Speaker 1: The man with the twisted lip. Isa Whitney, brother of
Speaker 1: the late Elias Whitney d d. Principle of the Theological
Speaker 1: College of Saint George's, was much addicted to opium. The
Speaker 1: habit grew upon him, as I understand, from some foolish
Speaker 1: freak when he was at college, for having read de
Speaker 1: Quince's description of his dreams and sensations, he had drenched
Speaker 1: his tobacco with laudanum in an attempt to produce the
Speaker 1: same effects. He found, as so many more have done,
Speaker 1: that the practice is easier to attain than to get
Speaker 1: rid of, And for many years he continued to be
Speaker 1: a slave to the drug, an object of mingled horror
Speaker 1: and pity to his friends and relatives. I can see
Speaker 1: him now, with yellow pasty face, drooping lids, and pinpoint pupils,
Speaker 1: all huddled in a chair, the wreck and ruin of
Speaker 1: a noble man. One night, it was in June eighty nine,
Speaker 1: there came a ring to my bell, about the hour
Speaker 1: when a man gives his first yawn and glances at
Speaker 1: the clock. I sat up in my chair, and my
Speaker 1: wife laid her needlework down in her lap, and made
Speaker 1: a little face of disappointment, a patient said she you'll
Speaker 1: have to go out. I groaned, for I was newly
Speaker 1: come back from a weary day. We heard the door open,
Speaker 1: a few hurried words, and then quick steps upon the linoleum.
Speaker 1: Our own door flew open, and a lady clad in
Speaker 1: some dark colored stuff with a black veil, entered the room.
Speaker 1: You will excuse my calling so late, she began, and then,
Speaker 1: suddenly losing her self control, she ran forward, through her
Speaker 1: arms about my wife's neck and sobbed upon her shoulder.
Speaker 1: Oh I'm in such trouble, she cried. I do so
Speaker 1: want a little help. Why, said my wife, pulling up
Speaker 1: her veil. It is Kate Whitney. How you startled me? Kate,
Speaker 1: I had not an idea who you were when you
Speaker 1: came in. I didn't know what to do, so I
Speaker 1: came straight to you. That was always the way folk
Speaker 1: who were in grief came to my wife like birds
Speaker 1: to a lighthouse. It was very sweet of you to come. Now.
Speaker 1: You must have some wine and water and sit here
Speaker 1: comfortably and tell us all about it. Or should you
Speaker 1: rather that? I sent James off to bed. Oh no, no,
Speaker 1: I want the doctor's advice and help. Too. It's about is, sir.
Speaker 1: He has not been home for two days. I'm so
Speaker 1: frightened about him. It was not the first time that
Speaker 1: she had spoken to us of her husband's trouble, to
Speaker 1: me as a doctor, to my wife as an old
Speaker 1: friend and school companion. We soothed and comforted her by
Speaker 1: such words as we could find. Did she know where
Speaker 1: her husband was? Was it possible that we could bring
Speaker 1: him back to her? It seemed that it was. She
Speaker 1: had the surest information that of late he had when
Speaker 1: the fit was on him, made use of an opium
Speaker 1: den in the furthest east of the city. Hitherto his
Speaker 1: orgies had always been confined to one day, and he
Speaker 1: had come back twitching and shattered in the evening. But
Speaker 1: now the spell had been upon him eight and forty hours,
Speaker 1: and he lay there, doubtless among the dregs of the docks,
Speaker 1: breathing in the poison or sleeping off the effects. There
Speaker 1: he was to be found, she was sure of it,
Speaker 1: at the bar of Gold in Upper Swandam Lane. But
Speaker 1: what was she to do? How could she, a young
Speaker 1: and timid woman, make her way into such a place
Speaker 1: and pluck her husband out from among the ruffians who
Speaker 1: surrounded him. There was the case, and of course there
Speaker 1: was but one way out of it. Might I not
Speaker 1: escort her to this place? And then, as a second thought,
Speaker 1: why should she come at all? I was I a
Speaker 1: Whitney's medical adviser, and such I had influence over him.
Speaker 1: I could manage it better if I were alone. I
Speaker 1: promised her on my word that I would send him
Speaker 1: home in a cab within two hours if he were
Speaker 1: indeed at the address which she had given me. And
Speaker 1: so in ten minutes I had left my arm chair
Speaker 1: and cheery sitting room behind me, and was speeding eastward
Speaker 1: in a hansom on a strange errand, as it seemed
Speaker 1: to me at the time, though the future only could
Speaker 1: show how strange it was to be. But there was
Speaker 1: no great difficulty in the first stage of my adventure.
Speaker 1: Upper Swandam Lane is a vile alley lurking behind the
Speaker 1: high wharves which line the north side of the river
Speaker 1: to the east of London Bridge, between a slop shop
Speaker 1: and a gin shop. Approached by a steep flight of
Speaker 1: steps leading down to a black gap like the mouth
Speaker 1: of a cave. I found the den of which I
Speaker 1: was in search ordering my cab to wait, I passed
Speaker 1: down the steps, worn hollow in the center by the
Speaker 1: ceaseless tread of drunken feet, and by the light of
Speaker 1: a flickering oil lamp above the door. I found the
Speaker 1: latch and made my way into a long, low room,
Speaker 1: thick and heavy with the brown opium smoke, and terraced
Speaker 1: with wooden berths, like the forecastle of an emigrant ship.
Speaker 1: Through the gloom, one could dimly catch a glimpse of
Speaker 1: bodies lying in strange fantastic poses, bowed shoulders, bent knees,
Speaker 1: heads thrown back, and chins pointed upwards. With here and
Speaker 1: there a dark, lackluster eye turned upon the new comer.
Speaker 1: Out of the black shadows, there glimmered little red circles
Speaker 1: of light, now bright, now faint, as the burning poison
Speaker 1: waxed or waned. In the bowls of the metal pipes.
Speaker 1: The most lay silent, but some muttered to themselves, and
Speaker 1: others talked together in a strange, low, monotonous voice, their
Speaker 1: conversation coming in gushes and then suddenly tailing off into silence,
Speaker 1: each mumbling out his own thoughts and paying little heed
Speaker 1: to the words of his neighbor. At the further end
Speaker 1: was a small brazier of burning charcoal, beside which on
Speaker 1: a three legged wooden stool, there sat a tall, thin
Speaker 1: old man, with his jaw resting upon his two fists
Speaker 1: and his elbows upon his knees, staring into the fire.
Speaker 1: As I entered, a sallow malay attendant had hurried up
Speaker 1: with a pipe for me and a supply of the drug,
Speaker 1: beckoning me to an empty berth. Thank you, I have
Speaker 1: not come to stay, said I. There is a friend
Speaker 1: of mine here, mister Isa Whitney, and I wished to
Speaker 1: speak with him. There was a movement and an exclamation
Speaker 1: from my right, and peering through the gloom, I saw Whitney, pale,
Speaker 1: haggard and unkempt, staring out at me. My god, it's Watson,
Speaker 1: said he. He was in a pitiable state of reaction,
Speaker 1: with every nerve in a twitter. I say, Watson, what
Speaker 1: o'clock is it? Nearly eleven of what day of Friday?
