Speaker 1: The blue carbuncle. I had called upon my friend Sherlock
Speaker 1: Holmes upon the second morning after Christmas, with the intention
Speaker 1: of wishing him the compliments of the season. He was
Speaker 1: lounging upon the sofa in a purple dressing gown, a
Speaker 1: pipe rack within his reach upon the right, and a
Speaker 1: pile of crumpled morning papers, evidently newly studded near at hand.
Speaker 1: Beside the couch was a wooden chair, and on the
Speaker 1: angle of the back hung a very seedy and disreputable,
Speaker 1: hard felt hat, much the worse for wear and cracked
Speaker 1: in several places. A lens and a forests lying upon
Speaker 1: the seat of the chair suggested that the hat had
Speaker 1: been suspended in this manner for the purpose of examination.
Speaker 1: You are engaged, said I, perhaps I interrupt you not
Speaker 1: at all. I am glad to have a friend with
Speaker 1: whom I can discuss my results. The matter is a
Speaker 1: perfectly trivial one. He jerked his thumb in the direction
Speaker 1: of the old hat. But there are points in connection
Speaker 1: with it which are not entirely devoid of interest and
Speaker 1: even of instruction. I seated myself in his arm chair
Speaker 1: and warmed my hands before his crackling fire. For a
Speaker 1: sharp frost had set in, and the windows were thick
Speaker 1: with the ice crystals. I suppose, I remarked that homely
Speaker 1: as it looks, this thing has some deadly story linked
Speaker 1: on to it. That it is the clue which will
Speaker 1: guide you in the solution of some mystery and the
Speaker 1: punishment of some crime. No, no, no crime, said Sherlock Holmes, laughing,
Speaker 1: Only one of those whimsical little incidents which will happen
Speaker 1: when you have four million human beings all jostling each
Speaker 1: other within the space of a few square miles. Amid
Speaker 1: the action and reaction of so dense a swarm of humanity,
Speaker 1: every possible combination of events may be expected to take place,
Speaker 1: and many a little problem will be present, which may
Speaker 1: be striking and bizarre without being criminal. We have already
Speaker 1: had experience of such. So much so I remarked that
Speaker 1: of the last six cases which I have added to
Speaker 1: my notes, three have been entirely free of any illegal crime.
Speaker 1: Precisely you allude to my attempt to recover the Irene
Speaker 1: Adler papers, to the singular case of Miss Mary Sutherland,
Speaker 1: and to the adventure of the man with the twisted lip. Well,
Speaker 1: I have no doubt that this small matter will fall
Speaker 1: into the same innocent category. You know Peterson the Commissionaire. Yes,
Speaker 1: it is to him that this trophy belongs. It is
Speaker 1: his hat. No, no, he found it. Its owner is unknown.
Speaker 1: I beg that you will look upon it not as
Speaker 1: a battered billycock, but as an intellectual problem. And first,
Speaker 1: as to how it came here. It arrived upon Christmas
Speaker 1: morning in company with a good fat goose, which is
Speaker 1: I have no doubt roasting at this moment in front
Speaker 1: of Peterson's fire. The facts are these. About four o'clock
Speaker 1: on Christmas morning, Peterson, who as you know as a
Speaker 1: very honest fellow, was returning from some jollification, and was
Speaker 1: making his way homewards down Tottenham Court Road. In front
Speaker 1: of him he saw in the gaslight a tallish man
Speaker 1: walking with a slight stagger and carrying a white goose
Speaker 1: slung over his shoulder. As he reached the corner of
Speaker 1: Good Street, a row broke out between this stranger and
Speaker 1: a little knot of ruffs. One of the latter knocked
Speaker 1: out the man's hat, on which he raised his stick
Speaker 1: to defend himself, and swinging it over his head, smashed
Speaker 1: the sharp window behind him. Peterson had rushed forward to
Speaker 1: protect the stranger from his assailants, but the man, shocked
Speaker 1: at having broken the window and seeing an official looking
Speaker 1: person in uniform rushing towards him, dropped his goose, took
Speaker 1: to his heels, and vanished amid the labyrinth of small
Speaker 1: streets which lie at the back of Tottenham Court Road.
Speaker 1: The roughs had also fled at the appearance of Peterson,
Speaker 1: so that he was left in possession of the field
Speaker 1: of battle, and also the spoils of victory in the
Speaker 1: shape of the battered hat and a most unimpeachable Christmas goose,
Speaker 1: where surely he restored to their owner, My dear fellow,
Speaker 1: there lies the problem. It is true that for missus
Speaker 1: Henry Baker was printed upon a small card which was
Speaker 1: tied to the bird's left leg, and it is also
Speaker 1: true that the initials HB are legible upon the lining
Speaker 1: of this hat. But as there are some thousands of
Speaker 1: Bakers and some hundreds of Henry Bakers in this city
Speaker 1: of ours, it is not easy to restore lost property
Speaker 1: to any one of them. What then did Peterson do?
Speaker 1: He brought round both hat and goose to me on
Speaker 1: Christmas morning, knowing that even the smallest problems are of
Speaker 1: interest to me. The goose swee retained until this morning,
Speaker 1: when there were signs that in spite of the slight frost,
Speaker 1: it would be well that it should be eaten without
Speaker 1: unnecessary delay. Its finder has carried it off, therefore to
Speaker 1: fulfill the ultimate destiny of a goose, while I continue
Speaker 1: to retain the hat of the unknown gentleman who lost
Speaker 1: his Christmas dinner? Did he not advertise no? Then? What
Speaker 1: clue could you have as to his identity? Only as
Speaker 1: much as we can deduce from his hat precisely? But
Speaker 1: you are joking? What can you gather from this old,
Speaker 1: battered felt Here is my lens, you know my methods.
Speaker 1: What can you gather yourself as to the individuality of
Speaker 1: the man who has worn this article? I took the
Speaker 1: tattered object in my hands and turned it over rather ruefully.
Speaker 1: It was a very ordinary black hat, of the usual
Speaker 1: round shape, hard and much the worse for wear. The
Speaker 1: lining had been of red silk, but was a good
Speaker 1: deal discolored. There was no maker's name, but as Holmes
Speaker 1: had remarked, the initials HB were scrawled upon one side.
