WEBVTT 1 00:00:01.879 --> 00:00:05.879 This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in 2 00:00:05.919 --> 00:00:09.919 the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please 3 00:00:10.000 --> 00:00:16.839 visit LibriVox dot org. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by 4 00:00:16.879 --> 00:00:21.879 Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Adventure number seven, the Adventure of 5 00:00:21.920 --> 00:00:27.519 the Blue Carbuncle. I had called upon my friend Sherlock 6 00:00:27.559 --> 00:00:30.719 Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas, with the intention 7 00:00:30.800 --> 00:00:33.840 of wishing him the compliments of the season. He was 8 00:00:33.880 --> 00:00:36.560 lounging upon the sofa in a purple dressing gown, a 9 00:00:36.600 --> 00:00:39.240 pipe rack within his reach upon the right, and a 10 00:00:39.240 --> 00:00:42.920 pile of crumpled morning papers, evidently newly studied near at hand. 11 00:00:43.759 --> 00:00:46.200 Beside the couch was a wooden chair, and on the 12 00:00:46.240 --> 00:00:49.159 angle of the back hung a very seedy and disreputable, 13 00:00:49.280 --> 00:00:52.640 hard felt hat, much the worse for wear and cracked 14 00:00:52.640 --> 00:00:56.240 in several places. A lins and a four SIPs lying 15 00:00:56.280 --> 00:00:58.439 upon the seat of the chair suggested that the hat 16 00:00:58.479 --> 00:01:01.640 had been suspended in this manner for the purpose of examination. 17 00:01:03.079 --> 00:01:06.879 You are engaged, said I, perhaps I interrupt you not 18 00:01:07.000 --> 00:01:08.840 at all. I am glad to have a friend with 19 00:01:08.879 --> 00:01:11.359 whom I can discuss my results. The matter is a 20 00:01:11.400 --> 00:01:14.359 perfectly trivial one. He jerked his thumb in the direction 21 00:01:14.439 --> 00:01:17.159 of the old hat. But there are points in connection 22 00:01:17.280 --> 00:01:19.959 with it which are not entirely devoid of interest and 23 00:01:20.079 --> 00:01:24.239 even of instruction. I seated myself in his arm chair 24 00:01:24.359 --> 00:01:27.239 and warmed my hands before his crackling fire, for a 25 00:01:27.280 --> 00:01:29.560 sharp frost had set in, and the windows were thick 26 00:01:29.599 --> 00:01:34.640 with the ice crystals, I suppose. I remarked that homely 27 00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:37.680 as it looks, this thing has some deadly story linked 28 00:01:37.680 --> 00:01:39.799 on to it. That it is the clue which will 29 00:01:39.799 --> 00:01:41.920 guide you in the solution of some mystery and the 30 00:01:41.959 --> 00:01:47.040 punishment of some crime. No, no, no crime, said Sherlock Holmes, laughing, 31 00:01:47.599 --> 00:01:50.159 Only one of those whimsical little incidents which will happen 32 00:01:50.200 --> 00:01:53.040 when you have four million human beings all jostling each 33 00:01:53.079 --> 00:01:55.959 other within the space of a few square miles. Amid 34 00:01:56.040 --> 00:01:58.799 the action and reaction of so dense a swarm of humanity, 35 00:01:59.079 --> 00:02:02.400 every possible combination of events may be expected to take place, 36 00:02:02.680 --> 00:02:05.079 and many a little problem will be presented, which may 37 00:02:05.120 --> 00:02:09.080 be striking and bizarre without being criminal. We have already 38 00:02:09.120 --> 00:02:13.639 had experience of such, so much so I remarked that 39 00:02:13.719 --> 00:02:15.840 of the last six cases which I have added to 40 00:02:15.879 --> 00:02:18.960 my notes three have been entirely free of any illegal crime. 41 00:02:19.759 --> 00:02:23.080 Precisely you allude to my attempt to recover the Irene 42 00:02:23.120 --> 00:02:26.319 Adler papers, to the singular case of Miss Mary Sutherland, 43 00:02:26.360 --> 00:02:29.400 and to the adventure of the man with a twisted lip. Well, 44 00:02:29.439 --> 00:02:31.400 I have no doubt that this small matter will fall 45 00:02:31.439 --> 00:02:37.000 into the same innocent category. You know, Peterson the Commissionaire. Yes, 46 00:02:37.960 --> 00:02:40.840 it is to him that this trophy belongs. It is 47 00:02:40.879 --> 00:02:44.199 his hat. No, no, he found it. Its owner is unknown. 