Speaker 1: June nineteenth? Good heavens, I thought it was Wednesday. It
Speaker 1: is Wednesday. What do you want to frighten? A chap for?
Speaker 1: He sank his face unto his arms and began to
Speaker 1: sob in a high treble key. I tell you that
Speaker 1: it is Friday. Man. Your wife has been waiting this
Speaker 1: two days for you. You should be ashamed of yourself,
Speaker 1: so I am. But you've got mixed, Watson, for I
Speaker 1: have only been here a few hours. Three pipes, four pipes,
Speaker 1: I forget how many. But I'll go home with you.
Speaker 1: I wouldn't frighten Kate, poor little Kate. Give me your hand.
Speaker 1: Have your cab, yes, I have one waiting. Then I
Speaker 1: shall go in it. But I must owe something, Find
Speaker 1: what I owe, Watson, I am off color. I can
Speaker 1: do nothing for myself. I walked down the narrow passage
Speaker 1: between the double row of sleepers, holding my breath to
Speaker 1: keep out the vile, stupefying fumes of the drug, and
Speaker 1: looking about for the manager. As I passed the tall
Speaker 1: man who sat by the brazier, I felt a sudden
Speaker 1: pluck at my skirt, and a low voice whispered passed me,
Speaker 1: and then looked back at me. The words fell quite
Speaker 1: distinctly upon my ear. I glanced down. They could only
Speaker 1: have come from the very old man at my side,
Speaker 1: And yet he sat now as absorbed as ever, very thin,
Speaker 1: very wrinkled, bent with age, an opium pipe dangling down
Speaker 1: from between his knees as though it had dropped in
Speaker 1: sheer lassitude from his fingers. I took two steps forward
Speaker 1: and looked back. It took all my self control to
Speaker 1: prevent me from breaking out into a cry of astonishment.
Speaker 1: He had turned his back so that none could see
Speaker 1: him but eye. His form had filled out, his wrinkles
Speaker 1: were gone, the dull eyes had regained their fire, And there,
Speaker 1: sitting by the fire and grinning at my surprise, was
Speaker 1: none other than Sherlock Holmes. He made a slight motion
Speaker 1: to me to approach him, and instantly as he turned
Speaker 1: his face half round to the company, once more subsided
Speaker 1: into a doddering, loose lipped sinility. Holmes, I whispered, what
Speaker 1: on earth are you doing in this den? As low
Speaker 1: as you can, he answered, I have excellent ears. If
Speaker 1: you would have great kindness to get rid of that
Speaker 1: Scottish friend of yours, I should be exceedingly glad to
Speaker 1: have a little talk with you. I have a cab outside,
Speaker 1: then pray send him home in it. You may safely
Speaker 1: trust him, for he appears to be too limp to
Speaker 1: get into any mischief. I should recommend you also send
Speaker 1: a note by the cabman to your wife to say
Speaker 1: that you have thrown in your lot with me. If
Speaker 1: you will wait outside, I shall be with you in
Speaker 1: five minutes. It was difficult to refuse any of Sherlock
Speaker 1: Holmes's requests, for they were always so exceedingly definite, and
Speaker 1: put forward with such an air of mastery. I felt, however,
Speaker 1: that when Whitney was once confined in the cab, my
Speaker 1: mission was practically accomplished, and for the rest I could
Speaker 1: not wish anything better than to be associated with my
Speaker 1: friend in one of those singular adventures which were the
Speaker 1: normal condition of his existence. In a few minutes, I
Speaker 1: had written my note, paid Whitney's bill, led him out
Speaker 1: to the cab, and seen him driven through the darkness.
Speaker 1: In a very short time, a decrepit figure had emerged
Speaker 1: from the opium den, and I was walking down the
Speaker 1: street with Sherlock Holmes. For two streets. He shuffled along
Speaker 1: with a bent back and an uncertain foot. Then, glancing
Speaker 1: quickly round, he straightened himself and burst into a hearty
Speaker 1: fit of laughter. I suppose Watson said he that you
Speaker 1: imagine that I have added opium smoking, to cocaine injections,
Speaker 1: and all the other little weaknesses on which you have
Speaker 1: favored me with your medical views. I was certainly surprised
Speaker 1: to find you there, but not more so than I
Speaker 1: to find you. I came to find a friend, and
Speaker 1: I to find an enemy, an enemy, yes, one of
Speaker 1: my natural enemies, or shall I say my natural prey. Briefly, Watson,
Speaker 1: I am in the midst of a very remarkable inquiry,
Speaker 1: and I have hoped to find a clue in the
Speaker 1: incoherent ramblings of these sots, as I have done before. Now.
Speaker 1: Had I been recognized in that den, my life would
Speaker 1: not have been worth an hour's purchase. For I have
Speaker 1: used it before now for my own purposes, and the
Speaker 1: rascally lascar who runs it has sworn vengeance upon me.
Speaker 1: There is a trap door at the back of that building,
Speaker 1: near the corner of Paul's Wharf, which could tell some
Speaker 1: strange tales of what has passed through it upon the
Speaker 1: moonless nights. What you do not mean bodies? Ay bodies, Watson.
Speaker 1: We should be rich men if we had a thousand
Speaker 1: pounds for every poor devil who has been done to
Speaker 1: death in that den. It is the vilest murder trap
Speaker 1: on the whole river side, and I fear Nevell Sinclair
Speaker 1: has entered it never to leave it more. But our
Speaker 1: trap should be here. He put his two forefingers between
Speaker 1: his teeth and whistled shrilly, a signal which was answered
Speaker 1: by a similar whistle from the distance, followed shortly by
Speaker 1: the rattle of wheels and the clink of horses hoofs now. Watson,
Speaker 1: said Holmes, as a dog cart dashed up through the loom,
Speaker 1: throwing out two golden tunnels of yellow light from its
Speaker 1: side lanterns. You'll come with me, won't you? If I
Speaker 1: can be of use? Oh, A trusty comrade is always
Speaker 1: of use, and a chronicler still more so. My room
Speaker 1: at the Cedars is a double bedded one the Cedars. Yes,
Speaker 1: that is mister Sinclair's house. I am staying there while
Speaker 1: I conduct the inquiry. Where is it then? Near Lee
Speaker 1: in Kent? We have a seven mile drive before us.
Speaker 1: But I'm all in the dark, of course you are.
Speaker 1: You'll know all about it presently. Jump up here, all right, John,
Speaker 1: We shall not need you. Here's half a crown look
Speaker 1: out for me tomorrow about eleven give her her head
Speaker 1: so long. Then he flicked the horse with his whip,
Speaker 1: and we dashed away through the endless succession of somber
Speaker 1: and deserted streets, which widened gradually until we were flying
Speaker 1: across a broad balustraded bridge, with the murky river flowing
Speaker 1: sluggishly beneath us. Beyond and lay another broad wilderness of
Speaker 1: bricks and mortar, its silence broken only by the heavy,
Speaker 1: regular footfall of the policeman, of the songs and shouts
Speaker 1: of some belated party of revelers. A dull rack was
Speaker 1: drifting slowly across the sky, and a star or two
Speaker 1: twinkled dimly here and there through the rifts of the clouds.