Speaker 1: It was pierced in the brim for a hat securer,
Speaker 1: but the elastic was missing. For the rest, it was cracked,
Speaker 1: exceedingly dusty, and spotted in several places, although there seemed
Speaker 1: to have been some attempt to hide thee discolored patches
Speaker 1: by smearing them with ink. I can see nothing, said I,
Speaker 1: handing it back to my friend. On the contrary, Watson,
Speaker 1: you can see everything. You fail, however, to reason from
Speaker 1: what you see. You are too timid in drawing your inferences. Then, pray,
Speaker 1: tell me what it is that you can infer from
Speaker 1: this hat. He picked it up and gazed at it
Speaker 1: in the peculiar introspective fashion which was characteristic of him.
Speaker 1: It is perhaps less suggestive than it might have been,
Speaker 1: he remarked, And yet there are a few inferences which
Speaker 1: are very distinct, and a few others which represent at
Speaker 1: least a strong balance of probability. That the man was
Speaker 1: highly intellectual is of course obvious upon the face of it,
Speaker 1: and also that he was fairly well to do within
Speaker 1: the last three years, although he has now fallen upon
Speaker 1: evil days. He had foresight, but has less now than formerly,
Speaker 1: pointing to a moral retrogression which when taken with the
Speaker 1: decline of his fortunes, seems to indicate some evil influence,
Speaker 1: probably drink, at work upon him. This may account also
Speaker 1: for the obvious fact that his wife has ceased to
Speaker 1: love him, My dear Holmes, He has, however, retained some
Speaker 1: degree of self respect, he continued, disregarding my remonstrance. He
Speaker 1: is a man who leads a sedentary life, goes out little,
Speaker 1: is out of training, entirely, is middle aged, has grizzled hair,
Speaker 1: which he has had cut within the last few days,
Speaker 1: and which he anoints with lime cream. These are the
Speaker 1: more patent facts which are to be deduced from his hat.
Speaker 1: Also by the way that it is extremely improbable that
Speaker 1: he has gas laid on in his house. You are
Speaker 1: certainly joking, Holmes, not in the least. It is possible
Speaker 1: that even now, when I give you these results, you
Speaker 1: are unable to see how they are attained. I have
Speaker 1: no doubt that I am very stupid, but I must
Speaker 1: confess that I am unable to follow you. For example,
Speaker 1: how did you deduce that this man was intellectual? For answer,
Speaker 1: Holmes clapped the hat upon his head. It came right
Speaker 1: over the forehead and settled upon the bridge of his nose.
Speaker 1: It's a question of cubic capacity, said he. A man
Speaker 1: with so large a brain must have something in it
Speaker 1: the decline of his fortunes. Then this hat is three
Speaker 1: years old. These flat brims, curled in at the edge
Speaker 1: came in. Then it is a hat of the very
Speaker 1: best quality. Look at the band of ribbed silk and
Speaker 1: the excellent lining. If this man could afford to buy
Speaker 1: so expensive a hat three years ago and has had
Speaker 1: no hat since then, he has assuredly gone down in
Speaker 1: the world. Well, that is clear enough, certainly, But how
Speaker 1: about the foresight and the moral retrogression? Sherlock Holmes laughed.
Speaker 1: Here is the foresight, said he, putting his finger upon
Speaker 1: the little disc and loop of the hat. Securer, they
Speaker 1: are never sold upon hats. If this man ordered one,
Speaker 1: it is a sign of a certain amount of foresight,
Speaker 1: since he went out of his way to take this
Speaker 1: precaution against the wind. But since we see that he
Speaker 1: has broken the elastic and has not trouble to replace it,
Speaker 1: it is obvious that he has less foresight now than formerly,
Speaker 1: which is a distinct proof of a weakening nature. On
Speaker 1: the other hand, he has endeavored to conceal some of
Speaker 1: these stains upon the felt by daubing them with ink,
Speaker 1: which is a sign that he has not entirely lasted
Speaker 1: self respect. Your reasoning is certainly plausible. The further points
Speaker 1: that he is middle aged, that his hair is grizzled,
Speaker 1: that it has been recently cut, and that he uses
Speaker 1: lime cream are all to be gathered from a close
Speaker 1: examination of the lower part of the lining. The lens
Speaker 1: discloses a large number of hair ends, clean cut by
Speaker 1: the scissors of the barber. They all appear to be adhesive,
Speaker 1: and there is a distinct odor of lime cream. This
Speaker 1: dust you will observe is not the gritty gray dust
Speaker 1: of the street, but the fluffy brown dust of the house,
Speaker 1: showing that it has been hung up indoors most of
Speaker 1: the time, while the marks of moisture upon the inside
Speaker 1: are proof positive that the wearer perspired very freely and
Speaker 1: could therefore hardly be in the best of training. But
Speaker 1: his wife, you said that she had ceased to love him.
Speaker 1: This hat has not been brushed for weeks. When I
Speaker 1: see you, my dear, what with a weak's accumulation of
Speaker 1: dust upon your hat, And when your wife allows you
Speaker 1: to go out in such a state, I shall fear
Speaker 1: that you also have been unfortunate enough to lose your
Speaker 1: wife's affection. But he might be a bachelor. Nay, he
Speaker 1: was bringing home the goose as a piece offering to
Speaker 1: his wife. Remember the card upon the bird's leg. You
Speaker 1: have an answer to everything. But how on earth do
Speaker 1: you deduce that the gas is not laid on in
Speaker 1: the house. One tallow stain or even two might come
Speaker 1: by chance, But when I see no less than five,
Speaker 1: I think that there can be little doubt that the
Speaker 1: individual must be brought into frequent contact with burning tallow
Speaker 1: walks upstairs at night, probably with his hat in one
Speaker 1: hand and a guttering candle in the other. Anyhow, he
Speaker 1: never got tallow stains from a gas jet. Are you satisfied? Well,
Speaker 1: it is very ingenious, said I, laughing. But since, as
Speaker 1: you sayed just now, there has been no crime committed
Speaker 1: and no harm done, save the loss of a goose,
Speaker 1: all this seems to be rather a waste of energy.
Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes had opened his mouth to reply when the
Speaker 1: door flew open, and Peterson, the Commissionaire, rushed into the
Speaker 1: compartment with flushed cheeks and the face of a man
Speaker 1: who is dazed with astonishment. The ghosts mister Holmes, the gost, sir,
Speaker 1: He gasped, Eh, what of it? Then? Has it returned
Speaker 1: to life? And flapped off through the kitchen window. Holmes
Speaker 1: twisted himself round upon the sofa to get a fairer
Speaker 1: view of the man's excited face. See here, sir, see
Speaker 1: what my wife found in its crop. He held out
Speaker 1: his hand and displayed upon the center of the palm
Speaker 1: a brilliantly scintillating blue stone, rather smaller than a bean
Speaker 1: in size, but of such purity and radiance that it
Speaker 1: twinkled like an electric point in the dark hollow of
Speaker 1: his hand. Sherlock Holmes sat up with a whistle by jove,
Speaker 1: Peter said he this is treasure trove. Indeed, I suppose
Speaker 1: you know what you have got? A diamond, sir, A
Speaker 1: precious stone. It cuts into glass as though it were putty.
Speaker 1: It's more than a precious stone. It's the precious stone,
Speaker 1: not the Countess of Morcar's blue carbuncle. I ejaculated precisely,
Speaker 1: so I ought to know its size and shape, seeing
Speaker 1: that I have read the advertisement about it in the
Speaker 1: Times every day lately. It is absolutely unique, and its
Speaker 1: value can only be conjectured. But the reward offered of
Speaker 1: a thousand pounds is certainly not within a twentieth part
Speaker 1: of the market price. A thousand pounds, Great Lord of Mercy,
Speaker 1: the Commissioner plumped down into a chair and stared from
Speaker 1: one to the other of us. That is the reward,
Speaker 1: And I have reason to know that there are sentimental
Speaker 1: considerations in the background which would induce the counter to
Speaker 1: part with half of her fortune if she could but
Speaker 1: recover the gem. It was last if I remember arte
Speaker 1: at the Hotel Cosmopolitan, I remarked precisely so. On the
Speaker 1: twenty second of December, just five days ago, John Horner,
Speaker 1: a plumber, was accused of having abstracted it from the
Speaker 1: lady's jewel case. The evidence against him was so strong
Speaker 1: that the case has been referred to the assized. I
Speaker 1: have some account of the matter here. I believe he
Speaker 1: rummaged amid his newspapers, glancing over the dates, until at
Speaker 1: last he smoothed one out, doubled it over, and read
Speaker 1: the following paragraph. Hotel Cosmopolitan Jewel robbery. John Horner, twenty
Speaker 1: six plumber was brought up upon the charge of having
Speaker 1: upon the twenty second instant abstracted from the jewel case
Speaker 1: of the Countess of Morca, the valuable gem known as
Speaker 1: the blue Carbuncle. James Ryder, upper attendant at the hotel,
Speaker 1: gave his evidence to the effect that he had shown
Speaker 1: Horner up to the dressing room of the Countess of
Speaker 1: Morca upon the day of the robbery, in order that
Speaker 1: he might solder the second bar of the grate, which
Speaker 1: was loose. He had remained with Horner some little time,
Speaker 1: but had finally been called away. On returning, he found
Speaker 1: that Horner had disappeared, that the bureau had been forced open,
Speaker 1: and that the small Morocco casket, in which, as it
Speaker 1: afterwards transpired, the Countess was accustomed to keep her jewel,
Speaker 1: was lying empty upon the dressing table. Ryder instantly gave
Speaker 1: the alarm, and Horner was arrested the same evening, but
Speaker 1: the stone could not be found either upon his person
Speaker 1: or in his rooms. Catherine Cousack made to the Countess
Speaker 1: deposed to having heard Rider's cry of dismay on discovering
Speaker 1: the robbery, and to having rushed into the room where
Speaker 1: she found matters as described by the last witness, Inspector
Speaker 1: Bradstreet b Division gave evidence as to the arrest of Horner,
Speaker 1: who struggled frantically and protested his innocence in the strongest terms.
Speaker 1: Evidence of a previous conviction for robbery having been given
Speaker 1: against the prisoner. The magistrate refused to deal summarily with
Speaker 1: the offense, but referred it to the assizes. Horner, who
Speaker 1: had shown signs of intense emotion during the proceedings, fainted
Speaker 1: away at the conclusion and was carried out of court.
Speaker 1: Hum So much for the police court, said Holmes, thoughtfully,
Speaker 1: tossing aside his paper. The question for us now to
Speaker 1: solve is the sequence of events leading from a rifled
Speaker 1: jewel case at one end to the crop of a
Speaker 1: goose in Tottenham Court Road at the other. You see, Watson,
Speaker 1: our little deductions have suddenly assumed a much more important
Speaker 1: and less innocent aspect. Here is the stone. The stone
Speaker 1: came from the goose, and the goose came from mister
Speaker 1: Henry Baker, the gentleman with the bad hat and all
Speaker 1: the other characteristics with which I have bored you. So
Speaker 1: now we must set ourselves very seriously to finding this
Speaker 1: gentleman and ascertaining what part he has played in this
Speaker 1: little mystery. To do this, we must try the simplest
Speaker 1: means first, and these lie undoubtedly in an advertisement in
Speaker 1: all the evening papers. If this fail, I shall have
Speaker 1: recourse to other methods. What will you say, give me
Speaker 1: a pencil and that slip of paper now then found
Speaker 1: at the corner of Googe Street, a goose and a
Speaker 1: black felt hat. Mister Henry Baker can have the same
Speaker 1: by applying at six thirty this evening at two hundred
Speaker 1: and twenty one B Baker Street. That is clear and concise. Very,
Speaker 1: but will he see it well? He is sure to
Speaker 1: keep an eye on the papers, since to a poor
Speaker 1: man the loss was a heavy one. He was clearly
Speaker 1: so scared by his mischance in breaking the window and
Speaker 1: by the approach of Peterson, that is thought of nothing
Speaker 1: but flight. But since then he must have bitterly regretted
Speaker 1: the impulse which caused him to drop his bird. Then again,
Speaker 1: the introduction of his name will cause him to see it,
Speaker 1: for every one who knows him will direct his attention
Speaker 1: to it. Here you are, Peterson, run down to the
Speaker 1: advertising agency and have this put in the evening papers,
Speaker 1: in which sir Oh in the Globe, Star, Pall MoU,
Speaker 1: Saint James's Gazette, Evening News, Standard Echo, and any others
Speaker 1: that occur to you very well. So and this stone. Ah, yes,
Speaker 1: I shall keep the stone, thank you. And I say Peterson,
Speaker 1: just buy a goose on your way back and leave
Speaker 1: it here with me, for we must have one to
Speaker 1: give to this gentleman in place of the one which
Speaker 1: your family is now devouring. When the Commissionaire had gone,
Speaker 1: Holmes took up the stone and held it against the light.
