, and that the stains which had been

425
00:22:44,720 --> 00:22:48,920
observed there came doubtless from the same source. He denied

426
00:22:48,960 --> 00:22:52,799
strenuously having ever seen mister Neville Saint Clair, and swore

427
00:22:52,880 --> 00:22:55,039
that the presence of the clothes in his room was

428
00:22:55,079 --> 00:22:57,200
as much a mystery to him as to the police.

429
00:22:58,039 --> 00:23:00,799
As to Missus Saint Clair's assertion the she'd actually seen

430
00:23:00,839 --> 00:23:03,279
her husband at the window, he declared that she must

431
00:23:03,319 --> 00:23:07,440
have been either mad or dreaming. He was removed, loudly

432
00:23:07,480 --> 00:23:11,200
protesting to the police station, while the inspector remained upon

433
00:23:11,200 --> 00:23:13,759
the premises in the hope that the ebbing tide might

434
00:23:13,799 --> 00:23:18,359
afford some fresh clue. And it did, though they hardly

435
00:23:18,359 --> 00:23:20,960
found upon the mud bank what they had feared to find.

436
00:23:21,640 --> 00:23:25,240
It was nevill Saint Clair's coat, and not Neville Saint Clair,

437
00:23:25,559 --> 00:23:29,039
which lay uncovered as the tide receded. And what do

438
00:23:29,079 --> 00:23:34,119
you think they found in the pockets? I cannot imagine. No,

439
00:23:34,440 --> 00:23:37,799
I don't think you would guess every pocket stuffed with

440
00:23:37,880 --> 00:23:42,079
pennies and half pennies four hundred twenty one pennies and

441
00:23:42,119 --> 00:23:45,559
two hundred seventy halfpennies. It was no wonder that it

442
00:23:45,599 --> 00:23:48,200
had not been swept away by the tide. But a

443
00:23:48,279 --> 00:23:51,160
human body is a different matter. There was a fierce

444
00:23:51,240 --> 00:23:54,000
eddy between the wharf and the house. It seemed likely

445
00:23:54,160 --> 00:23:57,000
enough that the weighted coat had remained when the stripped

446
00:23:57,039 --> 00:24:00,960
body had been sucked away into the river. But I

447
00:24:01,039 --> 00:24:03,599
understand that all the other clothes were found in the room.

448
00:24:04,079 --> 00:24:08,119
Would the body be dressed in a coat alone, No, sir,

449
00:24:08,599 --> 00:24:12,359
But the facts might be met speciously enough. Suppose that

450
00:24:12,400 --> 00:24:15,200
this man's boone had thrust nevill Saint Clair through the window.

451
00:24:15,640 --> 00:24:17,759
There's no human eye which could have seen the deed.

452
00:24:18,279 --> 00:24:21,000
What would he do then? It would of course instantly

453
00:24:21,000 --> 00:24:22,559
strike him that he must get rid of the tell

454
00:24:22,640 --> 00:24:25,519
tale garments. He would seize the coat then, and be

455
00:24:25,559 --> 00:24:27,480
in the act of throwing it out when it would

456
00:24:27,480 --> 00:24:29,880
occur to him that it would swim and not sink.

457
00:24:30,359 --> 00:24:32,680
He has little time, for he has heard the scuffle

458
00:24:32,720 --> 00:24:35,119
downstairs when the wife tried to force her way up,

459
00:24:35,400 --> 00:24:38,599
and perhaps he's already heard from his Lascar confederate that

460
00:24:38,680 --> 00:24:41,519
the police are hurrying up the street. There's not an

461
00:24:41,559 --> 00:24:44,640
instant to be lost. He rushes to some secret horde

462
00:24:44,920 --> 00:24:47,599
where he has accumulated the fruits of his beggary, and

463
00:24:47,640 --> 00:24:49,400
he stuffs all the coins upon which he can lay

464
00:24:49,400 --> 00:24:51,119
his hands into the pockets to make sure of the

465
00:24:51,160 --> 00:24:54,039
coat's sinking. He throws it out, and would have done

466
00:24:54,079 --> 00:24:56,319
the same thing with the other garments, had not he

467
00:24:56,319 --> 00:24:59,160
heard the rush of steps below, and only just had

468
00:24:59,160 --> 00:25:02,559
time to close the window when the police appeared. It

469
00:25:02,680 --> 00:25:06,400
certainly sounds feasible. Well, we will take it as a

470
00:25:06,440 --> 00:25:10,039
working hypothesis for want of a better. Boone, as I

471
00:25:10,079 --> 00:25:12,599
have told you, was arrested and taken to the station,

472
00:25:13,240 --> 00:25:14,960
But it could not be shown that there had ever

473
00:25:15,000 --> 00:25:18,079
before been anything against him. He had for years been

474
00:25:18,119 --> 00:25:20,720
known as a professional beggar, but his life appeared to

475
00:25:20,759 --> 00:25:23,799
have been a very quiet and innocent one. There the

476
00:25:23,839 --> 00:25:26,680
matter stands at present, and the questions which have to

477
00:25:26,720 --> 00:25:29,720
be solved what Neville Saint Clair was doing in the

478
00:25:29,720 --> 00:25:33,680
Opium den, what happened to him when there, where is

479
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:36,279
he now? And what Hugh Boone had to do with

480
00:25:36,319 --> 00:25:39,759
his disappearance, are all as far from a solution as ever.

481
00:25:41,160 --> 00:25:43,640
I confess that I cannot recall any case within my

482
00:25:43,759 --> 00:25:47,200
experience which looked at the first glance so simple and

483
00:25:47,319 --> 00:25:52,160
yet which presented such difficulties. While che la Combe had

484
00:25:52,160 --> 00:25:55,240
been detailing this singular series of events, we had been

485
00:25:55,279 --> 00:25:57,960
whirling through the outskirts of the great town until the

486
00:25:58,039 --> 00:26:01,559
last straggling houses had been left behind, and we rattled

487
00:26:01,559 --> 00:26:03,799
along with a country hedge upon either side of us.