Speaker 1: Holmes drove in silence, with his head sunk upon his breast,
Speaker 1: and the air of a man who is lost in thought,
Speaker 1: while I sat beside him, curious to learn what this
Speaker 1: new quest might be, which seemed to tax his powers
Speaker 1: so sorely, and yet afraid to break in upon the
Speaker 1: current of his thoughts. We had driven several miles and
Speaker 1: were beginning to get to the fringe of the belt
Speaker 1: of suburban villas when he shook himself, shrugged his shoulders,
Speaker 1: and lit up his pipe with the air of a
Speaker 1: man who has satisfied himself that he is acting for
Speaker 1: the best. You have a grand gift of silence, Watson
Speaker 1: said he. It makes you quite invaluable as a companion.
Speaker 1: Upon my word, it is a great thing for me
Speaker 1: to have. I want to talk to for my own
Speaker 1: thoughts are not over pleasant. I was wondering what I
Speaker 1: should say to this dear little woman to night when
Speaker 1: she meets me at the door. You forget that I
Speaker 1: know nothing about it. I shall just have time to
Speaker 1: tell you the facts of the case before we get
Speaker 1: to Lee. It seems absurdly simple, and yet somehow I
Speaker 1: can get nothing to go upon. There's plenty of thread,
Speaker 1: no doubt, but I can't get the end of it
Speaker 1: in my hand. Now I'll state the case clearly and
Speaker 1: concisely to you, Watson, and maybe you may see a
Speaker 1: spark where all is dark to me. Proceed then, some
Speaker 1: years ago to be definite. In May eighteen eighty four,
Speaker 1: there came to Lee a gentleman, Neville Sinclair by name,
Speaker 1: who appeared to have plenty of money. He took a
Speaker 1: large villa, laid out the grounds very nicely, and lived
Speaker 1: generally in good style by degrees. He made friends in
Speaker 1: the neighborhood, and in eighteen eighty seven he married the
Speaker 1: daughter of a local brewer, by whom he has now
Speaker 1: had two children. He had no occupation, but was interested
Speaker 1: in several companies, and went into town as a rule
Speaker 1: in the morning, returning by the five fourteen from Cannon
Speaker 1: Street every night. Mister Sinclair is now thirty seven years
Speaker 1: of age, is a man of temperate habits, a good husband,
Speaker 1: a very affectionate father, and a man who is popular
Speaker 1: with all who know him. I may add that his
Speaker 1: whole debts at the present moment, as far as we
Speaker 1: have been able to ascertain, amount to eighty eight pounds
Speaker 1: ten shillings, while he has two hundred and twenty pounds
Speaker 1: standing to his credit in the Capital and County's Bank.
Speaker 1: There is no reason therefore to think that money troubles
Speaker 1: have been weighing upon his mind. Last Monday, mister Nevill
Speaker 1: Sinclair went into town rather earlier than usual, remarking before
Speaker 1: he started that he had two important commissions to perform,
Speaker 1: and that he would bring his little boy home a
Speaker 1: box of bricks. Now, by the merest chance, his wife
Speaker 1: received a telegram upon this same Monday, very shortly after
Speaker 1: his departure, to the effect that a small parcel of
Speaker 1: considerable value, which she had been expecting, was waiting for
Speaker 1: her at the offices of the Aberdeen Shipping Company. Now,
Speaker 1: if you are well up in your London, you will
Speaker 1: note that the office of the company is in Frisno Street,
Speaker 1: which branches out of upper Swandam Lane, where you found
Speaker 1: me tonight. Missus Sinclair had her lunch, started for the city,
Speaker 1: did some shopping, proceeded to the company's office, got her packet,
Speaker 1: and found herself exactly at four thirty five walking through
Speaker 1: Swandam Lane on the way back to the station. Have
Speaker 1: you followed me so far? It is very clear if
Speaker 1: you remember. Monday was an exceedingly hot day, and Missus
Speaker 1: Sinclair walked slowly, glancing about in the hope of seeing
Speaker 1: a cab. She did not like the neighborhood in which
Speaker 1: she found herself. While she walked in this way down
Speaker 1: Swandam Lane, she suddenly heard an ejaculation or cry, and
Speaker 1: was struck cold to see her husband looking down at her, and,
Speaker 1: as it seemed to her, beckoning to her from a
Speaker 1: second floor window. The window was open, and she distinctly
Speaker 1: saw his face, which she describes as being terribly agitated.
Speaker 1: He waved his hands frantically to her, and then vanished
Speaker 1: from the window, so suddenly that it seemed to her
Speaker 1: that he had been plucked back by some irresistible force
Speaker 1: from behind. One singular point which struck her quick feminine
Speaker 1: eye was that, although he wore some dark coat, such
Speaker 1: as he had started to town in, he had on
Speaker 1: neither collar nor necktie. Convinced that something was amiss with him,
Speaker 1: she rushed down the steps, for the house was none
Speaker 1: other than the opium den in which you found me
Speaker 1: to night, and running through the front room, she attempted
Speaker 1: to ascend the stairs, which led to the first floor.
Speaker 1: At the foot of the stairs, however, she met this
Speaker 1: Lascar scoundrel of whom I have spoken, who thrust her back, and,
Speaker 1: aided by a Dane who acts as assistant, there pushed
Speaker 1: her out into the street. Filled with the most madness,
Speaker 1: in doubts and fears, she rushed down the lane, and,
Speaker 1: by rare good fortune, met in Fresno Street a number
Speaker 1: of constables with an inspector, all on their way to
Speaker 1: their beat. The inspector and two men accompanied her back,
Speaker 1: and in spite of the continued resistance of the proprietor,
Speaker 1: they made their way to the room in which mister
Speaker 1: Sinclair had last been seen. There was no sign of
Speaker 1: him there. In fact, in the whole of that floor,
Speaker 1: there was no one to be found save a crippled
Speaker 1: wretch of hideous aspect, who it seems made his home there.
Speaker 1: Both he and the laskar stoutly swore that no one
Speaker 1: else had been in the front room during that afternoon.
Speaker 1: So determined was their denial that the inspector was staggered
Speaker 1: and had almost come to believe that missus Sinclair had
Speaker 1: been deluded, when with a cry, she sprang at a
Speaker 1: small deal box which lay upon the table, and tore
Speaker 1: the lid from it. Out there fell a cascade of
Speaker 1: children's bricks. It was the toy which he had promised
Speaker 1: to bring home. This discovery and the evident confusion which
Speaker 1: the cripple showed, made the inspector realize that the matter
Speaker 1: was serious. The rooms were carefully examined, and results all
Speaker 1: pointed to an abominable crime. The front room was plainly
Speaker 1: furnished as a sitting room and led into a small bedroom,
Speaker 1: which looked out upon the back of one of the wharves.
Speaker 1: Between the wharf and the bedroom window is a narrow
Speaker 1: strip which is dry at low tide, but is covered
Speaker 1: at high tide with at least four and a half
Speaker 1: feet of water. The bedroom window was a broad one
Speaker 1: and open from below. On examination, traces of blood were
Speaker 1: to be seen upon the window sill, and several scattered
Speaker 1: drops were visible upon the wooden floor of the bedroom.