Speaker 1: It's a bonny thing, said he. Just see how it
Speaker 1: glints and sparkles. Of course, it is a nuclear sound
Speaker 1: focus of crime. Every good stone is. They are the
Speaker 1: devil's pet baits. In the larger and older jewels, every
Speaker 1: facet may stand for a bloody deed. This stone is
Speaker 1: not yet twenty years old. It was found in the
Speaker 1: banks of the Amoy River in southern China, and is
Speaker 1: remarkable in having every characteristic of the carbuncle, save that
Speaker 1: it is blue in shade instead of ruby red. In
Speaker 1: spite of its youth, it has already a sinister history.
Speaker 1: There have been two murders, a vitriol throwing, a suicide,
Speaker 1: and several robberies brought about for the sake of this
Speaker 1: forty grain weight of crystallized charcoal. Who would think that
Speaker 1: so pretty a toy would be a purveyor to the
Speaker 1: gallows and the prison. I'll lock it up in my
Speaker 1: strong box now and drop a line to the contess
Speaker 1: to say that we have it. Do you think that
Speaker 1: this man Horner is innocent? I cannot tell. Well, then
Speaker 1: do you imagine that this other one, Henry Baker, had
Speaker 1: anything to do with the matter. It is I think
Speaker 1: much more likely that Henry Baker is an absolutely innocent
Speaker 1: man who had no idea that the bird which he
Speaker 1: was carrying was of considerably more value than if it
Speaker 1: were made of solid gold. That, however, I shall determine
Speaker 1: by a very simple test, if we have an answer
Speaker 1: to our advertisement, and you can do nothing until then nothing.
Speaker 1: In that case, I shall continue my professional round. But
Speaker 1: I shall come back in the evening at the hour
Speaker 1: you have mentioned, for I should like to see the
Speaker 1: solution of so tangled a business. Very glad to see you,
Speaker 1: I dine at seven. There is a woodcock, I believe,
Speaker 1: by the way, in view of recent occurrencies, perhaps I
Speaker 1: ought to ask missus Hudson to examine its crop. I
Speaker 1: had been delayed at a case, and it was a
Speaker 1: little after half past six when I found myself in
Speaker 1: Baker Street once more. As I approached the house, I
Speaker 1: saw a tall man in a Scotch bonnet with a
Speaker 1: coat which was buttoned up to his chin, waiting outside
Speaker 1: in the bright semicircle which was thrown from the fan light.
Speaker 1: Just as I arrived, the door was opened and we
Speaker 1: were shown up together to Holmes's room. Mister Henry Baker,
Speaker 1: I believe, said he rising from his arm chair and
Speaker 1: greeting his visitor with the easy air of geniality which
Speaker 1: he could so readily assume. Pray, take this chair by
Speaker 1: the fire, mister Baker. It is a cold night, and
Speaker 1: I observed that your circulation is more adapted for summer
Speaker 1: than for winter. Ah Watson, you have just come at
Speaker 1: the right time. Is that your hat, mister Baker, Yes, sir,
Speaker 1: that is undoubtedly my hat. He was a large man
Speaker 1: with rounded shoulders, a massive head, and a broad, intelligent
Speaker 1: face slope down to a pointed beard of grizzled brown,
Speaker 1: a touch of red in nose and cheeks, with a
Speaker 1: slight tremor of his extended hand recalled Holmes's surmise as
Speaker 1: to his habits. His rusty black frock coat was buttoned
Speaker 1: right up in front, with the collar turned up, and
Speaker 1: his lank wrists protruded from his sleeves without a sign
Speaker 1: of cuff or shirt. He spoke in a low, staccato fashion,
Speaker 1: choosing his words with care, and gave the impression generally
Speaker 1: of a man of learning and letters who had had
Speaker 1: ill usage at the hands of fortune. We have retained
Speaker 1: these things for some days, said Holmes, because we expected
Speaker 1: to see an advertisement from you giving your address. I
Speaker 1: am at a loss to know why you did not advertise.
Speaker 1: Our visitor gave a rather shamefaced laugh. Shillings have not
Speaker 1: been so plentiful with me as they once were, he remarked.
Speaker 1: I had no doubt that the gang of ruffs who
Speaker 1: assaulted me had carried off both my hat and the bird.
Speaker 1: I did not care to spend more money in a
Speaker 1: hopeless attempt at recovering them. Very naturally, by the way,
Speaker 1: about the bird, we were compelled to eat it. To
Speaker 1: eat it, our visitor half rose from his chair in
Speaker 1: his excitement. Yes, it would have been no use to
Speaker 1: any one had we not done so. But I presume
Speaker 1: that this other goose upon the sideboard, which is about
Speaker 1: the same weight and perfectly fresh, will answer your purpose equally. Well. Oh,
Speaker 1: certainly certainly, answered mister Baker, with a sigh of relief.
Speaker 1: Of course, we still have the feathers, legs, crop and
Speaker 1: so on of your own bird. If you so wish.
Speaker 1: The man burst into a hearty laugh, they might be
Speaker 1: useful to me as relics of my adventure, said he.