488
00:26:04,440 --> 00:26:07,279
Just as he finished, however, we drove through two scattered

489
00:26:07,359 --> 00:26:10,640
villages where a few lights still glimmered in the windows.

490
00:26:11,920 --> 00:26:14,599
We are on the outskirts of Lee, said my companion.

491
00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:17,960
We have touched on three English counties in our short drive,

492
00:26:18,480 --> 00:26:22,079
starting in Middlesex, passing over an angle of Surrey, and

493
00:26:22,279 --> 00:26:26,039
ending in Kent. See that light among the trees, that

494
00:26:26,519 --> 00:26:29,720
is the cedars, and beside that lamp sits a woman

495
00:26:29,960 --> 00:26:33,640
whose anxious ears have already I have little doubt caught

496
00:26:33,680 --> 00:26:37,160
the clink of our horses feet. But why are you

497
00:26:37,240 --> 00:26:41,359
not conducting the case from Baker Street, I asked, because

498
00:26:41,359 --> 00:26:44,839
there are many inquiries which must be made out here. Missus.

499
00:26:44,880 --> 00:26:47,799
Saint Clair has most kindly put two rooms at my disposal,

500
00:26:48,240 --> 00:26:50,200
and you may rest assured that she will have nothing

501
00:26:50,200 --> 00:26:53,680
but a welcome for my friend and colleague. I hate

502
00:26:53,680 --> 00:26:55,640
to meet her, Watson, when I have no news of

503
00:26:55,680 --> 00:27:01,200
her husband. Here we are, woa there WHOA. We had

504
00:27:01,200 --> 00:27:03,519
pulled up in front of a large villa which stood

505
00:27:03,599 --> 00:27:06,480
within its own grounds. A stable boy had run out

506
00:27:06,480 --> 00:27:09,720
to the horse's head, and springing down, I followed Holmes

507
00:27:09,759 --> 00:27:13,279
up the small winding gravel drive which led to the house.

508
00:27:13,839 --> 00:27:16,640
As we approached, the door flew open, and a little

509
00:27:16,680 --> 00:27:19,359
blond woman stood in the opening, clad in some sort

510
00:27:19,400 --> 00:27:22,480
of light musoline de sois, with a touch of fluffy

511
00:27:22,559 --> 00:27:25,759
pink chiffon at her neck and wrists. She stood with

512
00:27:25,799 --> 00:27:28,640
her figure outlined against the flood of light, one hand

513
00:27:28,720 --> 00:27:32,200
upon the door, one half raised in her eagerness, her

514
00:27:32,240 --> 00:27:36,160
body slightly bent, her head and face protruded with eager

515
00:27:36,160 --> 00:27:42,720
eyes and parted lips. A standing question, well, she cried well,

516
00:27:43,759 --> 00:27:45,880
and then seeing that there were two of us, she

517
00:27:45,960 --> 00:27:48,440
gave a cry of hope, which sank into a groan

518
00:27:48,519 --> 00:27:51,039
as she saw that my companion shook his head and

519
00:27:51,079 --> 00:27:57,559
shrugged his shoulders. No good news, none, no bad no,

520
00:27:58,640 --> 00:28:01,920
thank God. For that, But come in. You must be weary,

521
00:28:02,119 --> 00:28:05,400
for you have had a long day. This is my friend,

522
00:28:05,640 --> 00:28:08,519
doctor Watson. He has been of most vital use to

523
00:28:08,559 --> 00:28:11,000
me in several of my cases, and a lucky chance

524
00:28:11,039 --> 00:28:13,000
has made it possible for me to bring him out

525
00:28:13,039 --> 00:28:16,960
and associate him with this investigation. I am delighted to

526
00:28:17,000 --> 00:28:20,559
see you, said she, pressing my hand warmly. You will,

527
00:28:20,559 --> 00:28:23,000
I am sure, forgive anything that may be wanting in

528
00:28:23,039 --> 00:28:26,000
our arrangements when you consider the blow which has come

529
00:28:26,079 --> 00:28:30,440
so suddenly upon us. My dear madam said I. I

530
00:28:30,480 --> 00:28:32,960
am an old campaigner, and if I were not, I

531
00:28:33,000 --> 00:28:35,920
can very well see that no apology is needed. If

532
00:28:35,960 --> 00:28:38,519
I can be of any assistance, either to you or

533
00:28:38,559 --> 00:28:42,799
to my friend here, I shall be indeed happy. Now,

534
00:28:42,920 --> 00:28:46,000
mister Sherlock Holmes, said the lady, as we entered a

535
00:28:46,039 --> 00:28:48,720
well lit dining room, upon the table of which a

536
00:28:48,759 --> 00:28:51,680
cold supper had been laid out. I should very much

537
00:28:51,759 --> 00:28:54,559
like to ask you one or two plain questions, to

538
00:28:54,599 --> 00:28:58,759
which I beg that you will give a plain answer. Certainly, madam,

539
00:28:59,599 --> 00:29:02,519
do not trouble about my feelings. I am not hysterical

540
00:29:02,839 --> 00:29:05,720
nor given to fainting. I simply wish to hear your real,

541
00:29:06,240 --> 00:29:11,400
real opinion. Upon what point in your heart of hearts

542
00:29:11,880 --> 00:29:15,880
do you think that Neville is alive? Churlo Coombe seemed

543
00:29:15,880 --> 00:29:21,079
to be embarrassed by the question. Frankly now, she repeated,

544
00:29:21,599 --> 00:29:24,279
standing upon the rug and looking keenly down at him

545
00:29:24,519 --> 00:29:29,480
as he leaned back in a basket chair. Frankly, then, Madam,

546
00:29:29,720 --> 00:29:33,720
I do not you think that he is dead? I

547
00:29:33,839 --> 00:29:40,160
do murdered? I don't say that. Perhaps, and on what

548
00:29:40,279 --> 00:29:44,839
day did he meet his death? On Monday? Then perhaps,

549
00:29:45,000 --> 00:29:47,559
mister Holmes, you will be good enough to explain how

550
00:29:47,599 --> 00:29:49,559
it is that I have received a letter from him

551
00:29:49,960 --> 00:29:53,720
to day. Churlo Combe sprang out of his chair, as

552
00:29:53,759 --> 00:29:58,799
if he had been galvanized. What he roared? Yes to day?