48 00:02:45.039 --> 00:02:47.080 I beg that you will look upon it not as 49 00:02:47.080 --> 00:02:51.159 a battered billy cock, but as an intellectual problem. And first, 50 00:02:51.240 --> 00:02:54.039 as to how it came here. It arrived upon Christmas 51 00:02:54.080 --> 00:02:56.719 morning in company with a good fat goose, which is 52 00:02:56.879 --> 00:02:59.360 I have no doubt roasting at this moment in front 53 00:02:59.360 --> 00:03:03.879 of Peterson's the facts of these. About four o'clock on 54 00:03:03.960 --> 00:03:06.599 Christmas morning, Peterson, who as you know, is a very 55 00:03:06.639 --> 00:03:10.479 honest fellow, was returning from some small jollification, and was 56 00:03:10.479 --> 00:03:14.280 making his way homeward down Tottenham Court Road. In front 57 00:03:14.319 --> 00:03:17.080 of him he saw in the gaslight a tallish man 58 00:03:17.199 --> 00:03:19.800 walking with a slight stagger and carrying a white goose 59 00:03:19.840 --> 00:03:22.919 slung over his shoulder. As he reached the corner of 60 00:03:22.960 --> 00:03:26.120 Good Street, a row broke out between this stranger and 61 00:03:26.159 --> 00:03:29.039 a little knot of ruffs. One of the latter knocked 62 00:03:29.039 --> 00:03:31.439 off the man's hat, on which he raised his stick 63 00:03:31.479 --> 00:03:34.879 to defend himself, and swinging it over his head, smashed 64 00:03:34.919 --> 00:03:38.800 the shop window behind him. Peterson had rushed forward to 65 00:03:38.840 --> 00:03:42.080 protect the stranger from his assailants, but the man, shocked 66 00:03:42.120 --> 00:03:44.680 at having broken the window and seeing an official looking 67 00:03:44.719 --> 00:03:47.960 person in uniform rushing towards him, dropped his goose, took 68 00:03:48.000 --> 00:03:50.520 to his heels, and vanished amid the labyrinth of small 69 00:03:50.560 --> 00:03:53.280 streets which lie at the back of Tottenham Court Road. 70 00:03:54.199 --> 00:03:56.680 The Roffs had also fled at the appearance of Peterson, 71 00:03:56.960 --> 00:03:58.960 so that he was left in possession of the field 72 00:03:59.039 --> 00:04:02.159 of battle, and also of the spoils of victory in 73 00:04:02.199 --> 00:04:05.199 the shape of this battered hat and a most unimpeachable 74 00:04:05.240 --> 00:04:10.080 Christmas goose, which surely he restored to their owner, My 75 00:04:10.159 --> 00:04:13.240 dear fellow, there lies the problem. It is true that 76 00:04:13.439 --> 00:04:16.519 for missus Henry Baker was printed upon a small card 77 00:04:16.600 --> 00:04:19.439 which had been tied to the bird's left leg. And 78 00:04:19.480 --> 00:04:21.920 it is also true that the initials H. B. Are 79 00:04:22.000 --> 00:04:25.000 legible upon the lining of this hat. But as there 80 00:04:25.040 --> 00:04:27.920 are some thousands of bakers and some hundreds of Henry 81 00:04:27.920 --> 00:04:30.519 bakers in this city of ours, it's not easy to 82 00:04:30.560 --> 00:04:33.959 restore lost property to any one of them. What then 83 00:04:34.000 --> 00:04:37.439 did Peterson do? He brought round both hat and goose 84 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:40.399 to me on Christmas morning, knowing that even the smallest 85 00:04:40.439 --> 00:04:43.680 problems are of interest to me. The goose re retained 86 00:04:43.759 --> 00:04:46.319 until this morning, when there were signs that, in spite 87 00:04:46.319 --> 00:04:48.480 of the slight frost, it would be well that it 88 00:04:48.480 --> 00:04:52.560 should be eaten without unnecessary delay. Its finder has carried 89 00:04:52.600 --> 00:04:56.120 it off, therefore to fulfill the ultimate destiny of a goose, 90 00:04:56.600 --> 00:04:58.959 while I continue to retain the hat of the unknown 91 00:04:59.000 --> 00:05:05.560 gentleman who lost his Christmas dinner? Did he not advertise? No? Then? 92 00:05:05.600 --> 00:05:09.040 What clue could you have as to his identity? Only 93 00:05:09.120 --> 00:05:12.839 as much as we can deduce from his hat precisely? 94 00:05:13.560 --> 00:05:16.199 But you are joking? What can you gather from this old, 95 00:05:16.240 --> 00:05:19.879 battered felt Here is my lens, You know my methods. 96 00:05:20.319 --> 00:05:23.120 What can you gather yourself as to the individuality of 97 00:05:23.120 --> 00:05:26.680 the man who has worn this article? I took the 98 00:05:26.720 --> 00:05:29.879 tattered object in my hands and turned it over rather ruefully. 