Speaker 1: But beyond that, I can hardly see what use the
Speaker 1: disjecta membra of my late acquaintance are going to be
Speaker 1: to me. No, sir, I think that, with your permission,
Speaker 1: I will confine my attentions to the excellent bird which
Speaker 1: I perceive upon the sideboard. Sherlock Holmes glanced sharply across
Speaker 1: at me with a slight shrug of his shoulders. There
Speaker 1: is your hat, then, and they're your bird, said he.
Speaker 1: By the way, would it bore you to tell me
Speaker 1: where you got the other one from? I am somewhat
Speaker 1: of a foul fancier, and I have seldom seen a
Speaker 1: better grown goose. Suddenly, sir, said Baker, who had risen
Speaker 1: and tucked his newly gained property under his arm. There
Speaker 1: are a few of us who frequent the Alpha Inn
Speaker 1: near the museum. We are to be found in the
Speaker 1: museum itself during the day. You understand. This year our
Speaker 1: good host, Windygate by name, instituted a goose club, by which,
Speaker 1: on consideration of some few pence every week, we were
Speaker 1: to receive a bird at Christmas. My pence were duly paid,
Speaker 1: and the rest is familiar to you. I am much
Speaker 1: indebted to you, sir, for a Scotch bonnet is fitted
Speaker 1: neither to my years nor my gravity. With a comical
Speaker 1: pomposity of manner, he bowed solemnly to both of us,
Speaker 1: and strode off upon his way. So much for mister
Speaker 1: Henry Baker, said Holmes, when he had closed the door
Speaker 1: behind him. It is quite certain that he knows nothing
Speaker 1: whatever about the matter. Are you hungry, Watson, not particularly? Then?
Speaker 1: I suggest that we turn our dinner into a supper
Speaker 1: and follow up this clue while it is still hot.
Speaker 1: By all means, it was a bitter night, so we
Speaker 1: drew on our ulsters and wrapped cravats about our throats. Outside,
Speaker 1: the stars were shining coldly in a cloudless sky, and
Speaker 1: the breath of the passers by blew out into smoke
Speaker 1: like so many pistol shots. Our footfalls rang out crisply
Speaker 1: and loudly as we swung through the Doctor's Quarter, Wimpole Street,
Speaker 1: Harley Street, and so through Wigmore Street into Oxford Street.
Speaker 1: In a quarter of an hour we were in Bloomsbury
Speaker 1: at the Alley, which is a small public house at
Speaker 1: the corner of one of the streets which runs down
Speaker 1: into Hoburn. Holmes pushed open the door of the private
Speaker 1: bar and ordered two glasses of beer from the ruddy faced,
Speaker 1: white aproned landlord. Your beer should be excellent, if it
Speaker 1: is as good as your geese, he said, my geese.
Speaker 1: The man seemed surprised. Yes, I was speaking only half
Speaker 1: an hour ago to mister Henry Baker, who was a
Speaker 1: member of your goose club. Ah, yes, I see, but
Speaker 1: you say, sir, them's not our geese. Indeed, who's then? Well,
Speaker 1: I'll get the two dozen from a salesman in Covent Garden.
Speaker 1: Indeed I know some of them. Which was it Breckenridge
Speaker 1: is his name? Ah? I don't know him. Well, here's
Speaker 1: your good health, landlord, and prosperity to your house. Good
Speaker 1: night now for mister Breckenridge. He continued buttoning up his
Speaker 1: coat as we came out into the frosty air. Remember, Watson,
Speaker 1: that though we have so homely a thing as a
Speaker 1: goose at one end of this chain, we have at
Speaker 1: the other a man who will certainly get seven years
Speaker 1: penal servitude unless we can establish his innocence. It is
Speaker 1: possible that our inquiry may but confirm his guilt. But
Speaker 1: in any case we have a line of investigation which
Speaker 1: has been missed by the police, and which a singular
Speaker 1: chance has placed in our hands. Let us follow it
Speaker 1: out to the bitter end faces to the south. Then,
Speaker 1: and quick march we passed across Hoburn, down Endell Street,
Speaker 1: and so through a zigzag of slums to Covent Garden Market.
Speaker 1: One of the largest stalls bore the name of Breckenridge
Speaker 1: upon it, and the proprietor, a horsey looking man with
Speaker 1: a sharp face and trim side whiskers, was helping a
Speaker 1: boy to put up the shutters. Good evening, it's a
Speaker 1: cold night, said Holmes. The saleman nodded and shot a
Speaker 1: questioning glance at my companion. Sold out of geese. I see,
Speaker 1: continued Holmes, pointing at the bare slabs of marble. Let
Speaker 1: you have five hundred tomorrow morning. That's no good. Well,
Speaker 1: there are some on the stall with the gas flare. Ah.
Speaker 1: But I was recommended to you, oh, by the landlord
Speaker 1: of the Alpha. Ah. Yes, I sent him a couple
Speaker 1: a dozen fine birds. They were too Now where did
Speaker 1: you get them from? To my surprise, the question provoked
Speaker 1: a burst of anger from the salesman. Now, then, mister
Speaker 1: said he with his head cocked and his arms akimbo,
Speaker 1: what are you driving at? Let's have it straight now
Speaker 1: it is straight enough. I should like to know who
Speaker 1: sold you the geese which you supplied to the Alpha. Well,
Speaker 1: then I shan't tell you so now, oh, it is
Speaker 1: a matter of no importance. But I don't know why
Speaker 1: you should be so warm over such a trifle. Warm.
Speaker 1: You'd be as warm maybe if you were as pestered
Speaker 1: as I am. When I pay good money a good article,
Speaker 1: there should be an end of the business. But it's
Speaker 1: where are the geese? And who did you sell the
Speaker 1: geese to? And what will you take for the geese?
Speaker 1: One would think they were the only geese in the
Speaker 1: world to hear the fuss that is made over them. Well,
Speaker 1: I have no connection with any other people who have
Speaker 1: been making inquiries, said Holmes carelessly. If you won't tell us,
Speaker 1: the bet is off, that is all. But I'm always
Speaker 1: ready to back my opinion on a matter of fowls,
Speaker 1: and I have a fiver on it that the bird
Speaker 1: eye ate his country bread. Well, then you've lost your fiver,
Speaker 1: for it's town bread, snapped the salesman. It's nothing of
Speaker 1: the kind I say it is. I don't believe you.