553
00:29:59,359 --> 00:30:02,119
She stood sling, holding up a little slip of paper

554
00:30:02,160 --> 00:30:07,160
in the air. May I see it? Certainly? He snatched

555
00:30:07,200 --> 00:30:09,559
it from her in his eagerness, and smoothing it out

556
00:30:09,640 --> 00:30:12,400
upon the table. He drew over the lamp and examined

557
00:30:12,440 --> 00:30:15,480
it intently. I had left my chair and was gazing

558
00:30:15,480 --> 00:30:18,200
at it over his shoulder. The envelope was a very

559
00:30:18,240 --> 00:30:21,720
coarse one, and was stamped with the Gravesend postmark and

560
00:30:21,799 --> 00:30:24,319
with the date of that very day, or rather of

561
00:30:24,359 --> 00:30:29,160
the day before, for it was considerably after midnight. Coarse writing,

562
00:30:29,440 --> 00:30:34,039
murmured Holmes. Surely this is not your husband's writing, madam. No,

563
00:30:34,519 --> 00:30:38,880
but the enclosure is. I perceive also that whoever addressed

564
00:30:38,920 --> 00:30:41,680
the envelope had to go and inquire as to the address.

565
00:30:42,799 --> 00:30:46,240
How can you tell that the name you see is

566
00:30:46,319 --> 00:30:50,200
in perfectly black ink which has dried itself. The rest

567
00:30:50,279 --> 00:30:53,480
is of the grayish color, which shows that blotting paper

568
00:30:53,519 --> 00:30:56,119
has been used. If it had been written straight off

569
00:30:56,160 --> 00:30:59,279
and then blotted, none would be of a deep black shade.

570
00:30:59,640 --> 00:31:01,880
This man has written the name, and there has then

571
00:31:01,920 --> 00:31:04,759
been a pause before he wrote the address, which can

572
00:31:04,799 --> 00:31:07,480
only mean that he was not familiar with it. It is,

573
00:31:07,640 --> 00:31:10,400
of course a trifle, but there is nothing so important

574
00:31:10,480 --> 00:31:14,359
as trifles. Let us now see the letter. Ha, there's

575
00:31:14,400 --> 00:31:18,319
been an enclosure here. Yes, there was a ring, his

576
00:31:18,519 --> 00:31:21,960
signet ring. And you are sure that this is your

577
00:31:22,039 --> 00:31:27,960
husband's hand, one of his hands, one his hand when

578
00:31:27,960 --> 00:31:31,200
he wrote hurriedly. It is very unlike his usual writing,

579
00:31:31,400 --> 00:31:36,200
And yet I know it well, dearest, Do not be frightened.

580
00:31:36,759 --> 00:31:40,599
All will come well. There is a huge error, which

581
00:31:40,599 --> 00:31:45,079
it may take some little time to rectify. Wait in patience.

582
00:31:46,079 --> 00:31:50,559
Neville written in pencil upon the fly leaf of a

583
00:31:50,599 --> 00:31:55,519
book of Tavo size, no water mark. Hum post it

584
00:31:55,799 --> 00:31:58,640
to day in graves End by a man with a

585
00:31:58,680 --> 00:32:03,039
dirty thumb. Ah, and the flap has been gummed, if

586
00:32:03,039 --> 00:32:05,880
I am not very much in error, by a person

587
00:32:05,920 --> 00:32:09,440
who had been chewing tobacco. And you have no doubt

588
00:32:09,640 --> 00:32:14,279
that it is your husband's hand, madam none. Neville wrote

589
00:32:14,279 --> 00:32:21,000
those words, and they were posted to day at graves End. Well, missus,

590
00:32:21,039 --> 00:32:24,880
Saint Clair. The clouds lighten, though I should not venture

591
00:32:24,920 --> 00:32:28,200
to say that the danger is over. But he must

592
00:32:28,200 --> 00:32:32,319
be alive, mister Holmes, unless this is a clever forgery

593
00:32:32,400 --> 00:32:35,400
to put us on the wrong scent. The ring, after all,

594
00:32:35,480 --> 00:32:39,440
proves nothing. It may have been taken from him, No, no,

595
00:32:40,000 --> 00:32:44,319
it is. It is his very own writing. Very well.

596
00:32:44,720 --> 00:32:48,160
It may, however, have been written on Monday and only

597
00:32:48,200 --> 00:32:53,920
post it to day. That is possible, if so much

598
00:32:54,079 --> 00:32:58,359
may have happened between Oh, but you must not discourage me,

599
00:32:58,440 --> 00:33:01,039
mister Holmes. I know that all is well with him.

600
00:33:01,400 --> 00:33:03,640
There is so keen a sympathy between us that I

601
00:33:03,640 --> 00:33:06,359
should know if evil came upon him on the very

602
00:33:06,400 --> 00:33:08,599
day that I saw him last. He cut himself in

603
00:33:08,599 --> 00:33:11,279
the bedroom, and yet I, in the dining room, rushed

604
00:33:11,359 --> 00:33:15,160
upstairs instantly with the utmost certainty that something had happened.

605
00:33:15,799 --> 00:33:17,279
Do you think that I would respond to such a

606
00:33:17,279 --> 00:33:21,720
trifle and yet be ignorant of his death. I have

607
00:33:21,839 --> 00:33:24,160
seen too much not to know that the impression of

608
00:33:24,200 --> 00:33:27,519
a woman may be more valuable than the conclusion of

609
00:33:27,519 --> 00:33:31,799
an analytical reasoner. And in this letter you certainly have

610
00:33:31,839 --> 00:33:34,559
a very strong piece of evidence to corroborate your view.