Speaker 1: Thrust away behind the curtain in the front room were
Speaker 1: all the clothes of mister Nevil Sinclair, with the exception
Speaker 1: of his coat, his boots, his socks, his hat, and
Speaker 1: his watch all were there. There were no signs of
Speaker 1: violence upon any of these garments, and there were no
Speaker 1: other traces of mister Nevill Sinclair out of the window.
Speaker 1: He must apparently have gone, for no other exit could
Speaker 1: be discovered, and the ominous bloodstains upon the sill gave
Speaker 1: little promise that he could save himself by swimming, for
Speaker 1: the tide was at its very highest the moment of
Speaker 1: the tragedy. And now, as to the villains, who seemed
Speaker 1: to be immediately implicated in the matter, the Lascar was
Speaker 1: known to be a man of the vilest antecetents. But
Speaker 1: as by Missus Sinclair's story, he was known to have
Speaker 1: been at the foot of the stairs within a few
Speaker 1: seconds of her husband's appearance at the window, he could
Speaker 1: hardly have been more than an accessory to the crime.
Speaker 1: His defense was one of absolute ignorance, and he protested
Speaker 1: that he had no knowledge as to the doings of
Speaker 1: Hugh Boone, his lodger, and that he could not account
Speaker 1: in any way for the presence of the missing gentleman's clothes.
Speaker 1: So much for the Lascar manager, now for the sinister
Speaker 1: cripple who lives upon the second floor of the Opium Den,
Speaker 1: and who was certainly the last human being whose eyes
Speaker 1: rested upon Nevel Sinclair. His name is Hugh Boone, and
Speaker 1: his hideous face is one which is familiar to every
Speaker 1: man who goes much to the city. He is a
Speaker 1: professional beggar, though in order to avoid the police regulations,
Speaker 1: he pretends to a small trade in wax vestas. Some
Speaker 1: little distance down thread Needle Street, upon the left hand side,
Speaker 1: there is, as you may have remarked, a small angle
Speaker 1: in the wall. Here. It is that the creature takes
Speaker 1: his daily seat, cross legged with his tiny stock of
Speaker 1: matches on his lap, and as he is a piteous spectacle,
Speaker 1: a small rain of charity descends into the greasy leather
Speaker 1: cap which lies upon the pavement before him. I have
Speaker 1: watched this fellow more than once before ever I thought
Speaker 1: of making his professional acquaintance, and I have been surprised
Speaker 1: at the harvest which he has reaped in a short time.
Speaker 1: His appearance, you see, is so remarkable that no one
Speaker 1: can pass him with us out observing him. A shock
Speaker 1: of orange hair, a pale face disfigured by a horrible
Speaker 1: scar which, by its contraction has turned up the outer
Speaker 1: edge of his upper lip, a bulldog chin, and a
Speaker 1: pair of very penetrating dark eyes, which present a singular
Speaker 1: contrast to the color of his hair, all mark him
Speaker 1: out from amid the common crowd of mendicants. And so
Speaker 1: too does his wit, for he is ever ready with
Speaker 1: a reply to any piece of chaff which may be
Speaker 1: thrown at him by the passers by. This is the
Speaker 1: man whom we now learned to have been the lodger
Speaker 1: at the Opium Den, and to have been the last
Speaker 1: man to have seen the gentleman of whom we are
Speaker 1: in quest but a cripple, said I What could he
Speaker 1: have done single handed against a man in the prime
Speaker 1: of life. He is a cripple in the sense that
Speaker 1: he walks with a limp, but in other respects he
Speaker 1: appears to be a powerful and well nurtured man. Surely
Speaker 1: your medical experience would tell you, Watson, that weakness in
Speaker 1: one limb is often compensated for by exceptional strength in
Speaker 1: the others. Pray continue your narrative. Missus Sinclair had fainted
Speaker 1: at the sight of the blood upon the window, and
Speaker 1: she was escorted home in a cab by the police,
Speaker 1: as her presence could be of no help to them
Speaker 1: in their investigations. Inspector Barton, who had charge of the case,
Speaker 1: made a very careful examination of the premises, but without
Speaker 1: finding anything which threw any light upon the matter. One
Speaker 1: mistake had been made in not arresting Boone instantly, as
Speaker 1: he was allowed some few minutes during which he might
Speaker 1: have communicated with his friend the Lascar. But this fault
Speaker 1: was soon remedied, and he was seized and searched without
Speaker 1: anything being found which could incriminate him. There were, it
Speaker 1: is true, some blood stains upon his right shirt sleeve,
Speaker 1: but He pointed to his ring finger, which had been
Speaker 1: cut near the nail, and explained that the bleeding came
Speaker 1: from there, adding that he had been to the window
Speaker 1: not long before, and that the stains which had been
Speaker 1: observed there came doubtlessly from the same source. He denied
Speaker 1: strenuously having ever seen mister Nevill Sinclair, and swore that
Speaker 1: the presence of the clothes in his room was as
Speaker 1: much a mystery to him as to the police. As
Speaker 1: to missus Sinclair's assertion that she had actually seen her
Speaker 1: husband at the window, he declared that she must either
Speaker 1: have been mad or dreaming. He was removed, loudly protesting
Speaker 1: to the police station, while the inspector remained upon the
Speaker 1: premises in the hope that the ebbing tide might afford
Speaker 1: some fresh clue. And it did, though they hardly found
Speaker 1: upon the mud bank what they had feared to find.
Speaker 1: It was Nevill Sinclair's coat and not Neville Sinclair, which
Speaker 1: lay uncovered as the tide receded. And what do you
Speaker 1: think they found in the pockets? I cannot imagine. No,
Speaker 1: I don't think you will guess. Every pocket stuffed with
Speaker 1: pennies and hapennies, four hun twenty one pennies and two
Speaker 1: hundred and seventy hapennies. It was no wonder that it
Speaker 1: had not been swept away by the tide. But a
Speaker 1: human body is a different matter. There is a fierce
Speaker 1: eddy between the wharf and the house. It seemed likely
Speaker 1: enough that the weighted coat had remained when the stripped
Speaker 1: body had been sucked away into the river. But I
Speaker 1: understand that all the other clothes were found in the room.
Speaker 1: Would the body be dressed in a coat alone, No, sir,
Speaker 1: But the facts might be met speciously enough. Suppose that
Speaker 1: this man Boone had thrust nevill Sinclaire through the window.
Speaker 1: There is no human eye which could have seen the deed.
Speaker 1: What would he do then? It would of course instantly
Speaker 1: strike him that he must get rid of the tell
Speaker 1: tale garments. He would seize the coat then and be
Speaker 1: in the act of throwing it out when it would
Speaker 1: occur to him that it would swim and not sink.