Speaker 1: Do you think you know more about fowls than I,
Speaker 1: who have handled them ever since I was a nipper.
Speaker 1: I'll tell you all those birds that went to the
Speaker 1: Alpha were town bred. You'll never persuade me to believe that,
Speaker 1: will you. Bet then it's merely taking your money, for
Speaker 1: I know that I am right. But I'll have a
Speaker 1: sovereign on with you, just to teach you not to
Speaker 1: be opposite to it. The salesman chuckled grimly. Bring me
Speaker 1: the books, bill, said he. The small boy brought round
Speaker 1: a small, thin volume and a great greasy backed one,
Speaker 1: laying them out together beneath the hanging lamp. Now, then,
Speaker 1: mister Cockshaw, said the salesman. I thought that I was
Speaker 1: out of geese, but before I finish, you'll find that
Speaker 1: there is still one left in my shop. You see
Speaker 1: this little book, well, that's the list of the folk
Speaker 1: from whom I buie. You see. Well, then here on
Speaker 1: this page are the country folk, and the numbers after
Speaker 1: their names are where their accounts are in the big ledger.
Speaker 1: Now then you see this other page in read ink,
Speaker 1: Well that is a list of my town suppliers. Now
Speaker 1: look at that third name. Just read it out to me,
Speaker 1: missus Oakshot one hundred and seventeen Brixton Road, two hundred
Speaker 1: and forty nine, read Holmes. Quite so, now turn that
Speaker 1: up in the ledger. Holmes turned to the page indicated
Speaker 1: here you are, missus Oakshot, one hundred seventeen Brixton Road,
Speaker 1: Egg and poultry supplier. Now then what's the last entry?
Speaker 1: December twenty second, twenty four geese at seven shillings and sixpence.
Speaker 1: Quite so, there you are, and underneath sold to mister
Speaker 1: Windygate of the Alpha at twelve shillings. What have you
Speaker 1: to sign now, Sherlock Holmes looked deeply chagrined. He drew
Speaker 1: a sovereign from his pocket and threw it down upon
Speaker 1: the slab, turning away with the air of a man
Speaker 1: whose disgust is too deep for words. A few yards
Speaker 1: off he stopped under a lamp post and laughed in
Speaker 1: the hearty, noiseless fashion which was peculiar to him. When
Speaker 1: you see a man with whiskers of that cut and
Speaker 1: the pink n protruding out of his pocket, you can
Speaker 1: always draw him by a bet, said he. I dare
Speaker 1: say if I had put a hundred pounds down in
Speaker 1: front of him, that man would not have given me
Speaker 1: such complete information as was drawn from him by the
Speaker 1: idea that he was doing me on a wager. Well, Watson,
Speaker 1: we are I fancy nearing the end of our quest,
Speaker 1: and the only point which remains to be determined is
Speaker 1: whether we should go on to this missus oakshot to night,
Speaker 1: or whether we should reserve it for tomorrow. It is
Speaker 1: clear from what that surly fellow said that there are
Speaker 1: others besides ourselves who are anxious about the matter, and
Speaker 1: I should His remarks were suddenly cut short by a
Speaker 1: loud hubbub which broke out from the stall which we
Speaker 1: had just left. Turning round, we saw a little rat
Speaker 1: faced fellow standing in the center of the circle of
Speaker 1: yellow light which was thrown by the swinging lamp, while Breckinridge,
Speaker 1: the salesman, framed in the door of his stall, was
Speaker 1: shaking his fists fiercely at the cringing creature. I've had
Speaker 1: enough of you and your gaze, he shouted, a wish
Speaker 1: you were all at the devil together. If you come
Speaker 1: pestering me any more with your silly talk, I'll set
Speaker 1: the dog at you. You bring Missus Oakshot here and
Speaker 1: I'll answer her. But what have you to do with it?
Speaker 1: Did I bar the geese off you? No? But one
Speaker 1: of em was mine all the same, whined the little man. Well,
Speaker 1: then ask missus Oakshop for it. She told me to
Speaker 1: ask you. Well, you can ask the King of Prosier
Speaker 1: for all our care. I've had enough of it. Get
Speaker 1: out of this, he rushed fiercely forward, and the inquirer
Speaker 1: flitted away into the darkness. Huh, this may save us
Speaker 1: a visit to Brixton Road, whispered Holmes. Come with me
Speaker 1: and we shall see what is to be made of
Speaker 1: this fellow. Striding through the scattered knots of people who
Speaker 1: lounged round the flaring stalls. My companion speedily overtook the
Speaker 1: little man and touched him upon the shoulder. He sprang round,
Speaker 1: and I could see in the gas light that every
Speaker 1: vestige of color had been driven from his face. Who
Speaker 1: are you then? What do you want? He asked in
Speaker 1: a quavering voice. You will excuse me, said Holmes blandly,
Speaker 1: But I could not help overhearing the questions which you
Speaker 1: put to the salesman. Just now, I think that I
Speaker 1: could be of assistance to you. You Who are you?
Speaker 1: How could you know anything of the matter. My name
Speaker 1: is Sherlock Holmes. It is my business to know what
Speaker 1: other people don't know. But you can know nothing of this.
Speaker 1: Excuse me, I know everything of it. You are endeavoring
Speaker 1: to trace some geese which was sold by missus Oakshot
Speaker 1: of Brixton Road to a salesman named Breckinridge, by him
Speaker 1: in turn to mister Windygate of the Alpha, and by
Speaker 1: him to his club of which mister Henry Baker is
Speaker 1: a member. Oh sir, you are the very man whom
Speaker 1: I have longed to meet, cried the little fellow, with
Speaker 1: outstretched hands and quivering fingers. I can hardly explain to
Speaker 1: you how interested I am in this matter. Sherlock Holmes
Speaker 1: hailed a four wheeler which was passing. In that case,
Speaker 1: we had better discuss it in a cozy room rather
Speaker 1: than in this wind swept market place, said he. But
Speaker 1: pray tell me before we go further, who it is
Speaker 1: that I have the pleasure of a sea. The man
Speaker 1: hesitated for an instant. My name is John Robinson, he answered,
Speaker 1: with a sidelong glance. No note the real name, said
Speaker 1: Holmes sweetly. It is always awkward doing business with an alias.
