Speaker 1: The adventure of the Creeping Man. Mister Sherlock Holmes was
Speaker 1: always of opinion that I should publish the singular facts
Speaker 1: connected with Professor Presbury, if only to dispel once for
Speaker 1: all the ugly rumors which some twenty years ago agitated
Speaker 1: the University and were echoed in the learned societies of London.
Speaker 1: There were, however, certain obstacles in the way, and the
Speaker 1: true history of this curious case remained entombed in the
Speaker 1: tin box which contains so many records of my friend's adventures.
Speaker 1: Now we have at last obtained permission to ventilate the
Speaker 1: facts which formed one of the very last cases handled
Speaker 1: by Holmes before his retirement from practice. Even now a
Speaker 1: certain reticence and discretion have to be observed in laying
Speaker 1: the matter before the public. It was one Sunday evening,
Speaker 1: early in September of the year ninenineteen oh three, that
Speaker 1: I received one of Holmes's laconic messages, come at once,
Speaker 1: if convenient, if inconvenient, come all the same sh The
Speaker 1: relations between us in those latter days were peculiar. He
Speaker 1: was a man of habits, narrow and concentrated habits, and
Speaker 1: I had become one of them. As an institution. I
Speaker 1: was like the violin, the shag, tobacco, the old black pipe,
Speaker 1: the index books, and others. Perhaps less excusable. When it
Speaker 1: was a case of active work and a comrade was
Speaker 1: needed upon whose nerve he could play some reliance, my
Speaker 1: role was obvious. But apart from this I had uses.
Speaker 1: I was a whetstone for his mind. I stimulated him.
Speaker 1: He liked to think aloud in my presence. His remarks
Speaker 1: could hardly be said to be made to me. Many
Speaker 1: of them would have been as a appropriately addressed to
Speaker 1: his bedstead. But nonetheless, having formed the habit, it had
Speaker 1: become in some way helpful that I should register and
Speaker 1: interject if I irritated him by a certain methodical slowness
Speaker 1: in my mentality. That irritation served only to make his
Speaker 1: own flamelike intuitions and impressions flash up the more vividly
Speaker 1: and swiftly. Such was my humble role in our alliance.
Speaker 1: When I arrived at Baker Street, I found him huddled
Speaker 1: up in his armchair with updrawn knees, his pipe in
Speaker 1: his mouth, and his brow furrowed with thought. It was
Speaker 1: clear that he was in the throes of some vexatious problem.
Speaker 1: With a wave of his hand he indicated my old armchair.
Speaker 1: But otherwise for half an hour he gave no sign
Speaker 1: that he was aware of my presence. Then, with a
Speaker 1: start he seemed to come from his reverie, and with
Speaker 1: his usual whimsical smile, he greeted me back to war
Speaker 1: had once been my home. You will excuse a certain
Speaker 1: abstraction of mind, my dear Watson, said he. Some curious
Speaker 1: facts have been submitted to me within the last twenty
Speaker 1: four hours, and they, in turn have given rise to
Speaker 1: some speculations of a more general character. I have serious
Speaker 1: thoughts of writing a small monograph upon the uses of
Speaker 1: dogs in the work of the detective. But Shirley Holmes,
Speaker 1: this has been explored, said I. Bloodhounds, sleuth hounds. No, no, Watson,
Speaker 1: that side of the matter is, of course obvious. There
Speaker 1: is another which is far more subtle. You may recollect
Speaker 1: that in the case which you, in your sensational way,
Speaker 1: coupled with the copper beeches, I was able, by watching
Speaker 1: the mind of the child to form a deduction as
Speaker 1: to the criminal habits of the very smug and respectable father. Yes,
Speaker 1: I remember it well, My line of thought about dogs
Speaker 1: is analogous. A dog reflects the family life. Who ever
Speaker 1: saw a frisky dog in a gloomy family or a
Speaker 1: sad dog in a happy one. Snarling people have snarling dogs.
Speaker 1: Dangerous people have dangerous ones, and their passing moods may
Speaker 1: reflect the passing moods of others. I shook my head. Surely, Holmes,
Speaker 1: this is a little far fetched, said I. He had
Speaker 1: refilled his pipe and resumed his seat, taking no notice
Speaker 1: of my comment. The practical application of what I have
Speaker 1: said is very close to the problem which I am investigating.
Speaker 1: It is a tangled skein, you understand, and I am
Speaker 1: looking for the loose end. One possible loose end lies
Speaker 1: in the question why does Professor Presbury's wolfhound Roy endeavor
Speaker 1: to bite him? I sank back in my chair in
Speaker 1: some disappointment. WHI is it for so trivial a question
Speaker 1: as this that I had been summoned from my work.
Speaker 1: Holmes glanced across at me. The same old Watson said
Speaker 1: he you'll never learn that the gravest issues may depend
Speaker 1: upon the smallest things. But is it not, on the
Speaker 1: face of it strange that a staid, elderly philosopher. You've
Speaker 1: heard of Presbury, of course, the famous Camphord physiologist. That
Speaker 1: such a man whose friend has been his devoted wolfhound,
Speaker 1: should now have been twice attacked by his own dog.