Speaker 1: He has little time, for he had heard the scuffle
Speaker 1: downstairs when the wife tried to force her way up,
Speaker 1: and perhaps he has already heard from his Lascar confederate
Speaker 1: that the police are hurrying up the street. There is
Speaker 1: not an instant to be lost. He rushes to some
Speaker 1: secret hoarde where he has accumulated the fruits of his beggary,
Speaker 1: and he stuffs all the coins upon which he can
Speaker 1: lay his hands into the pockets to make sure of
Speaker 1: the coats sinking. He throws it out, and would have
Speaker 1: done the same with the other garments, had not he
Speaker 1: heard the rush of steps below, and only just had
Speaker 1: time to close the window when the police appeared. It
Speaker 1: certainly sounds feasible. Well, we will take it as a
Speaker 1: working hypothesis for want of a better. Boone, as I
Speaker 1: have told you, was arrested and taken to the station,
Speaker 1: But it could not be shown that there had ever
Speaker 1: before been anything against him. He had for years been
Speaker 1: known as a professional beggar, but his life appeared to
Speaker 1: have been a very quiet and innocent one. There the
Speaker 1: matter stands at present, and the questions which have to
Speaker 1: be solved, what Nevil Sinclair was doing in the Opium Den,
Speaker 1: what happened to him when there, where is he now?
Speaker 1: And what Hugh Boone had to do with his disappearance,
Speaker 1: are all as far from a solution as ever. I
Speaker 1: confess that I cannot recall any case within my experience,
Speaker 1: which looked at the first glance so simple and yet
Speaker 1: which presented such difficulties. Whilst Scherlock Holmbs had been detailing
Speaker 1: this singular series of events, we had been whirling through
Speaker 1: the outskirts of the great town until the last straggling
Speaker 1: houses had been left behind, and we rattled along with
Speaker 1: a country hedge upon either side of us. Just as
Speaker 1: he finished, however, we drove through two scattered villages, where
Speaker 1: a few lights still glimmered in the windows. We are
Speaker 1: on the outskirts of Lee, said my companion. We have
Speaker 1: touched on three English counties in our short drive, starting
Speaker 1: in Middlesex, passing over an angle of Surrey, and ending
Speaker 1: in Kent. See that light among the trees, that is
Speaker 1: the cedars, and beside that land sits a woman whose
Speaker 1: anxious ears have already I have little doubt caught the
Speaker 1: clink of our horses feet. But why are you not
Speaker 1: conducting the case from Baker Street, I asked, because there
Speaker 1: are many inquiries which must be made out here. Missus
Speaker 1: Sinclair has most kindly put two rooms at my disposal,
Speaker 1: and you may rest assured that she will have nothing
Speaker 1: but a welcome for my friend and colleague. I hate
Speaker 1: to meet her, Watson, when I have no news of
Speaker 1: her husband. Here we are woe there whoa We had
Speaker 1: pulled up in front of a large villa which stood
Speaker 1: within its own grounds. A stable boy had run out
Speaker 1: to the horse's head, and springing down, I followed homes
Speaker 1: up the small winding gravel drive which led to the house.
Speaker 1: As we approached, the door flew open, and a little
Speaker 1: blond woman stood in the opening, clad in some sort
Speaker 1: of light mussoline de sois, with a touch of fluffy
Speaker 1: pink chiffon at her neck and wrists. She stood with
Speaker 1: her figure outlined against the flood of light, one hand
Speaker 1: upon the door, one half raised in eagerness, her body
Speaker 1: slightly bent, her head and face protruded with eager eyes
Speaker 1: and parted lips. A standing question, well, she cried well,
Speaker 1: and then seeing that there were two of us, she
Speaker 1: gave a cry of hope, which sank into a groan
Speaker 1: as she saw that my companion shook his head and
Speaker 1: shrugged his shoulders. No good news, none, no bad no
Speaker 1: thank God for that. But come in. You must be weary,
Speaker 1: for you have had a long day. This is my friend,
Speaker 1: doctor Watson, He has been of most vital use to
Speaker 1: me in several of my cases, and a lucky chance
Speaker 1: has made it possible for me to bring him out
Speaker 1: and associate him with this investigation. I am delighted to
Speaker 1: see you, said she, pressing my hand warmly. You will,
Speaker 1: I am sure, forgive anything which may be wanting in
Speaker 1: our arrangements when you consider the blow which has come
Speaker 1: so suddenly upon us. My dear madam, said I. I
Speaker 1: am an old campaigner, and if I were not, I
Speaker 1: can very well see that no apology is needed. If
Speaker 1: I can be of any assistance, either to you or
Speaker 1: to my friend here, I shall be indeed happy. Now,
Speaker 1: mister Sherlock Holmes, said the lady, as we entered a
Speaker 1: well lit dining room, upon the table of which a
Speaker 1: cold supper had been laid out. I should very much
Speaker 1: like to ask you one or two plain questions, to
Speaker 1: which I beg that you will give a plain answer. Certainly, madam,
Speaker 1: do not trouble about my feelings. I am not hysterical
Speaker 1: nor given to fainting. I simply wish to hear your real,
Speaker 1: real opinion. Upon what point in your heart of huts
Speaker 1: do you think that Neville is alive. Sherlock Holmes seemed
Speaker 1: to be embarrassed by the question. Frankly now, she repeated,
Speaker 1: standing upon the rug and looking keenly down at him
Speaker 1: as he leaned back in a basket chair. Frankly, then, Madam,
Speaker 1: I do not you think that he is dead? I
Speaker 1: do murdered. I don't say that. Perhaps, and on what
Speaker 1: day did he meet his death? On Monday? Then perhaps,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, you would be good enough to explain how
Speaker 1: it is that I have received this letter from him
Speaker 1: to day. Sherlock Holmes sprang out of his chair, as
Speaker 1: if he had been galvanized. What he roared? Yes to day?
Speaker 1: She stood, smiling, holding up a little slip of paper
Speaker 1: in the air. May I see it? Certainly? He snatched
Speaker 1: it from her in his eagerness, and smoothing it out
Speaker 1: upon the table. He drew over the lamp and examined
Speaker 1: it intently. I had left my chair and was gazing
Speaker 1: at it over his shoulder. The envelope was a very
Speaker 1: coarse one, and was stamped with the Gravesend postmark, and
Speaker 1: with the date of that very day, or rather of
Speaker 1: the day before, for it was considerably after midnight. Coarse
Speaker 1: writing murmured Holmes. Surely this is not your husband's writing, madam. No,
Speaker 1: but the enclosure is. I perceive also that whoever addressed
Speaker 1: the envelope had to go and inquire as to the address.
Speaker 1: How can you tell that the name you see is
Speaker 1: in perfectly black ink, which has dried itself. The rest
Speaker 1: is of the grayish color, which shows that blotting paper
Speaker 1: has been used. If it had been written straight off
Speaker 1: and then blotted, none would be of a deep black shade.
Speaker 1: This man has written the name, and there has then
Speaker 1: been a pause before he wrote the address, which can
Speaker 1: only mean that he was not familiar with it. It is,
Speaker 1: of course a trifle, but there is nothing so important
Speaker 1: as trifles. Let us now see the letter. Ha, there
Speaker 1: has been an enclosure here. Yes, there was a ring,
Speaker 1: his signet ring. And you are sure that this is
Speaker 1: your husband's hand, one of his hands, one his hand
Speaker 1: when he wrote hurriedly. It is very unlike his usual
Speaker 1: right writing. And yet I know it well, dearest, Do
Speaker 1: not be frightened. All will come well. There is a
Speaker 1: huge error which it may take some little time to rectify.