Speaker 1: A flush sprang to the white cheeks of the stranger. Well,
Speaker 1: then said he, My real name is James Ryder. Precisely so,
Speaker 1: head attendant at the hotel Cosmopolitan. Pray, step into the cab,
Speaker 1: and I shall soon be able to tell you everything
Speaker 1: which you would wish to know. The little man stood
Speaker 1: glancing from one to the other of us with half frightened,
Speaker 1: half hopeful eyes, as one who is not sure whether
Speaker 1: he is on the verge of a windfall or of
Speaker 1: a catastrophe. Then he stepped into the cab, and in
Speaker 1: half an hour we were back in the sitting room
Speaker 1: at Baker Street. Nothing had been said during our drive,
Speaker 1: but the high, thin breathings of our new companion, and
Speaker 1: the claspings and unclasping of his hands spoke of the
Speaker 1: nervous tension within him. Here we are, said Holmes cheerily,
Speaker 1: as we filed into the room. The fire looks very
Speaker 1: seasonable in this weather. You look cold, mister Rider. Pray
Speaker 1: take the basket chair. I will just put on my
Speaker 1: slippers before we settle this little matter of yours. Now,
Speaker 1: then you want to know what became of those geese,
Speaker 1: ye sir, Or rather I fancy of that goose. It
Speaker 1: was one bird I imagine in which you were interested,
Speaker 1: white with a black bar across the tail. Rider quivered
Speaker 1: with emotion. Oh, sir, he cried, Can you tell me
Speaker 1: where it went to? It came here here? Yes, and
Speaker 1: most remarkable bird it proved. I don't wonder that you
Speaker 1: should take an interest in it. It laid an egg
Speaker 1: after it was dead, the bonniest, brightest little blue egg
Speaker 1: that ever was seen. I have it here in my museum.
Speaker 1: Our visitor staggered to his feet and clutched the man
Speaker 1: untle piece with his right hand. Holmes unlocked his strong
Speaker 1: box and held up the blue carbuncle, which shone out
Speaker 1: like a star with a cold, brilliant, many pointed radiance.
Speaker 1: Rider stood glaring with a drawn face, uncertain whether to
Speaker 1: claim or to disown it. The game's up, Rider, said
Speaker 1: Holmes quietly. Hold up, man, or you'll be into the fire.
Speaker 1: Give him an arm back into his chair, Watson, he's
Speaker 1: not got blood enough to go into felony with impunity.
Speaker 1: Give him a dash of brandy, so now he looks
Speaker 1: a little more human. What a shrimp it is, to
Speaker 1: be sure. For a moment he had staggered and nearly fallen.
Speaker 1: But the brandy brought a tinge of color into his cheeks,
Speaker 1: and he sat staring with frightened eyes at his accuser.
Speaker 1: I have almost every link in my hands, and all
Speaker 1: the proofs which I could possibly need, So there is
Speaker 1: little which you need. Tell me still, that little may
Speaker 1: as well be cleared up to make the case complete.
Speaker 1: You had heard Rider of this bluestone of the Countess
Speaker 1: of more Cars. It was Catherine Cousack who told me
Speaker 1: of it, said he, in a crackling voice. I see
Speaker 1: her Ladyship's waiting maid. Well, the temptation of sudden wealth
Speaker 1: so easily acquired was too much for you, as it
Speaker 1: has been for better men before you. But you were
Speaker 1: not very scrupulous in the means you used. It seems
Speaker 1: to me, Rider, that there is the making of a
Speaker 1: very pretty villain in you. You knew that this man
Speaker 1: Horner the plumber, had been concerned in some such matter before,
Speaker 1: and that suspicion would rest the more readily upon him.
Speaker 1: What did you do? Then? You made some small job
Speaker 1: in my lady's room, you and your confederate Cusack, and
Speaker 1: you managed that he should be the man sent for. Then,
Speaker 1: when he had left, you rifled the jewel case, raised
Speaker 1: the alarm, and had this unfortunate man arrested you. Then
Speaker 1: Rider threw himself down, down suddenly, upon the rug, and
Speaker 1: clutched at my companion's knees. For God's sake, have mercy,
Speaker 1: he shrieked. Think of my father, of my mother. It
Speaker 1: would break their arts. I never went wrong before, I
Speaker 1: never will again. I swear it. I'll swear it on
Speaker 1: a bible. Oh don't bring it into court. For Christ's sake,
Speaker 1: don't get back into your chair, said Holmes sternly. It
Speaker 1: is very well to cringe and crawl now, but you
Speaker 1: thought little enough of this poor Horner in the dock
Speaker 1: for a crime of which he knew nothing. I will fly,
Speaker 1: mister Hobes, I will leave the country, sir. Then the
Speaker 1: charge against him will break down. Hmm. We will talk
Speaker 1: about that. And now let us hear a true account
Speaker 1: of the next act. How came the stone into the goose,
Speaker 1: and how came the goose into the open market? Tell
Speaker 1: us the truth, for there lies your only hope of safety.
Speaker 1: Rider passed his tongue over his parched lips. I will
Speaker 1: tell you it just as it happened, sir, said he.