99 00:05:30.399 --> 00:05:33.240 It was a very ordinary black hat, of the usual 100 00:05:33.759 --> 00:05:37.720 round shape, hard and much the worse for wear. The 101 00:05:37.759 --> 00:05:40.040 lining had been of red silk, but was a good 102 00:05:40.079 --> 00:05:43.680 deal discolored. There was no maker's name, but as Holmes 103 00:05:43.720 --> 00:05:47.360 had remarked, the initials H B were scrawled upon one side. 104 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:50.519 It was pierced in the brim for a hat secure, 105 00:05:50.920 --> 00:05:54.759 but the elastic was missing for the rest. It was cracked, 106 00:05:55.000 --> 00:05:58.959 exceedingly dusty, and spotted in several places, although there seemed 107 00:05:58.959 --> 00:06:01.600 to have been some attempt hide the discolored patches by 108 00:06:01.600 --> 00:06:05.839 smearing them with ink. I can see nothing, said I, 109 00:06:06.000 --> 00:06:09.720 handing it back to my friend. On the contrary, Watson, 110 00:06:09.759 --> 00:06:13.000 you can see everything. You fail, however, to reason from 111 00:06:13.040 --> 00:06:18.120 what you see. You are too timid in drawing your inferences. Then, pray, 112 00:06:18.199 --> 00:06:20.399 tell me what it is that you can infer from 113 00:06:20.399 --> 00:06:24.240 this hat. He picked it up and gazed at it 114 00:06:24.279 --> 00:06:27.680 in the peculiar introspective fashion which was characteristic of him. 115 00:06:29.040 --> 00:06:31.800 It is perhaps less suggestive than it might have been, 116 00:06:32.079 --> 00:06:35.519 he remarked. And yet there are a few inferences which 117 00:06:35.560 --> 00:06:37.920 are very distinct, and a few others which represent at 118 00:06:38.000 --> 00:06:41.120 least a small balance of probability that the man was 119 00:06:41.199 --> 00:06:44.160 highly intellectual, is of course obvious upon the face of it, 120 00:06:44.560 --> 00:06:46.560 and also that he was fairly well to do within 121 00:06:46.600 --> 00:06:49.480 the last three years, although he has now fallen upon 122 00:06:49.519 --> 00:06:53.800 evil days. He had foresight, but has less now than formerly, 123 00:06:53.920 --> 00:06:57.079 pointing to a moral retrogression, which, when taken with the 124 00:06:57.120 --> 00:07:00.319 decline of his fortune, seems to indicate some evil inflatus, 125 00:07:00.399 --> 00:07:04.079 probably drink at work upon him. This may account also 126 00:07:04.160 --> 00:07:06.720 for the obvious fact that his wife has ceased to 127 00:07:06.759 --> 00:07:10.839 love him, My dear Holmes, He has, however, retained some 128 00:07:10.920 --> 00:07:15.839 degree of self respect, he continued, disregarding my remonstrance. He 129 00:07:15.920 --> 00:07:18.759 is a man who leads a sedentary life, goes out little, 130 00:07:18.959 --> 00:07:22.480 is out of training, entirely, is middle aged, has grizzled hair, 131 00:07:22.519 --> 00:07:24.920 which he has had cut within the last few days, 132 00:07:25.160 --> 00:07:28.439 and which he annoints with lime cream. These are the 133 00:07:28.480 --> 00:07:30.959 more patent facts which may be deduced from his hat. 134 00:07:31.639 --> 00:07:34.600 Also by the way that it is extremely improbable that 135 00:07:34.639 --> 00:07:37.720 he has had gas laid on in his house. You 136 00:07:37.759 --> 00:07:41.959 are certainly joking, Holmes. I'm the least. Is it possible that, 137 00:07:42.040 --> 00:07:44.240 even now, when I gave you these results, you are 138 00:07:44.279 --> 00:07:47.279 unable to see how they are attained, I have no 139 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:49.879 doubt that I am very stupid, but I must confess 140 00:07:49.879 --> 00:07:52.879 that I am unable to follow you. For example, how 141 00:07:52.879 --> 00:07:56.639 did you deduce that this man was intellectual? For answer, 142 00:07:56.680 --> 00:07:59.519 Holmes clapped the hat upon his head. It came right 143 00:07:59.560 --> 00:08:02.160 over the fourhead and settled upon the bridge of his nose. 144 00:08:03.160 --> 00:08:06.160 It is a question of cubic capacity, said he. A 145 00:08:06.160 --> 00:08:08.439 man with so large a brain must have something in 146 00:08:08.480 --> 00:08:12.639 it the decline in his fortunes. Then this hat is 147 00:08:12.720 --> 00:08:16.000 three years old. These flat brims, curled at the edge, 148 00:08:16.040 --> 00:08:18.560 came in. Then it is a hat of the very 149 00:08:18.600 --> 00:08:21.160 best quality. Look at the band of ribbed silk and 150 00:08:21.160 --> 00:08:24.120 the excellent lining. If this man could afford to buy 151 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:26.600 so expensive a hat three years ago and has had 152 00:08:26.639 --> 00:08:29.319 no hat since then, he has assuredly gone down in 153 00:08:29.360 --> 00:08:33.679 the world. Well, that is clear enough, certainly, But how 154 00:08:33.720 --> 00:08:38.240 about the foresight and the moral retrogression, Sherlock Holmes laughed. 