Speaker 1: Wait in patience never written in pencil upon a fly
Speaker 1: leaf of a book Octavo size no water mark, hum
Speaker 1: posted to day in graves End by a man with
Speaker 1: a dirty thumb ha and the flap has been gummed.
Speaker 1: If I am not very much in error by a
Speaker 1: person who has been chewing tobacco. And you have no
Speaker 1: doubt that it is your husband's hand, Madam none Nevill
Speaker 1: wrote those words, and they were posted to day at
Speaker 1: graves End. Well, missus Sinclair, the cloud's lighten, though I
Speaker 1: should not venture to say that the danger is over.
Speaker 1: But he must be alive, mister Holmes, unless this is
Speaker 1: a clever forgery to put us on the wrong scent.
Speaker 1: The ring, after all, proves nothing. It may have been
Speaker 1: taken from him, No, no, it is it is. It
Speaker 1: is his very own writing. Very well. It may, however,
Speaker 1: have been written on Monday and only posted to day.
Speaker 1: That is possible, if so much may have happened between Oh,
Speaker 1: you must not discourage me, mister Holmes. I know that
Speaker 1: all is well with him. There is so keen a
Speaker 1: sympathy between us that I should know if evil came
Speaker 1: upon him. On the very day that I saw him last,
Speaker 1: he cut himself in the bedroom, and yet I in
Speaker 1: the dining room rushed upstairs instantly, with the utmost certainty
Speaker 1: that something had happened. Do you think that I would
Speaker 1: respond to such a trifle and yet be ignorant of
Speaker 1: his death. I have seen too much not to know
Speaker 1: that the impression of a woman may be more valuable
Speaker 1: than the conclusion of an analytical reasoner. And in this
Speaker 1: letter you certainly have a very strong piece of evidence
Speaker 1: to corroborate your view. But if your husband is alive
Speaker 1: and able to write letters, why should he remain away
Speaker 1: from you? I cannot imagine. It is unthinkable. And on
Speaker 1: Monday he made no remarks before leaving you. No, and
Speaker 1: you were surprised to see him in swan Damme Lane
Speaker 1: very much so was the window open, Yes, then he
Speaker 1: might have called to you. He might he only, as
Speaker 1: I understand, gave an inarticulate cry, yes, a call for help.
Speaker 1: You thought, yes, he waved his hands, But it might
Speaker 1: have been a cry of surprise. Astonishment at the unexpected
Speaker 1: sight of you. Might cause him to throw up his hands,
Speaker 1: It is possible. And you thought he was pulled back
Speaker 1: he disappeared so suddenly he might have leapt back. You
Speaker 1: did not see any one else in the room, no,
Speaker 1: but this horrible man confessed to having been there, and
Speaker 1: the lascar was at the foot of the stairs. Quite so,
Speaker 1: your husband, as far as you could see, had his
Speaker 1: ordinary clothes on, but without his collar or tie. I
Speaker 1: distinctly saw his bare throat. Had he ever spoken of
Speaker 1: swan Dame Lane? Never had he ever shown any signs
Speaker 1: of having taken opium? Never? Thank you, missus Sinclair. Those
Speaker 1: are the principal points about which I wished to be
Speaker 1: absolutely clear. We shall now have a little supper and
Speaker 1: then retire, for we may have a very busy day
Speaker 1: to morrow. A large and comfortable double bedded room had
Speaker 1: been placed at our disposal, and I was quickly between
Speaker 1: the sheets, for I was weary after my night of adventure.
Speaker 1: Sherlock Holmes was a man, however, who, when he had
Speaker 1: an unsolved problem upon his mind, would go for days
Speaker 1: and even for a week without rest turning it over,
Speaker 1: rearranging his facts, looking at it from every point of view,
Speaker 1: until he had either fathomed it or convinced himself that
Speaker 1: his dato were insufficient. It was soon evident to me
Speaker 1: that he was now preparing for an all night sitting.
Speaker 1: He took off his coat and waistcoat, put on a
Speaker 1: large blue dressing gown, and then wandered about the room,
Speaker 1: collecting pillows from his bed and cushions from the sofa
Speaker 1: and arm chairs. With these he constructed a sort of
Speaker 1: Eastern divan, upon which he perched himself cross legged, with
Speaker 1: an ounce of shag tobacco and a box of matches
Speaker 1: laid out in front of him. In the dim light
Speaker 1: of the lamp, I saw him sitting there, an old
Speaker 1: briar pipe between his lips, his eyes fixed vacantly upon
Speaker 1: the corner of the ceiling, the blue smoke curling up
Speaker 1: from him, silent, motionless, with the light shining upon his
Speaker 1: strong set aquiline features. So he sat as I dropped
Speaker 1: after sleep, And so he sat when a sudden ejaculation
Speaker 1: caused ME to wake up, and I found the summer
Speaker 1: sun shining into the apartment. The pipe was still between
Speaker 1: his lips, the smoke still curled upwards, and the room
Speaker 1: was full of a dense tobacco haze. But nothing remained
Speaker 1: of the heap of shag which I had seen upon
Speaker 1: the previous night. Wake Watson. He asked, yes, game for
Speaker 1: a morning drive? Certainly, then dress No one is stirring yet,
Speaker 1: But I know where the stable boy sleeps, and we
Speaker 1: shall soon have the trap out. He chuckled to himself.
Speaker 1: As he spoke, his eyes twinkled, and he seemed a
Speaker 1: different man to the somber thinker of the previous night.
Speaker 1: As I dressed, I glanced at my watch. It was
Speaker 1: no wonder that no one was stirring. It was twenty
Speaker 1: five minutes past four. I had hardly finished when Holmes
Speaker 1: returned with the news that the boy was putting in
Speaker 1: the horse. I want to test a little theory of mine,
Speaker 1: said he, pulling on his boots. I think, Watson, that
Speaker 1: you are now standing in the presence of one of
Speaker 1: the most absolute fools in Europe. I deserve to be
Speaker 1: kicked from here to Charing Cross. But I think I
Speaker 1: have the key of the affair now. And where is it?
Speaker 1: I asked, smiling in the bathroom, he answered, Oh yes,
Speaker 1: I am not joking, he continued, seeing my look of incredulity.