Speaker 1: When Horner had been arrested, it seemed to me that
Speaker 1: it would be best for me to get away with
Speaker 1: the stone at once, for I did not know at
Speaker 1: what moment the police might take it into their heads
Speaker 1: to search me and my room. There was no place
Speaker 1: about the hotel where it would be safe. I went out,
Speaker 1: as if on some commission, and I made for my
Speaker 1: sister's house. She had married a man named oak Shot
Speaker 1: and lived in Brixton Road, where she fattened fowls for
Speaker 1: the market. All the way there, every man I met
Speaker 1: seemed to me to be a policeman or a detective,
Speaker 1: and for all that it was a cold night, the
Speaker 1: sweat was pouring down my face. Before I came to
Speaker 1: the Brixton Road. My sister asked me what was the
Speaker 1: matter and why I was so pale, But I told
Speaker 1: her that I had been upset by the jewel robbery
Speaker 1: at the hotel. Then I went into the backyard and
Speaker 1: smoked a pipe and wondered what it would be best
Speaker 1: to do. I had a friend once called Maudesley, who
Speaker 1: went to the bad and had just been serving his
Speaker 1: time in Pentonville. One day he had met me and
Speaker 1: fell in to talk about the ways of thieves and
Speaker 1: how they could get rid of what they stole. I
Speaker 1: knew that he would be true to me, for I
Speaker 1: knew one or two things about him. So I made
Speaker 1: up my mind to go right on to Kilburn, where
Speaker 1: he lived, and take him into my confidence. He would
Speaker 1: show me how to turn the stone into money, but
Speaker 1: how to get to him in safety. I thought of
Speaker 1: the agonies I had gone through in coming from the hotel.
Speaker 1: I might at any moment be seized and searched, and
Speaker 1: there would be the stone in my waistcoat pocket. I
Speaker 1: was leaning against the wall at the time, and looking
Speaker 1: at the geese which were waddling about round my feet.
Speaker 1: And suddenly an idea came into my head which showed
Speaker 1: me how I could beat the best detective that ever lived.
Speaker 1: My sister had told me some weeks before that I
Speaker 1: might have the pick of her geese for a Christmas present,
Speaker 1: and I knew that she was always as good as
Speaker 1: a word. I would take my goose now, and in
Speaker 1: it I would carry my stone to Kilburn. There was
Speaker 1: a little shed in the yard, and behind this I
Speaker 1: drove one of the birds, a fine, big one, white
Speaker 1: with a barred tail. I caught it and prising its
Speaker 1: bill open, I thrust the stone down its throat as
Speaker 1: far as my finger could reach. The bird gave a gulp,
Speaker 1: and I felt the stone pass along its gullet and
Speaker 1: down into its crop. But the creature flapped and struggled,
Speaker 1: and out came my sister to know what was the matter.
Speaker 1: As I turned to speak to her, the brute broke
Speaker 1: loose and fluttered off among the others. Whatever were you
Speaker 1: doing with that bird, jem says she well said, I
Speaker 1: you said you'd give me one for Christmas. And I
Speaker 1: was feeling which was the fattest oh, says she. We've
Speaker 1: set yours aside for you. Gem's bird we call it.
Speaker 1: It's the big white one over yonder. There's twenty six
Speaker 1: of them, which makes one for you and one for us,
Speaker 1: and two dozen for them market. Thank you, Maggie, says I.
Speaker 1: But if it's all the same to you, I'd rather
Speaker 1: have that one I was handling just now. The other
Speaker 1: is a good three pound every she said, and we
Speaker 1: fattened it expressly for you. Never mind, I'll have the
Speaker 1: other one, and I'll take it now, said I. Oh,
Speaker 1: just as you like, said she a little huffed. Which
Speaker 1: is it you want, then, that white one with the
Speaker 1: barred tail, right in the middle of the flock, Oh,
Speaker 1: very well, kill it and take it with you. Well.
Speaker 1: I did what she said, mister Elmes, and I carried
Speaker 1: the bird all the way to Kilburn. I told my
Speaker 1: pal what I had done, for he was a man
Speaker 1: that it was easy to tell a thing like that too.
Speaker 1: He laughed until he choked, and we got a knife
Speaker 1: and opened the goose. My heart turned to water, for
Speaker 1: there was no sign of the stone, and I knew
Speaker 1: that some terrible mistake had occurred. I left the bird,
Speaker 1: rushed back to my sisters, and hurried into the back yard.
Speaker 1: There was not a bird to be seen there. Where
Speaker 1: are they all gone, Maggie, I cried, Gone are the
Speaker 1: dealers wish dealers Breckinridge of Covent Garden? But was there
Speaker 1: another with a barred tale? I asked, the same as
Speaker 1: the one I chose. Yes, jem, there were two barred
Speaker 1: tale ones, and I could never tell them apart. Well, then,
Speaker 1: of course I saw it all, and I ran off
Speaker 1: as hard as my feet would carry me to this man, Breckenridge.
Speaker 1: But he had sold the lot of ones, and not
Speaker 1: one word would he tell me to where they had gone.
Speaker 1: You earned him yourself to night. Well he has always
Speaker 1: answered me like that. My sister thinks I am going mad.
Speaker 1: Sometimes I think that I am myself and now and
Speaker 1: now I am myself a branded fief without ever having
Speaker 1: touched the wealth for which I sold my character. God
Speaker 1: help me, God help me. He burst into convulsive sobbing,
Speaker 1: with his face buried in his hands. There was a
Speaker 1: long silence only by his heavy breathing and by the
Speaker 1: measured tapping of Sherlock Holmes's finger tips upon the edge
Speaker 1: of the table. Then my friend rose and threw open
Speaker 1: the door. Get out, He said, what sir, Oh, Heaven
Speaker 1: bless you. No more words, get out, And no more
Speaker 1: words were needed. There was a rush, a clatter upon
Speaker 1: the stairs, the bang of a door, and the crisp
Speaker 1: rattle of running footfalls from the street. After all, Watson
Speaker 1: said Holmes, reaching up his hand for his clay pipe.
Speaker 1: I am not retained by the police to supply their deficiencies.
Speaker 1: If Horner were in danger, it would be another thing.
Speaker 1: But this fellow will not appear against him, and the
Speaker 1: case must collapse. I suppose that I am commuting a felony,
Speaker 1: but it is just possible that I am saving a soul.
Speaker 1: This fellow will not go wrong again. He is too
Speaker 1: terribly frightened. Send him to jail now, and you make
Speaker 1: him a jail bird for life. Besides, it is the
Speaker 1: season of forgiveness. Chance has put in our way a
Speaker 1: most singular and whimsical problem, and its solution is its
Speaker 1: own reward. If you will have the goodness to touch
Speaker 1: the bell, doctor, we will begin another investigation, in which
Speaker 1: also a bird will be the chief feature.