155 00:08:38.919 --> 00:08:41.960 Here is the foresight, said he, putting his finger upon 156 00:08:41.960 --> 00:08:44.799 the little disc and loop of the hat. Secure they 157 00:08:44.799 --> 00:08:47.639 are never sold upon hats. If this man ordered one, 158 00:08:47.679 --> 00:08:49.879 it is a sign of a certain amount of foresight, 159 00:08:50.159 --> 00:08:51.679 since he went out of his way to take this 160 00:08:51.759 --> 00:08:54.919 precaution against the wind. But since we see that he 161 00:08:55.039 --> 00:08:58.399 has broken the elastic and is not troubled to replace it, 162 00:08:58.399 --> 00:09:01.559 it is obvious that he has less foresight now than formerly, 163 00:09:01.639 --> 00:09:04.799 which is a distinct proof of a weakening nature. On 164 00:09:04.840 --> 00:09:06.960 the other hand, he has endeavored to conceal some of 165 00:09:07.000 --> 00:09:09.879 these stains upon the felt by daubing them with ink, 166 00:09:10.120 --> 00:09:12.279 which is a sign that he has not entirely lost 167 00:09:12.279 --> 00:09:17.240 his self respect. Your reasoning is certainly plausible. The further 168 00:09:17.320 --> 00:09:20.519 points that he is middle aged, that his hair is grizzled, 169 00:09:20.519 --> 00:09:22.840 that it has been recently cut, and that he uses 170 00:09:22.919 --> 00:09:24.960 lime cream are all to be gathered From a close 171 00:09:24.960 --> 00:09:28.200 examination of the lower part of the lining. The lens 172 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:31.600 discloses a large number of hair ends, clean cut by 173 00:09:31.639 --> 00:09:34.720 the scissors of the barber. They all appear to be adhesive, 174 00:09:34.799 --> 00:09:38.279 and there is a distinct odor of lime cream. This dust, 175 00:09:38.440 --> 00:09:41.000 as you will observe, is not the gritty gray dust 176 00:09:41.000 --> 00:09:43.840 of the street, but the fluffy brown dust of the house, 177 00:09:44.159 --> 00:09:46.279 showing that it has been hung up indoors most of 178 00:09:46.320 --> 00:09:49.639 the time, while the marks of moisture upon the inside 179 00:09:49.639 --> 00:09:53.320 are proved positive that the wearer perspired very freely and 180 00:09:53.399 --> 00:09:56.600 could therefore hardly be in the best of training. But 181 00:09:56.759 --> 00:09:59.200 his wife, you said that she had ceased to love him. 182 00:10:00.320 --> 00:10:03.240 This hat has not been brushed for weeks. When I 183 00:10:03.279 --> 00:10:05.759 see you, my dear Watson, with a week's accumulation of 184 00:10:05.840 --> 00:10:08.240 dust upon your hat, and when your wife allows you 185 00:10:08.320 --> 00:10:10.600 to go out in such a state, I shall fear 186 00:10:10.679 --> 00:10:13.399 that you also have been unfortunate enough to lose your 187 00:10:13.399 --> 00:10:17.639 wife's suffection. But he might be a bachelor. Nay, he 188 00:10:17.759 --> 00:10:20.000 was bringing home the goose as a peace offering to 189 00:10:20.039 --> 00:10:23.600 his wife. Remember the card upon the bird's leg. You 190 00:10:23.679 --> 00:10:26.360 have an answer for everything. But how on earth do 191 00:10:26.440 --> 00:10:28.519 you deduce that the gas is not laid on in 192 00:10:28.559 --> 00:10:33.200 his house? One tallow stain or even two might come 193 00:10:33.200 --> 00:10:35.960 by chance, But when I see no less than five, 194 00:10:36.399 --> 00:10:38.080 I think that there can be little doubt that the 195 00:10:38.120 --> 00:10:41.799 individual must be brought into frequent contact with burning tallow 196 00:10:42.440 --> 00:10:44.960 walks upstairs at night, probably with his hat in one 197 00:10:44.960 --> 00:10:47.879 hand and a guttering candle in the other. Anyhow, he 198 00:10:47.919 --> 00:10:52.879 never got tallow stains from a gas jet. Are you satisfied? Well, 199 00:10:52.919 --> 00:10:56.720 it is very ingenious, said I, laughing. But since as 200 00:10:56.759 --> 00:10:58.960 you said just now, there has been no crime committed, 201 00:10:59.000 --> 00:11:01.759 and no harm done the loss of a goose. All 202 00:11:01.759 --> 00:11:05.519 this seems to be rather a waste of energy. Sherlock 203 00:11:05.519 --> 00:11:07.840 Holmes had opened his mouth to reply when the door 204 00:11:07.879 --> 00:11:11.159 flew open, and Peterson, the Commissionaire, rushed into the apartment 205 00:11:11.240 --> 00:11:13.559 with flushed cheeks and the face of a man who 206 00:11:13.600 --> 00:11:18.519 is dazed with astonishment. The goose, Mister Holmes, the goose, sir, 207 00:11:18.840 --> 00:11:22.480 He gasped, Eh, what of it? Then, as it returned 208 00:11:22.480 --> 00:11:25.960 to life and flapped off through the kitchen window, Holmes 209 00:11:25.960 --> 00:11:28.480 twisted himself round upon the sofa to get a fairer 210 00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:32.240 view of the man's excited face. See here, sir, see 211 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:35.279 what my wife found in its crop. He held out 212 00:11:35.279 --> 00:11:37.679 his hand and displayed upon the center of the palm 213 00:11:38.080 --> 00:11:41.720 a brilliantly scintillating blue stone, rather smaller than a bean 214 00:11:41.840 --> 00:11:44.679 in size, but of such purity and radiance that it 215 00:11:44.720 --> 00:11:47.279 twinkled like an electric point in the dark hollow of 216 00:11:47.320 --> 00:11:51.879 his hand. Sherlock Holmes sat up with a whistle. By jove, 217 00:11:51.919 --> 00:11:55.799 Peterson said he this is a treasure trove. Indeed, I 218 00:11:55.799 --> 00:11:59.039 suppose you know what you've got? A diamond, sir, A 219 00:11:59.039 --> 00:12:02.080 precious stone. It cuts into glasses, though it were putty. 220 00:12:02.840 --> 00:12:06.039 It's more than a precious stone. It's the precious stone, 221 00:12:07.080 --> 00:12:11.919 not the Countess of Morcar's blue carbuncle. I ejaculated precisely so. 222 00:12:12.840 --> 00:12:14.919 I ought to know its size and shape, seeing that 223 00:12:14.960 --> 00:12:17.080 I have read the advertisement about it in the Times 224 00:12:17.120 --> 00:12:20.559 every day lately. It is absolutely unique, and its value 225 00:12:20.559 --> 00:12:23.279 can only be conjectured. But the reward offered of a 226 00:12:23.360 --> 00:12:26.039 thousand pounds is certainly not within a twentieth part of 227 00:12:26.039 --> 00:12:30.440 the market price. A thousand pounds, Great Lord a mercy, 228 00:12:31.120 --> 00:12:34.200 the Commissionaire plumped down into a chair and stared from 229 00:12:34.200 --> 00:12:37.480 one to the other of us. That is the reward. 230 00:12:37.639 --> 00:12:39.919 And I have reason to know that there are sentimental 231 00:12:39.919 --> 00:12:43.039 considerations in the background which could induce the Countess to 232 00:12:43.080 --> 00:12:45.720 part with half her fortune if she could just recover 233 00:12:45.840 --> 00:12:49.720 the gem it was lost, if I remember aright at 234 00:12:49.759 --> 00:12:54.279 the Hotel Cosmopolitan, I remarked precisely so. On the twenty 235 00:12:54.320 --> 00:12:57.960 second of December, just five days ago, John Horner, a plumber, 236 00:12:58.399 --> 00:13:01.399 was accused of having abstracted it from the lady's jewel case. 237 00:13:01.919 --> 00:13:04.080 The evidence against him was so strong that the case 238 00:13:04.080 --> 00:13:07.000 has been referred to the Assizes. I have some account 239 00:13:07.000 --> 00:13:10.720 of the matter here. I believe. He rummaged amid his newspapers, 240 00:13:10.720 --> 00:13:13.960 glancing over the dates, until at last he smoothed one out, 241 00:13:14.080 --> 00:13:18.840 doubled it over, and read the following paragraph. Hotel Cosmopolitan 242 00:13:18.919 --> 00:13:23.279 Jewel Robbery. John Horner, twenty six Plumber was brought up 243 00:13:23.360 --> 00:13:25.919 upon the charge of having, upon the twenty second instant, 244 00:13:26.240 --> 00:13:28.799 abstracted from the jewel case of the Countess of Morcar, 245 00:13:28.960 --> 00:13:32.960 the valuable gem known as the blue Carbuncle. James Ryder, 246 00:13:33.080 --> 00:13:35.799 upper attendant at the hotel, gave his evidence to the 247 00:13:35.840 --> 00:13:38.000 effect that he had shown Horner up to the dressing 248 00:13:38.039 --> 00:13:40.039 room of the Countess of Morcar upon the day of 249 00:13:40.080 --> 00:13:42.600 the robbery, in order that he might solder the second 250 00:13:42.679 --> 00:13:45.639 bar of the grate, which was loose. He had remained 251 00:13:45.639 --> 00:13:48.519 with Horner some little time, but had finally been called away. 252 00:13:49.759 --> 00:13:52.919 On returning, he found that Horner had disappeared, that the 253 00:13:52.919 --> 00:13:56.360 bureau had been forced open, and that the small Morocco casket, 254 00:13:56.440 --> 00:13:59.799 in which, as it afterwards transpired, the Countess was accustomed 255 00:13:59.799 --> 00:14:02.759 to keep her jewel, was lying empty upon the dressing table. 