Speaker 1: I have just been there, and I have taken it out,
Speaker 1: and I have got it in this gladstone bag. Come on,
Speaker 1: my boy, and we shall see whether it will not
Speaker 1: fit the lock. We made our way downstairs as quickly
Speaker 1: as possible, and out into the bright morning sunshine. In
Speaker 1: the road stood our horse and trap, with the half
Speaker 1: clad stable boy waiting at the head. We both sprang
Speaker 1: in and away we dashed down the London Road. A
Speaker 1: few country carts were stirring, bearing in vegetables to the metropolis,
Speaker 1: but the lines of villas on either side were as
Speaker 1: silent and lifeless as some city in a dream. It
Speaker 1: has been in some points a singular case, said Holmes,
Speaker 1: flicking the horse on into a gallop. I confess that
Speaker 1: I have been as blind as a mole. But it
Speaker 1: is better to learn wisdom late than never to learn
Speaker 1: it at all. In town, the earliest risers were just
Speaker 1: beginning to look sleepily from their windows as we drove
Speaker 1: through the streets of the Surrey side. Passing down the
Speaker 1: Waterloo Bridge Road, we crossed over the river, and, dashing
Speaker 1: up Wellington Street, wheeled sharply to the right and found
Speaker 1: ourselves in Bow Street. Sherlock Holmes was well known to
Speaker 1: the force, and the two constables at the door saluted him.
Speaker 1: One of them held the horse's head, while the other
Speaker 1: led us in. Who is on duty? Asked Holmes, Inspector Bradstreet. Sir,
Speaker 1: Ah brad Street, how are you? A tall stout official
Speaker 1: had come down the stone flagged passage in a peaked
Speaker 1: cap and frogged jacket. I wish to have a word
Speaker 1: with you, Brad Street. Certainly, mister Holmes, step into my room. Here.
Speaker 1: It was a small office like room with a huge
Speaker 1: ledger upon the table and a telephone projecting from the wall.
Speaker 1: The inspector sat down at his desk. What can I
Speaker 1: do for you, mister Holmes? I called about that beggar
Speaker 1: man Boone, who was charged with being concerned in the
Speaker 1: disappearance of mister Neville Sinclair of Lee. Yes, he was
Speaker 1: brought up and remanded for further inquiries, so I heard
Speaker 1: you have him here in the cells. Is he quiet? Oh,
Speaker 1: he gives no trouble. But he is a dirty scoundrel dirty. Yes.
Speaker 1: It is all we can do to make him wash
Speaker 1: his hands, and his face is as black as a
Speaker 1: tinker's well. When once his case has been settled, he
Speaker 1: will have a regular prison bath. And I think if
Speaker 1: you saw him you would agree with me that he
Speaker 1: needed it. I should like to see him very much,
Speaker 1: would you. That is easily done? Come this way, you
Speaker 1: can leave your bag. No, I think I'll take it
Speaker 1: very good. Come this way if you please. He led
Speaker 1: us down a passage, opened a barred door, passed down
Speaker 1: a winding stair, and brought us to a whitewashed corridor
Speaker 1: with a line of doors on each side. The third
Speaker 1: on the right is his, said the inspector. Here it is.
Speaker 1: He quietly shot back a panel in the upper part
Speaker 1: of the door and glanced through. He's asleep, said he.
Speaker 1: You can see him very well. We both put our
Speaker 1: eyes to the grating. The prisoner lay with his face
Speaker 1: towards us, in a very deep sleep, breathing slowly and heavily.
Speaker 1: He was a middle sized man, coarsely clad, as became
Speaker 1: his calling, with a colored shirt protruding through the rent
Speaker 1: in his tattered coat. He was, as the inspector had said,
Speaker 1: extremely dirty, but the grime which covered his face could
Speaker 1: not conceal its repulsive ugliness. A broad wheel from an
Speaker 1: old scar ran across it from eye to chin, and
Speaker 1: by its contraction, had turned up one side of the
Speaker 1: upper lip, so the three teeth were exposed in a
Speaker 1: perpetual snarl. A shock of very bright red hair grew
Speaker 1: low over his eyes, and forehead. He's a beauty, isn't he,
Speaker 1: said the inspector. He suddenly it's a wash, remarked Holmes.
Speaker 1: I had an idea that he might, and I took
Speaker 1: the liberty of bringing the tools with me. He opened
Speaker 1: his gladstone bag as he spoke, and took out, to
Speaker 1: my astonishment, a very large bath sponge. He he, you're
Speaker 1: a funny one, chuckled the inspector. Now, if you will
Speaker 1: have the great goodness to open that door very quietly,
Speaker 1: we will soon make him cut a much more respectable figure. Well,
Speaker 1: I don't know why not, said the inspector. He doesn't
Speaker 1: look a credit to the Bow Street cells, does he.
Speaker 1: He slipped his key into the lock, and we all
Speaker 1: very quietly entered the cell. The sleeper half turned and
Speaker 1: then settled down once more into a deep slumber. Holmes
Speaker 1: stooped to the water jug, moistened his sponge, and then
Speaker 1: rubbed it twice vigorously across and down the prisoner's face.
Speaker 1: Let me introduce you, he shouted to mister Nevill Sinclair
Speaker 1: of Lee in the County of Kent. Never in my
Speaker 1: life have I seen such a sight. The man's face
Speaker 1: peeled off under the sponge, like the bark from a tree.
Speaker 1: Gone was the coarse brown tint gone too, the horrid
Speaker 1: scar which had seemed it across, and the twisted lip
Speaker 1: which had given the repulsive sneer to the face. A
Speaker 1: twitch brought away the tangled red hair, And there, sitting
Speaker 1: up in his bed was a pale, sad faced, refined
Speaker 1: looking man, black haired and smooth skinned, rubbing his eyes
Speaker 1: and staring about him with sleepy bewilderment. Then, suddenly realizing
Speaker 1: the exposure, he broke into a scream and threw himself
Speaker 1: down with his face to the pillow. Cried Heaven, cried
Speaker 1: the inspector. It is indeed the missing man. I know
Speaker 1: him from the photograph. The prisoner turned with the reckless
Speaker 1: air of a man who abandons himself to his destiny.
Speaker 1: Be it so, said he, And pray what am I
Speaker 1: charged with with making away with mister Neville? Oh? Come,
Speaker 1: you can't be charged with that unless they make a
Speaker 1: case of attempted suicide of it, said the inspector with
Speaker 1: a grin. Well, I've been twenty seven years in the force.
Speaker 1: Well this really takes the cake. If I am mister
Speaker 1: Nevil Sinclair, then it is obvious that no crime has
Speaker 1: been committed, and that therefore I am illegally detained no crime,
Speaker 1: but a very great error has been committed, said Holmes.
Speaker 1: You would have done better to have trusted your wife.
Speaker 1: It was not the wife, it was the children, groaned
Speaker 1: the prisoner. God help me, I would not have them
Speaker 1: ashamed of their father. My God, what an exposure. What
Speaker 1: can I do? Sherlock Holmes sat down beside him on
Speaker 1: the couch and patted him kindly on the shoulder. If
Speaker 1: you leave it to a court of law to clear
Speaker 1: the matter up, said he. Of course, you can hardly
Speaker 1: avoid publicity. On the other hand, if you convince the
Speaker 1: police authorities that there is no possible case. Again, I
Speaker 1: do not know that there is any reason that the
Speaker 1: details should find their way into the papers. Inspector Bradstreet,
Speaker 1: would I am sure, make notes upon anything which you
Speaker 1: might tell us, and submitted to the proper authorities. The
Speaker 1: case would then never go into court at all. God
Speaker 1: bless you, cried the prisoner, Passionately. I would have endured imprisonment,
Speaker 1: I even execution, rather than have left my miserable secret
Speaker 1: as a family blot to my children. You are the
Speaker 1: first to have ever heard my story. My father was
Speaker 1: a schoolmaster in Chesterfield, where I received an excellent education.