611
00:33:35,200 --> 00:33:37,960
But if your husband is alive and able to write letters,

612
00:33:38,480 --> 00:33:42,359
why should he remain away from you? I cannot imagine.

613
00:33:42,759 --> 00:33:48,079
It is unthinkable. And on Monday he made no remarks

614
00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:53,799
before leaving you. No, and you were surprised to see

615
00:33:53,839 --> 00:34:00,559
him in Swandham Lane very much so was the window open? Yes,

616
00:34:01,559 --> 00:34:05,720
then he might have called to you. He might he only,

617
00:34:05,880 --> 00:34:11,400
as I understand, gave an inarticulate cry. Yes, he called

618
00:34:11,440 --> 00:34:16,199
for help. You thought, yes, he waved his hands, But

619
00:34:16,280 --> 00:34:19,519
it might have been a cry of surprise. Astonishment at

620
00:34:19,519 --> 00:34:22,000
the unexpected sight of you might cause him to throw

621
00:34:22,039 --> 00:34:26,079
up his hands. It is possible. And you thought he

622
00:34:26,159 --> 00:34:30,880
was pulled back he disappeared so suddenly he might have

623
00:34:30,960 --> 00:34:33,280
leaped back. You did not see any one else in

624
00:34:33,320 --> 00:34:37,119
the room. No, but this horrible man confessed to having

625
00:34:37,199 --> 00:34:39,400
been there, And though a scar was at the foot

626
00:34:39,400 --> 00:34:43,960
of the stairs, quite so. Your husband, as far as

627
00:34:44,000 --> 00:34:48,320
you could see, had his ordinary clothes on, but without

628
00:34:48,320 --> 00:34:52,079
his collar or tie. I distinctly saw his bare throat.

629
00:34:52,760 --> 00:34:57,360
Had he ever spoken of Swandam Lane? Never had he

630
00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:01,400
ever showed any signs of having taken an opium? Never?

631
00:35:03,000 --> 00:35:06,639
Thank you, missus Saint Clair. Those are the principal points

632
00:35:06,639 --> 00:35:11,559
about which I wished to be absolutely clear. We shall

633
00:35:11,599 --> 00:35:14,400
now have a little supper and then retire, for we

634
00:35:14,480 --> 00:35:18,679
may have a very busy day tomorrow. A large and

635
00:35:18,840 --> 00:35:21,960
comfortable double bedded room had been placed at our disposal,

636
00:35:22,360 --> 00:35:24,719
and I was quickly between the sheets, for I was

637
00:35:24,760 --> 00:35:29,199
weary after my night of adventure. Sherlock Holmes was a man, however, who,

638
00:35:29,400 --> 00:35:32,360
when he had an unsolved problem upon his mind, would

639
00:35:32,400 --> 00:35:35,199
go for days and even for a week without rest,

640
00:35:35,679 --> 00:35:39,280
turning it over, rearranging his facts, looking at it from

641
00:35:39,320 --> 00:35:41,679
every point of view, until he had either fathomed it

642
00:35:42,119 --> 00:35:45,639
or convinced himself that his data were insufficient it was

643
00:35:45,679 --> 00:35:47,679
soon evident to me that he was now preparing for

644
00:35:47,719 --> 00:35:50,960
an all night sitting. He took off his coat and waistcoat,

645
00:35:51,320 --> 00:35:54,440
put on a large blue dressing gown, and then wandered

646
00:35:54,440 --> 00:35:57,800
about the room, collecting pillows from his bed and cushions

647
00:35:57,840 --> 00:36:01,039
from the sofa and arm chairs. With these he constructed

648
00:36:01,039 --> 00:36:04,760
a sort of Eastern divan, upon which he perched himself

649
00:36:04,920 --> 00:36:07,880
cross legged, with an ounce of shag tobacco and a

650
00:36:07,880 --> 00:36:10,719
box of matches laid out in front of him. In

651
00:36:10,760 --> 00:36:13,079
the dim light of the lamp, I saw him sitting there,

652
00:36:13,559 --> 00:36:17,639
an old briar pipe between his lips, his eyes fixed

653
00:36:17,760 --> 00:36:21,000
vacantly upon the corner of the ceiling, the blue smoke

654
00:36:21,159 --> 00:36:26,800
curling up from him, silent, motionless, with a light shining

655
00:36:26,880 --> 00:36:31,360
upon his strong set aquiline features. So he sat as

656
00:36:31,400 --> 00:36:34,039
I dropped off to sleep, And so he sat when

657
00:36:34,079 --> 00:36:36,800
a sudden ejaculation caused me to wake up, and I

658
00:36:36,840 --> 00:36:40,360
found the summer sun shining into the apartment. The pipe

659
00:36:40,440 --> 00:36:43,800
was still between his lips, the smoke still curled upward,

660
00:36:44,199 --> 00:36:46,840
and the room was full of a dense tobacco haze.

661
00:36:47,239 --> 00:36:49,280
But nothing remained of the heap of shag which I

662
00:36:49,280 --> 00:36:55,199
had seen upon the previous night. Awake Watson, he asked, yes,

663
00:36:56,280 --> 00:37:01,320
game for a morning drive. Certainly then, no one is

664
00:37:01,320 --> 00:37:03,880
stirring yet, But I know where the stable boy sleeps,

665
00:37:04,159 --> 00:37:07,239
and we shall soon have the trap out. He chuckled

666
00:37:07,280 --> 00:37:10,360
to himself. As he spoke. His eyes twinkled, and he

667
00:37:10,400 --> 00:37:12,840
seemed a different man to the somber thinker of the

668
00:37:12,880 --> 00:37:16,199
previous night. As I dressed, I glanced at my watch.