256 00:14:03.519 --> 00:14:06.399 Rider instantly gave the alarm, and Horner was arrested the 257 00:14:06.399 --> 00:14:09.480 same evening, but the stone could not be found either 258 00:14:09.559 --> 00:14:13.679 upon his person or in his rooms. Catherine Cusack made 259 00:14:13.679 --> 00:14:16.240 of the Countess deposed to having heard writer's cry of 260 00:14:16.279 --> 00:14:19.639 dismay on discovering the robbery, and to having rushed into 261 00:14:19.679 --> 00:14:21.879 the room where she found matters as described by the 262 00:14:21.919 --> 00:14:27.200 last witness. Inspector Bradstreet, b Division gave evidence as to 263 00:14:27.240 --> 00:14:30.120 the arrest of Horner, who struggled frantically and protested his 264 00:14:30.159 --> 00:14:34.320 innocence in the strongest terms. Evidence of a previous conviction 265 00:14:34.399 --> 00:14:37.639 for robbery having been given against the prisoner. The magistrate 266 00:14:37.720 --> 00:14:40.320 refused to deal summarily with the offense, but referred it 267 00:14:40.360 --> 00:14:43.960 to the assizes. Horner, who had shown signs of intense 268 00:14:44.000 --> 00:14:47.200 emotion during the proceedings, fainted away at the conclusion and 269 00:14:47.320 --> 00:14:51.120 was carried out of court. HM so much for the 270 00:14:51.159 --> 00:14:55.960 police court, said Holmes, thoughtfully, tossing aside the paper. The 271 00:14:56.039 --> 00:14:58.519 question for us now to solve is the sequence of 272 00:14:58.519 --> 00:15:01.480 events leading from a rifle old jewel case at one end, 273 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:04.480 to the crop of a goose in Tottenhancourt Road at 274 00:15:04.519 --> 00:15:08.320 the other. You see, Watson, our little deductions have suddenly 275 00:15:08.320 --> 00:15:12.000 assumed a much more important and less innocent aspect. Here 276 00:15:12.080 --> 00:15:14.759 is the stone, the stone came from the goose, and 277 00:15:14.840 --> 00:15:17.759 the goose came from mister Henry Baker, the gentleman with 278 00:15:17.840 --> 00:15:20.320 a bad hat, and all the other characteristics with which 279 00:15:20.320 --> 00:15:23.480 I have bored you. So now we must set ourselves 280 00:15:23.639 --> 00:15:27.080 very seriously to finding this gentleman and ascertaining what part 281 00:15:27.120 --> 00:15:30.000 he has played in this little mystery. To do this, 282 00:15:30.200 --> 00:15:33.000 we must try the simplest means first, and these lie 283 00:15:33.120 --> 00:15:36.559 undoubtedly in an advertisement in all the evening papers. If 284 00:15:36.559 --> 00:15:40.559 this fail, I have recourse to other methods. What will 285 00:15:40.559 --> 00:15:43.279 you say, give me a pencil in that slip of 286 00:15:43.320 --> 00:15:47.720 paper now then found at the corner of Good Street, 287 00:15:47.879 --> 00:15:50.919 a goose and a black felt hat. Mister Henry Baker 288 00:15:50.960 --> 00:15:53.279 can have the same by applying at six thirty this 289 00:15:53.360 --> 00:15:57.039 evening at two twenty one B Baker Street. That's clear 290 00:15:57.080 --> 00:16:01.559 and concise, very, But will he see it well? He 291 00:16:01.639 --> 00:16:03.639 is sure to keep an eye on the papers, since 292 00:16:03.679 --> 00:16:05.679 to a poor man the loss was a heavy one. 293 00:16:06.320 --> 00:16:08.960 He was clearly so scared by his mischance in breaking 294 00:16:09.000 --> 00:16:11.279 the window and by the approach of Peterson, that he 295 00:16:11.320 --> 00:16:14.039 thought of nothing but flight. But since then he must 296 00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:16.559 have bitterly regretted the impulse which caused him to drop 297 00:16:16.600 --> 00:16:19.759 his bird, and then again the introduction of his name 298 00:16:19.799 --> 00:16:21.519 will cause him to see it, for every one who 299 00:16:21.519 --> 00:16:24.759 knows him will direct his attention to it. Here you are, Peterson, 300 00:16:24.919 --> 00:16:27.159 run down to the advertising agency and have this put 301 00:16:27.159 --> 00:16:32.080 in the evening papers in which sir oh in the Globe, Star, 302 00:16:32.320 --> 00:16:36.399 pall Mall Saint James Evening News, Standard, Echo, and any 303 00:16:36.440 --> 00:16:40.080 others that occur. To you very well, sir, and this stone. 