Speaker 1: I traveled in my youth, took to the stage, and
Speaker 1: finally became a reporter on an evening paper in London.
Speaker 1: One day, my editor wished to have a series of
Speaker 1: articles upon begging in the Metropolis, and I volunteered to
Speaker 1: supply them. There was the point from which all my
Speaker 1: adventures started. It was only by trying begging as an
Speaker 1: amateur that I could get the facts upon which to
Speaker 1: base my articles. When an actor, I had of course
Speaker 1: learned all the secrets of making up, and had been
Speaker 1: famous in the green room for my skill. I took
Speaker 1: advantage now of my attainments. I painted my face, and
Speaker 1: to make myself as pitiable as possible, I made a
Speaker 1: good scar and fixed one side of my lip in
Speaker 1: a twist with the aid of a small slip of
Speaker 1: flesh colored plaster. Then with a red head of hair
Speaker 1: and an appropriate dress, I took my station in the
Speaker 1: busiest part of the city, ostensibly as a match seller,
Speaker 1: but really as a beggar. For seven hours I applied
Speaker 1: my trade, and when I returned home in the evening,
Speaker 1: I found to my surprise that I had received no
Speaker 1: less than twenty six shillings and fourpence. I wrote my
Speaker 1: articles and thought little more of the matter until some
Speaker 1: time later I backed a bill for a friend and
Speaker 1: had a writ served upon me for twenty five pounds.
Speaker 1: I was at my wits end where to get the money,
Speaker 1: but a sudden idea came to me. I begged a
Speaker 1: fortnight's grace from the creditor, asked for a holiday from
Speaker 1: my employers, and spent the time in begging in the
Speaker 1: city under my disguise. In ten days, I had the
Speaker 1: money and had paid the debt. Well you can imagine
Speaker 1: how hard it was to settle down to arduous work
Speaker 1: at two pounds a week when I knew that I
Speaker 1: could earn as much in a day by smearing my
Speaker 1: face with a little paint, laying my cap on the ground,
Speaker 1: and sitting still. It was a long fight between my
Speaker 1: pride and the money, but the dollars won at last,
Speaker 1: and I threw up reporting and sat day after day
Speaker 1: in the corner which I had first chosen, inspiring pity
Speaker 1: by my ghastly face and filling my pockets with coppers.
Speaker 1: Only one man knew my secret, He was the keeper
Speaker 1: of a low den in which I used to lodge
Speaker 1: in swan Dam Lane, where I could every morning emerge
Speaker 1: as a squalid beggar, and in the evenings transformed myself
Speaker 1: into a well dressed man about town. This fellow Alaska,
Speaker 1: was well paid by me for his rooms, so that
Speaker 1: I knew that my secret was safe in his possession. Well,
Speaker 1: very soon I found that I was saving considerable sums
Speaker 1: of money. I do not mean that any beggar in
Speaker 1: the streets of London could earn seven hundred pounds a year,
Speaker 1: which is less than my average takings. But I had
Speaker 1: exceptional advantages in my power of making up, and also
Speaker 1: in a facility in repartee, which improved by practice and
Speaker 1: made me quite a recognized character in the city. All
Speaker 1: day a stream of pennies varied by silver, poured in
Speaker 1: upon me, and it was a very bad day upon
Speaker 1: which I failed to take two pounds. As I grew richer,
Speaker 1: I grew more ambitious, took a house in the country,
Speaker 1: and eventually married without anyone having a suspicion as to
Speaker 1: my real occupation. My dear wife knew that I had
Speaker 1: business in the she little knew what last Monday, I
Speaker 1: had finished for the day and was dressing in my
Speaker 1: room above the Opium den when I looked out of
Speaker 1: the window and saw, to my horror and astonishment that
Speaker 1: my wife was standing in the street with her eyes
Speaker 1: fixed full upon me. I gave a cry of surprise,
Speaker 1: threw up my arms to cover my face, and, rushing
Speaker 1: to my confidant the Lascar, entreated him to prevent any
Speaker 1: one from coming up to me. I heard her voice downstairs,
Speaker 1: but I knew that she could not ascend swiftly. I
Speaker 1: threw up my clothes, pulled on those of a beggar,
Speaker 1: and put on my pigments and wig. Even a wife's
Speaker 1: eye could not pierce so complete a disguise. But then
Speaker 1: it occurred to me that there might be a search
Speaker 1: in the room, and that the clothes might betray me.
Speaker 1: I threw open the window, reopening by my violence a
Speaker 1: small cut which I had inflicted upon myself in the
Speaker 1: bedroom that morning. Then I seized my coat, which was
Speaker 1: waited by the coppers, which I had just transferred to
Speaker 1: it from the leather bag in which I carried my takings.
Speaker 1: I hurled it out of the window, and it disappeared
Speaker 1: into the Thames. The other clothes would have followed, but
Speaker 1: at that moment there was a rush of constables up
Speaker 1: the stairs, and a few minutes after I found rather
Speaker 1: I confess to my relief that instead of being identified
Speaker 1: as mister Nevill Sinclair, I was arrested as his murderer.
Speaker 1: I do not know that there is anything else for
Speaker 1: me to explain. I was determined to preserve my disguise
Speaker 1: as long as possible, and hence my preference for a
Speaker 1: dirty face. Knowing that my wife would be terribly anxious,
Speaker 1: I slipped off my ring and confided it to the
Speaker 1: Lascar at a moment when no constable was watching me,
Speaker 1: together with a hurried scrawl, telling her that she had
Speaker 1: no cause to fear. That note only reached her yesterday,
Speaker 1: said Holmes. Good God, what a week she must have spent.
Speaker 1: The police have watched this, Lascar, said Inspector Bradstreet, and
Speaker 1: ark quite understand that he might find it difficult to
Speaker 1: post a letter unobserved. Probably he handed it to some
Speaker 1: sailor customer of his, who forgot all about it for
Speaker 1: some days. That was it, said Holmes, nodding approvingly. I
Speaker 1: have no doubt of it, But have you never been
Speaker 1: prosecuted for begging? Many times? But what was a fine
Speaker 1: to me? It must stop here, however, said Bradstreet. If
Speaker 1: the police are to hush this thing up, there must
Speaker 1: be no more of Hugh Boone. I have sworn it
Speaker 1: by the most solemn oaths which a man can take.
Speaker 1: In that case, I think that it is probable that
Speaker 1: no further steps may be taken. But if you were
Speaker 1: found again, then all must come out. I am sure,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, that we are very much indebted to you
Speaker 1: for having cleared the matter up. I wish I knew
Speaker 1: how you reach your results. I reached this one, said
Speaker 1: my friend, by sitting upon five pillows and concert assuming
Speaker 1: an ounce of shag. I think, Watson, that if we
Speaker 1: drive to Baker Street, we shall just be in time
Speaker 1: for breakfast.