669
00:37:16,760 --> 00:37:18,920
It was no wonder that no one was stirring. It

670
00:37:19,039 --> 00:37:22,239
was twenty five minutes past four. I'd hardly finish when

671
00:37:22,280 --> 00:37:24,519
Holmes returned with the news that the boy was putting

672
00:37:24,519 --> 00:37:27,639
in the horse. I want to test a little theory

673
00:37:27,679 --> 00:37:31,760
of mine, said he, pulling on his boots. I think, Watson,

674
00:37:32,079 --> 00:37:33,880
that you are now standing in the presence of one

675
00:37:33,920 --> 00:37:37,480
of the most absolute fools in Europe. I deserve to

676
00:37:37,519 --> 00:37:40,920
be kicked from here to Charing Cross. But I think

677
00:37:40,960 --> 00:37:44,079
I have the key of the affair now. And where

678
00:37:44,119 --> 00:37:48,360
is it? I asked, smiling in the bathroom, he answered,

679
00:37:48,840 --> 00:37:52,280
Oh yes, I'm not joking, he continued, seeing my look

680
00:37:52,320 --> 00:37:55,119
of incredulity. I have just been there, and I have

681
00:37:55,199 --> 00:37:57,079
taken it out, and I have got it in this

682
00:37:57,199 --> 00:38:00,760
gladstone bag. Come on, my boy, we shall see whether

683
00:38:00,800 --> 00:38:04,360
it will not fit the lock. We made our way

684
00:38:04,400 --> 00:38:07,760
downstairs as quietly as possible, and out into the bright

685
00:38:07,880 --> 00:38:11,400
morning sunshine. In the road stood our horse and trap,

686
00:38:11,760 --> 00:38:14,199
with the half clad stable boy waiting at the head.

687
00:38:14,800 --> 00:38:17,519
We both sprang in and away we dashed down the

688
00:38:17,519 --> 00:38:21,320
London Road. A few country carts were stirring, bearing in

689
00:38:21,440 --> 00:38:24,679
vegetables to the metropolis, but the lines of villas on

690
00:38:24,719 --> 00:38:27,960
either side were as silent and lifeless as some city

691
00:38:28,000 --> 00:38:31,440
in a dream. It has been in some points a

692
00:38:31,480 --> 00:38:36,000
singular case, said Holmes, flicking the horse on into a gallop.

693
00:38:36,639 --> 00:38:39,039
I confess that I have been as blind as a mole.

694
00:38:39,360 --> 00:38:41,840
But it is better to learn wisdom late than never

695
00:38:41,920 --> 00:38:46,079
to learn it at all. In town, the earliest risers

696
00:38:46,079 --> 00:38:48,960
were just beginning to look sleepily from their windows as

697
00:38:48,960 --> 00:38:52,000
we drove through the streets of the Surrey side. Passing

698
00:38:52,000 --> 00:38:55,159
down the Waterloo Bridge Road, we crossed over the river, and,

699
00:38:55,239 --> 00:38:58,480
dashing up Wellington Street, wheeled sharply to the right and

700
00:38:58,559 --> 00:39:01,960
found ourselves in Bow Street. Sherlock Holmes was well known

701
00:39:02,000 --> 00:39:04,239
to the force, and the two constables at the door

702
00:39:04,239 --> 00:39:07,000
saluted him. One of them held the horse's head, while

703
00:39:07,000 --> 00:39:11,199
the other led us in. Who's on duty? Asked Holmes,

704
00:39:12,119 --> 00:39:17,000
Inspector Bradstreet. Sir, Ah, Brad Street, how are you? A

705
00:39:17,079 --> 00:39:20,320
tall stout official had come down the stone flagged passage

706
00:39:20,599 --> 00:39:23,920
in a peaked cap and frogged jacket. I wish to

707
00:39:23,960 --> 00:39:27,639
have a quiet word with you, Bradstreet. Certainly, mister Holmes,

708
00:39:27,920 --> 00:39:31,280
step into my room. Here. It was a small office

709
00:39:31,400 --> 00:39:34,239
like rooum, with a huge ledger upon the table and

710
00:39:34,280 --> 00:39:37,639
a telephone projecting from the wall. The inspector sat down

711
00:39:37,639 --> 00:39:41,159
at his desk. What can I do for you, mister Holmes.

712
00:39:41,800 --> 00:39:45,199
I called about that beggarman Boone, the one who was

713
00:39:45,280 --> 00:39:48,079
charged with being concerned in the disappearance of mister Neville

714
00:39:48,119 --> 00:39:52,239
Saint Clair of Lee. Yes, he was brought up and

715
00:39:52,320 --> 00:39:56,639
remanded for further inquiries. So I heard you have him

716
00:39:56,639 --> 00:40:01,719
here in the cells. Is he quiet? Oh? He gives

717
00:40:01,719 --> 00:40:07,000
no trouble. But he's a dirty scoundrel dirty. Yes. It

718
00:40:07,039 --> 00:40:08,840
is all we can do to make him wash his hands,

719
00:40:09,199 --> 00:40:11,960
and his face is as black as a tinker's well.

720
00:40:12,000 --> 00:40:14,079
And once his case has been settled, he will have

721
00:40:14,079 --> 00:40:16,760
a regular prison bath. And I think if you saw him,

722
00:40:16,960 --> 00:40:19,880
you would agree with me that he needed it. I

723
00:40:19,880 --> 00:40:23,239
should like to see him very much, would you. That's

724
00:40:23,280 --> 00:40:27,480
easily done. Come this way you can leave your bag. No,

725
00:40:27,719 --> 00:40:31,119
I think that I'll take it very good. Come this

726
00:40:31,199 --> 00:40:34,920
way if you please. He let us down. A passage opened,

727
00:40:34,960 --> 00:40:38,519
a barred door, passed down a winding stair, and brought

728
00:40:38,599 --> 00:40:41,079
us to a whitewashed corridor with a line of doors

729
00:40:41,119 --> 00:40:44,119
on each side. The third on the right is his,

730
00:40:44,480 --> 00:40:48,239
said the inspector. Here it is. He quietly shot back

731
00:40:48,280 --> 00:40:50,239
a panel in the upper part of the door and

732
00:40:50,320 --> 00:40:54,760
glanced through. He's asleep, said he. You can see him

733
00:40:54,840 --> 00:40:58,440
very well. We both put our eyes to the grating.