304 00:16:40.600 --> 00:16:43.799 Ah yes, I shall keep the stone, thank you, And 305 00:16:43.879 --> 00:16:45.879 I say, Peterson, just buy a goose on your way 306 00:16:45.919 --> 00:16:48.159 back and leave it here with me, for we must 307 00:16:48.200 --> 00:16:49.919 have one to give to this gentleman in place of 308 00:16:49.960 --> 00:16:54.039 the one which your family is now devouring. When the 309 00:16:54.039 --> 00:16:57.320 commissionaire had gone, Holmes took up the stone and held 310 00:16:57.360 --> 00:17:00.840 it against the light. It's a bonny thing, said he, 311 00:17:01.519 --> 00:17:04.759 just see how it glints and sparkles. Of course, it 312 00:17:04.799 --> 00:17:07.720 is a nucleus and focus of crime. Every good stone is. 313 00:17:08.279 --> 00:17:11.119 They are the devil's pet baits. In the larger and 314 00:17:11.160 --> 00:17:14.000 older jewels, every facet may stand for a bloody deed. 315 00:17:14.640 --> 00:17:17.160 This stone is not yet twenty years old. It was 316 00:17:17.200 --> 00:17:19.559 found in the banks of the Amoy River in southern 317 00:17:19.680 --> 00:17:23.400 China and is remarkable in having every characteristic of the carbuncle, 318 00:17:23.480 --> 00:17:26.079 save that it is blue in shade instead of ruby red. 319 00:17:26.839 --> 00:17:29.400 In spite of its youth, it is already a sinister history. 320 00:17:29.759 --> 00:17:32.880 There have been two murders, a vitril throwing, a suicide, 321 00:17:33.160 --> 00:17:35.440 and several robberies brought about for the sake of this 322 00:17:35.559 --> 00:17:39.160 forty grain weight of crystallized charcoal. Who would ever think 323 00:17:39.200 --> 00:17:41.319 that so pretty a toy could be a purveyor of 324 00:17:41.359 --> 00:17:44.359 the gallows in the prison. I'll lock it up in 325 00:17:44.400 --> 00:17:46.480 my strong box now and drop a line to the 326 00:17:46.519 --> 00:17:49.640 Countess to say that we have it. Do you think 327 00:17:49.680 --> 00:17:53.960 that this man Horner is innocent? I cannot tell. Well, 328 00:17:53.960 --> 00:17:56.319 then do you imagine that this other one, Henry Baker, 329 00:17:56.359 --> 00:17:59.240 had anything to do with the matter? It is I 330 00:17:59.240 --> 00:18:02.039 think much more like that. Henry Baker is an absolutely 331 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:04.319 innocent man who had no idea that the bird which 332 00:18:04.319 --> 00:18:06.920 he was carrying was of considerable more value than if 333 00:18:06.920 --> 00:18:09.799 it were made of solid gold. That, however, I shall 334 00:18:09.839 --> 00:18:12.160 determine by a very simple test, if we have an 335 00:18:12.160 --> 00:18:15.400 answer to our advertisement, and you can do nothing till, 336 00:18:15.440 --> 00:18:20.200 then nothing. In that case, I shall continue my professional round, 337 00:18:20.720 --> 00:18:22.400 but I shall come back in the evening at the 338 00:18:22.440 --> 00:18:24.359 hour you have mentioned, for I would like to see 339 00:18:24.400 --> 00:18:27.599 the solution of so tangled a business. Very glad to 340 00:18:27.640 --> 00:18:30.359 have you, I dine at seven. There is a woodcock, 341 00:18:30.400 --> 00:18:33.799 I believe, by the way, in view of recent occurrences, 342 00:18:33.839 --> 00:18:36.559 perhaps I ought to ask missus Hudson to examine its crop. 343 00:18:38.759 --> 00:18:40.680 I had been delayed a case, and it was a 344 00:18:40.720 --> 00:18:43.319 little after half past six when I found myself in 345 00:18:43.359 --> 00:18:46.480 Baker Street once more. As I approached the house, I 346 00:18:46.480 --> 00:18:48.480 saw a tall man in a Scotch bonnet with a 347 00:18:48.519 --> 00:18:51.880 coat which was buttoned up to his chin, waiting outside 348 00:18:51.880 --> 00:18:54.400 in the bright semicircle which was thrown from the fan light. 