734
00:40:59,000 --> 00:41:01,719
The prisoner lay with his face towards us, in a

735
00:41:01,800 --> 00:41:05,639
very deep sleep, breathing slowly and heavily. He was a

736
00:41:05,639 --> 00:41:09,480
middle sized man, coarsely clad, as became his calling, with

737
00:41:09,559 --> 00:41:12,440
a colored shirt protruding through the rent in his tattered coat.

738
00:41:13,199 --> 00:41:16,599
He was, as the inspector had said, extremely dirty, but

739
00:41:16,679 --> 00:41:19,119
the grime which covered his face could not conceal its

740
00:41:19,119 --> 00:41:23,039
repulsive ugliness. A broad wheel from an old scar ran

741
00:41:23,159 --> 00:41:26,119
right across it from eye to chin, and by its

742
00:41:26,119 --> 00:41:28,719
contraction had turned up one side of the upper lip,

743
00:41:29,239 --> 00:41:32,320
so that three teeth were exposed in a perpetual snarl.

744
00:41:33,079 --> 00:41:35,599
A shock of very bright red hair grew low over

745
00:41:35,679 --> 00:41:39,760
his eyes and forehead. He's a beauty, isn't he, said

746
00:41:39,760 --> 00:41:44,440
the inspector. He certainly needs a wash, remarked Holmes. I

747
00:41:44,480 --> 00:41:46,360
had an idea that he might, and I took the

748
00:41:46,400 --> 00:41:49,280
liberty of bringing the tools with me. He opened the

749
00:41:49,280 --> 00:41:52,480
gladstone bag as he spoke, and took out, to my astonishment,

750
00:41:52,880 --> 00:41:57,400
a very large bath sponge. He eh, you're a funny one,

751
00:41:57,800 --> 00:42:01,199
chuckled the inspector. Now, if you will have the great

752
00:42:01,199 --> 00:42:04,440
goodness to open that door very quietly, we will soon

753
00:42:04,519 --> 00:42:09,280
make him cut a much more respectable figure. Well, I dunno,

754
00:42:09,320 --> 00:42:12,400
why not, said the inspector. He doesn't look a credit

755
00:42:12,440 --> 00:42:15,199
to the Bow Street cells, does he. He slipped his

756
00:42:15,280 --> 00:42:18,239
key into the lock, and we all very quietly entered

757
00:42:18,239 --> 00:42:22,000
the cell. The sleeper half turned and then settled down

758
00:42:22,000 --> 00:42:25,360
once more into a deep slumber. Holmes stooped to the

759
00:42:25,400 --> 00:42:28,840
water jug, moistened his sponge, and then rubbed it twice

760
00:42:28,920 --> 00:42:33,519
vigorously across and down the prisoner's face. Let me introduce you,

761
00:42:33,840 --> 00:42:37,719
he shouted to mister Neville, Saint Clair of Lee in

762
00:42:37,800 --> 00:42:41,480
the County of Kent. Never in my life have I

763
00:42:41,519 --> 00:42:44,880
seen such a sight. The man's face pealed off under

764
00:42:44,880 --> 00:42:48,239
the sponge, like the bark from a tree. Gone was

765
00:42:48,280 --> 00:42:51,760
the coarse brown tint. Gone too was the horrid scar

766
00:42:52,239 --> 00:42:55,239
which had seemed it across, and the twisted lip which

767
00:42:55,239 --> 00:42:58,440
had given the repulsive sneer to the face. A twitch

768
00:42:58,519 --> 00:43:01,920
brought away the tangled red hair. And there, sitting up

769
00:43:01,960 --> 00:43:06,119
in his bed was a pale, sad faced, refined looking man,

770
00:43:06,599 --> 00:43:10,079
black haired and smooth skinned, rubbing his eyes and staring

771
00:43:10,119 --> 00:43:14,360
about him with sleepy bewilderment. Then, suddenly realizing the exposure,

772
00:43:14,559 --> 00:43:16,760
he broke into a scream and threw himself down with

773
00:43:16,800 --> 00:43:20,800
his face to the pillow. Great Heavens, cried the inspector.

774
00:43:21,280 --> 00:43:23,760
It is indeed the missing man. I know him from

775
00:43:23,760 --> 00:43:27,360
the photograph. The prisoner turned with the reckless air of

776
00:43:27,400 --> 00:43:31,960
a man who abandons himself to his destiny. Be it so,

777
00:43:32,440 --> 00:43:37,119
said he, And pray what am I charged with with

778
00:43:37,360 --> 00:43:40,519
making away with mister Nevills. Oh? Come, you can't be

779
00:43:40,599 --> 00:43:42,719
charged with that unless they make a case of attempted

780
00:43:42,719 --> 00:43:46,199
suicide of it, said the inspector with a grin. Well,

781
00:43:46,440 --> 00:43:48,760
I have been twenty seven years in the force, but

782
00:43:48,880 --> 00:43:52,559
this really takes the cake. If I am mister Neville

783
00:43:52,559 --> 00:43:55,079
Saint Clair, then it is obvious that no crime has

784
00:43:55,119 --> 00:44:00,480
been committed, and that therefore I am illegally detained. No crime,

785
00:44:00,840 --> 00:44:04,079
but a very great error has been committed, said Holmes.

786
00:44:04,519 --> 00:44:07,760
You would have done better to have trusted your wife.

787
00:44:08,280 --> 00:44:10,760
It was not the wife, it was the children, groaned

788
00:44:10,760 --> 00:44:13,239
the prisoner. God help me, I would not have them

789
00:44:13,280 --> 00:44:16,840
ashamed of their father. My God, what an exposure. What

790
00:44:16,960 --> 00:44:20,719
can I do? Chelacombe sat down beside him on the

791
00:44:20,719 --> 00:44:24,760
couch and patted him kindly on the shoulder. If you

792
00:44:24,840 --> 00:44:26,400
leave it to a court of law to clear the

793
00:44:26,440 --> 00:44:30,480
matter up, said he. Of course, you can hardly avoid publicity.

794
00:44:31,239 --> 00:44:34,039
On the other hand, if you convince the police authorities

795
00:44:34,079 --> 00:44:36,639
that there is no possible case against you, I do

796
00:44:36,719 --> 00:44:38,880
not know that there is any reason that the details

797
00:44:38,960 --> 00:44:42,440
should find their way into the papers. Inspector Bradstreet, would

798
00:44:42,519 --> 00:44:45,239
I am sure, make notes upon anything which you might

799
00:44:45,280 --> 00:44:48,599
tell us and submit it to the proper authorities. The

800
00:44:48,679 --> 00:44:52,320
case would then never go into court at all. God

801
00:44:52,400 --> 00:44:56,760
bless you, cried the prisoner Passionately, I would have endured imprisonment,

802
00:44:56,880 --> 00:45:00,760
ay even execution, rather than I have left my miserable

803
00:45:00,800 --> 00:45:04,320
secret as a family blot to my children. You are

804
00:45:04,320 --> 00:45:07,119
the first to have ever heard my story. My father

805
00:45:07,400 --> 00:45:11,280
was a schoolmaster in Chesterfield, where I received an excellent education.

806
00:45:11,679 --> 00:45:14,760
I traveled in my youth, took to the stage, and

807
00:45:14,880 --> 00:45:17,599
finally became a reporter on an evening paper in London.

808
00:45:18,239 --> 00:45:20,159
One day, my editor wished to have a series of

809
00:45:20,239 --> 00:45:23,440
articles upon begging in the Metropolis, and I volunteered to

810
00:45:23,440 --> 00:45:26,360
supply them. There was the point from which all my

811
00:45:26,440 --> 00:45:29,719
adventures started. It was only by trying begging as an

812
00:45:29,719 --> 00:45:32,039
amateur that I could get the facts upon which to

813
00:45:32,079 --> 00:45:35,079
base my articles. When an actor, I had of course

814
00:45:35,320 --> 00:45:37,760
learned all the secrets of making up, and had been

815
00:45:37,800 --> 00:45:40,440
famous in the green room for my skill. I took

816
00:45:40,480 --> 00:45:43,920
advantage now of my attainments. I painted my face, and

817
00:45:43,960 --> 00:45:46,559
to make myself as pitiable as possible, I made a

818
00:45:46,599 --> 00:45:48,880
good scar and fixed one side of my lip in

819
00:45:48,920 --> 00:45:51,039
a twist by the aid of a small slip of

820
00:45:51,119 --> 00:45:54,400
flesh colored plaster. Then, with a red head of hair

821
00:45:54,760 --> 00:45:57,360
and an appropriate dress, I took my station in the

822
00:45:57,360 --> 00:46:00,760
business part of the city, ostensibly as a match, but

823
00:46:00,880 --> 00:46:04,079
really as a beggar. For seven hours I applied my trade,

824
00:46:04,400 --> 00:46:06,440
and when I returned home in the evening, I found

825
00:46:06,440 --> 00:46:09,119
to my surprise that I had received no less than

826
00:46:09,239 --> 00:46:13,360
twenty six shillings and fourpence. I wrote my articles and

827
00:46:13,480 --> 00:46:15,920
thought little more of the matter until some time later

828
00:46:16,239 --> 00:46:18,360
I backed a bill for a friend and had a

829
00:46:18,360 --> 00:46:21,400
writ served upon me for twenty five pounds. I was

830
00:46:21,440 --> 00:46:23,480
at my WIT's end where to get the money, but

831
00:46:23,559 --> 00:46:26,440
a sudden idea came to me. I begged a fortnight's

832
00:46:26,440 --> 00:46:30,079
grace from the creditor, asked for a holiday from my employers,

833
00:46:30,360 --> 00:46:32,639
and spent the time in begging in the city under

834
00:46:32,679 --> 00:46:35,880
my disguise. In ten days I had the money and

835
00:46:35,920 --> 00:46:39,000
had paid the debt. Well you can imagine how hard

836
00:46:39,000 --> 00:46:41,039
it was to settle down to arduous work at two

837
00:46:41,039 --> 00:46:43,079
pounds a week, when I knew that I could earn

838
00:46:43,119 --> 00:46:45,119
as much in a day by smearing my face with

839
00:46:45,159 --> 00:46:48,239
a little paint, laying my cap on the ground, and

840
00:46:48,320 --> 00:46:51,599
sitting still. It was a long fight between my pride

841
00:46:51,639 --> 00:46:54,559
and the money, but the dollars won at last, and

842
00:46:54,599 --> 00:46:56,960
I threw up reporting and sat day after day in

843
00:46:57,000 --> 00:47:00,119
the corner which I had first chosen, inspiring pity by

844
00:47:00,199 --> 00:47:04,199
my ghastly face and filling my pockets with coppers. Only

845
00:47:04,239 --> 00:47:06,639
one man knew my secret. He was the keeper of

846
00:47:06,639 --> 00:47:08,480
a low den in which I used to lodge in

847
00:47:08,519 --> 00:47:11,320
Swandham Lane, where I could every morning emerge as a

848
00:47:11,320 --> 00:47:14,760
squalid beggar, and in the evenings transform myself into a

849
00:47:14,760 --> 00:47:18,639
well dressed man about town. This fellow, a Lescar, was

850
00:47:18,679 --> 00:47:20,880
well paid by me for his rooms, so that I

851
00:47:20,960 --> 00:47:24,519
knew that my secret was safe in his possession. Well,

852
00:47:24,760 --> 00:47:27,239
very soon I found that I was saving considerable sums

853
00:47:27,280 --> 00:47:29,519
of money. I do not mean that any beggar in

854
00:47:29,519 --> 00:47:32,119
the streets of London could earn seven hundred pounds a year,

855
00:47:32,719 --> 00:47:36,119
which is less than my average takings. But I had

856
00:47:36,119 --> 00:47:39,199
exceptional advantages in my power of making up, and also

857
00:47:39,239 --> 00:47:42,679
in a facility of repartee, which improved by practice and