349 00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:57.759 Just as I arrived, the door was opened and we 350 00:18:57.759 --> 00:19:01.359 were shown up together to Holmes's room. Mister Henry Baker, 351 00:19:01.400 --> 00:19:03.960 I believe, said he rising from his arm chair and 352 00:19:03.960 --> 00:19:07.160 greeting his visitor with the easy air of geniality which 353 00:19:07.160 --> 00:19:10.079 he could so readily assume. Pray, take this chair by 354 00:19:10.079 --> 00:19:13.039 the fire, Mister Baker's a cold night, and I observe 355 00:19:13.119 --> 00:19:15.839 that your circulation is more adapted for summer than for winter. 356 00:19:16.559 --> 00:19:19.000 Ah Watson, you have just come at the right time. 357 00:19:20.039 --> 00:19:23.039 Is that your hat? Mister Baker yes, sir, that is 358 00:19:23.079 --> 00:19:27.680 undoubtedly my hat. He was a large man, with rounded shoulders, 359 00:19:27.680 --> 00:19:31.039 a massive head, and a broad, intelligent face sloping down 360 00:19:31.119 --> 00:19:34.240 to a pointed beard of grizzled brown, a touch of 361 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:37.079 red in nose and cheeks, with a slight trimmer in 362 00:19:37.119 --> 00:19:40.680 his extended hand. Recalled Holmes's surmise as to his habits. 363 00:19:41.279 --> 00:19:44.599 His rusty brown frock coat was buttoned right up in front, 364 00:19:44.680 --> 00:19:47.240 with the collar turned up, and his lank wrists protruded 365 00:19:47.240 --> 00:19:49.680 from his sleeves without a sign of cuff or shirt. 366 00:19:50.359 --> 00:19:53.640 He spoke in a slow, staccato fashion, choosing his words 367 00:19:53.640 --> 00:19:56.480 with care, and gave the impression generally of a man 368 00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:59.160 of learning and letters who had had ill usage at 369 00:19:59.200 --> 00:20:02.279 the hands of fortune. We have retained these things for 370 00:20:02.319 --> 00:20:04.920 some days, said Holmes, because we expected to see an 371 00:20:04.920 --> 00:20:07.920 advertisement from you giving your address. I am at a 372 00:20:07.960 --> 00:20:11.000 loss to know now why you did not advertise. Our 373 00:20:11.079 --> 00:20:15.160 visitor gave a rather shamefaced laugh. Shillings have not been 374 00:20:15.240 --> 00:20:18.000 so plentiful with me as they once were, he remarked. 375 00:20:18.480 --> 00:20:20.400 I had no doubt that the gang of ruffs who 376 00:20:20.400 --> 00:20:23.279 assaulted me had carried off both my hat and the bird. 377 00:20:23.920 --> 00:20:25.640 I did not care to spend more money in a 378 00:20:25.680 --> 00:20:30.160 hopeless attempt to recover them. Very naturally, by the way, 379 00:20:30.240 --> 00:20:33.279 about the bird, we were compelled to eat it? To 380 00:20:33.400 --> 00:20:36.039 eat it, our visitor half rose from his chair in 381 00:20:36.079 --> 00:20:39.200 his excitement. Yes, it would have been no use to 382 00:20:39.240 --> 00:20:41.920 anyone had we not done so. But I presume that 383 00:20:41.960 --> 00:20:44.400 this other goose upon the sideboard, which is about the 384 00:20:44.400 --> 00:20:47.559 same weight and perfectly fresh, will answer your purpose equally well. 385 00:20:48.559 --> 00:20:52.079 Oh certainly certainly, answered mister Baker, with a sigh of relief. 386 00:20:52.960 --> 00:20:55.920 Of course, we still have the feathers, legs, crop and 387 00:20:55.960 --> 00:20:58.839 so on of your own bird. So if you wish, 388 00:20:58.920 --> 00:21:01.880 the man burst into a heart hearty laugh, they might 389 00:21:01.920 --> 00:21:04.680 be useful to me as relics of my adventure, said he. 390 00:21:05.000 --> 00:21:07.519 But beyond that, I can hardly see what use the 391 00:21:07.599 --> 00:21:10.000 dejective member of my late acquaintance are going to be 392 00:21:10.079 --> 00:21:13.119 to me. No, sir, I think that, with your permission, 393 00:21:13.480 --> 00:21:16.480 I will confine my attentions to the excellent bird which 394 00:21:16.519 --> 00:21:21.720 I perceive upon the sideboard. Sherlock Holmes glanced sharply across 395 00:21:21.720 --> 00:21:25.079 at me with a slight shrug of his shoulders. There 396 00:21:25.119 --> 00:21:27.799 is your hat, then, and there your bird, said he. 397 00:21:28.440 --> 00:21:30.440 By the way. What it bore you to tell me 398 00:21:30.519 --> 00:21:32.759 where you got the other one from. I am somewhat 399 00:21:32.799 --> 00:21:35.319 of a foul fancier, and I have seldom seen a 400 00:21:35.319 --> 00:21:39.839 better grown goose. Certainly, sir, said Baker, who had risen 401 00:21:39.880 --> 00:21:43.200