858
00:47:42,760 --> 00:47:45,880
made me quite a recognized character in the city. All

859
00:47:45,960 --> 00:47:49,400
day a stream of pennies, varied by silver, poured in

860
00:47:49,519 --> 00:47:51,639
upon me, and it was a very bad day in

861
00:47:51,679 --> 00:47:55,199
which I failed to take two pounds. As I grew richer,

862
00:47:55,239 --> 00:47:57,960
I grew more ambitious, took a house in the country,

863
00:47:58,239 --> 00:48:01,239
and eventually married without any When having a suspicion as

864
00:48:01,239 --> 00:48:04,159
to my real occupation, my dear wife knew that I

865
00:48:04,199 --> 00:48:09,119
had business in the city. She little knew what. Last Monday,

866
00:48:09,119 --> 00:48:11,280
I had finished for the day and was dressing in

867
00:48:11,360 --> 00:48:13,679
my room above the opium den when I looked out

868
00:48:13,679 --> 00:48:16,519
of my window and saw, to my horror and astonishment,

869
00:48:16,679 --> 00:48:18,960
that my wife was standing in the street with her

870
00:48:19,000 --> 00:48:22,400
eyes fixed full upon me. I gave a cry of surprise,

871
00:48:22,760 --> 00:48:25,119
threw up my arms to cover my face, and rushing

872
00:48:25,119 --> 00:48:28,239
to my confidant, though a scar entreated him to prevent

873
00:48:28,320 --> 00:48:30,599
any one from coming up to me. I heard her

874
00:48:30,639 --> 00:48:34,320
voice downstairs, but I knew that she could not ascend Swiftly.

875
00:48:34,400 --> 00:48:37,199
I threw off my clothes, pulled on those of a beggar,

876
00:48:37,480 --> 00:48:40,599
and put on my pigments and wig. Even a wife's

877
00:48:40,599 --> 00:48:44,079
eyes could not pierce so complete a disguise. But then

878
00:48:44,119 --> 00:48:45,800
it occurred to me that there might be a search

879
00:48:45,840 --> 00:48:48,199
in the room, and that the clothes might betray me.

880
00:48:48,639 --> 00:48:51,320
I threw open the window, reopening by my violence a

881
00:48:51,360 --> 00:48:53,599
small cut which I had inflicted upon myself in the

882
00:48:53,599 --> 00:48:57,039
bedroom that morning. Then I seized my coat, which was

883
00:48:57,119 --> 00:48:59,519
waited by the coppers, which I had just transferred to

884
00:48:59,519 --> 00:49:02,639
it from the bag in which I carried my takings.

885
00:49:03,360 --> 00:49:05,679
I hurled it out of the window and it disappeared

886
00:49:05,679 --> 00:49:08,480
into the Thames. The other clothes would have followed, but

887
00:49:08,519 --> 00:49:10,480
at that moment there was a rush of constables up

888
00:49:10,480 --> 00:49:13,199
the stair, and a few minutes after I found rather,

889
00:49:13,239 --> 00:49:16,320
I confessed to my relief that instead of being identified

890
00:49:16,320 --> 00:49:19,800
as mister Neville Saint Clair, I was arrested as his murderer.

891
00:49:20,840 --> 00:49:22,559
I do not know that there is anything else for

892
00:49:22,639 --> 00:49:25,760
me to explain. I was determined to preserve my disguise

893
00:49:25,800 --> 00:49:28,320
as long as possible, and hence my preference for a

894
00:49:28,360 --> 00:49:31,800
dirty face. Knowing that my wife would be terribly anxious,

895
00:49:31,960 --> 00:49:34,280
I slipped off my ring and confided it to the

896
00:49:34,360 --> 00:49:37,239
lescar at a moment when no constable was watching me,

897
00:49:37,719 --> 00:49:40,400
together with a hurried scrawl, telling her that she had

898
00:49:40,440 --> 00:49:44,920
no cause to fear. That note only reached her yesterday,

899
00:49:45,199 --> 00:49:48,840
said Holmes. Good God, what a week she must have spent.

900
00:49:49,960 --> 00:49:53,440
The police have watched this Lascar, said Inspector Bradstreet, and

901
00:49:53,519 --> 00:49:55,800
I can quite understand that he might find it difficult

902
00:49:55,840 --> 00:49:59,239
to post a letter unobserved. Probably he handed to some

903
00:49:59,320 --> 00:50:02,119
sailor custom of his, who forgot all about it for

904
00:50:02,159 --> 00:50:07,159
some days. That was it, said Holmess, nodding approvingly. I

905
00:50:07,199 --> 00:50:09,559
have no doubt of it. But have you never been

906
00:50:09,599 --> 00:50:13,599
prosecuted for begging? Many times? But what was a fine

907
00:50:13,679 --> 00:50:17,840
to me? It must stop here, however, said Bradstreet. If

908
00:50:17,880 --> 00:50:19,639
the police are to hush this thing up, there must

909
00:50:19,679 --> 00:50:23,079
be no more of Hugh Boon. I have sworn it

910
00:50:23,239 --> 00:50:25,920
by the most solemn oaths which a man can take.

911
00:50:27,239 --> 00:50:29,360
In that case, I think that it is probable that

912
00:50:29,480 --> 00:50:32,159
no further steps may be taken. But if you are

913
00:50:32,199 --> 00:50:35,360
found again, then all must come out. I am sure,

914
00:50:35,400 --> 00:50:37,679
mister Holmes, that we are very much indebted to you

915
00:50:37,719 --> 00:50:40,320
for having cleared the matter up. I wish I knew

916
00:50:40,320 --> 00:50:44,639
how you reach your results. I reached this one, said

917
00:50:44,639 --> 00:50:48,679
my friend, by sitting upon five pillows and consuming an

918
00:50:48,719 --> 00:50:52,239
ounce of shag. I think, Watson, that if we drive

919
00:50:52,280 --> 00:50:56,360
to Baker Street, we shall just be in time for breakfast.