Speaker 1: What do you make of it? The dog is ill, well,
Speaker 1: that has to be considered. But he attacks no one else,
Speaker 1: nor does he apparently molest his master, save on very
Speaker 1: special occasions. Curious, Watson, very curious. But young mister Bennett
Speaker 1: is before his time, if that is his ring. I
Speaker 1: had hoped to have a longer chat with you before
Speaker 1: he came. There was a quick step on the stairs,
Speaker 1: a sharp tap the door, and a moment later the
Speaker 1: new client presented himself. He was a tall, handsome youth
Speaker 1: about thirty, well dressed and elegant, but with something in
Speaker 1: his bearing which suggested the shyness of the student rather
Speaker 1: than the self possession of the man of the world.
Speaker 1: He shook hands with Holmes and then looked with some
Speaker 1: surprise at me. This matter is very delicate, mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: he said, consider the relation in which I stand to
Speaker 1: Professor Presbury, both privately and publicly. I really can hardly
Speaker 1: justify myself if I speak before any third person. Have
Speaker 1: no fear, mister Bennett. Doctor Watson is the very soul
Speaker 1: of discretion, and I can assure you that this is
Speaker 1: a matter in which I am very likely to need
Speaker 1: an assistant as you like, mister Holmes, you will, I
Speaker 1: am sure understand my having some reserves in the matter.
Speaker 1: You will appreciate it, Watson, when I tell you that
Speaker 1: this gentleman, mister Trevor Bennett, is professional assistance and to
Speaker 1: the great scientist who lives under his roof and is
Speaker 1: engaged to his only daughter. Certainly we must agree that
Speaker 1: the Professor has every claim upon his loyalty and devotion.
Speaker 1: But it may best be shown by taking the necessary
Speaker 1: steps to clear up this strange mystery. I hope so,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, that is my one object. Does doctor Watson
Speaker 1: know the situation? I have not had time to explain it.
Speaker 1: Then perhaps I had better go over the ground again
Speaker 1: before explaining some fresh developments. I will do so myself,
Speaker 1: said Holmes, in order to show that I have the
Speaker 1: events in their due order. The Professor Watson is a
Speaker 1: man of European reputation. His life has been academic. There
Speaker 1: has never been a breath of scandal. He is a
Speaker 1: widower with one daughter, Edith. He is I gather a
Speaker 1: man of very virile and positive, one might almost say
Speaker 1: combative character. So the matter stood until a very few
Speaker 1: months ago. Then the current of his life was broken.
Speaker 1: He is sixty one years of age, but he became
Speaker 1: engaged to the daughter of Professor Morphy, his colleague in
Speaker 1: the chair of comparative anatomy. It was not, as I understand,
Speaker 1: the reasoned courting of an elderly man, but rather the
Speaker 1: passionate frenzy of youth. For no one could have shown
Speaker 1: himself a more devoted lover. The lady Alice Morphy was
Speaker 1: a very perfect girl, both in mind and body, so
Speaker 1: that there was every excuse for the Professor's infatuation. Nonetheless,
Speaker 1: it did not meet with full approval in his own family.
Speaker 1: We thought it rather excessive, said our visitor. Exactly excessive,
Speaker 1: and a little violent and unnatural. Professor Presbury was rich, however,
Speaker 1: and there was no objection upon the part of the father.
Speaker 1: The daughter, however, had other views, and there were already
Speaker 1: several candidates for her hand, who, if they were less
Speaker 1: eligible from a worldly point of view, were at least
Speaker 1: more of an age. The girl seemed to like the
Speaker 1: Professor in spite of his eccentricities. It was only age
Speaker 1: which stood in the way. About this time, a little
Speaker 1: mystery suddenly clouded the normal routine of the Professor's life.
Speaker 1: He did what he had never done before. He left
Speaker 1: home and gave no indication where he was going. He
Speaker 1: was away a fortnight and returned looking rather travel worn.
Speaker 1: He made no allusion to where he had been. Although
Speaker 1: he was usually the frankest of men. It chanced, however,
Speaker 1: that our client here, mister Bennett, received a letter from
Speaker 1: a fellow student in Prague, who said that he was
Speaker 1: glad to have seen Professor Presbury there, although he had
Speaker 1: not been able to talk to him. Only in this
Speaker 1: way did his own household learn where he had been.
Speaker 1: Now comes the point. From that time onward, a curious
Speaker 1: change came over the Professor. He became furtive and sly.
Speaker 1: Those around him had always the feeling that he was
Speaker 1: not the man that they had known, but that he
Speaker 1: was under some shadow which had darkened his higher qualities.
Speaker 1: His intellect was not affected, his lectures were as brilliant
Speaker 1: as ever, but always there was something new, something sinister,
Speaker 1: and unexpected. His daughter, who was devoted to him, tried
Speaker 1: again and again to resume the old relations and to
Speaker 1: penetrate this mask which her father seemed to have put
Speaker 1: on you, Sir, as I understand, did the same. But
Speaker 1: all was in vain. And now, mister Bennett, tell in
Speaker 1: your own words the incident of the letters. You must understand,
Speaker 1: Doctor Watson, that the Professor had no secrets from me.
Speaker 1: If I were his son or his younger brother, I
Speaker 1: could not have more completely enjoyed his confidence. As his secretary,
Speaker 1: I handled every paper which came to him, and I
Speaker 1: opened and subdivided his letters. Shortly after his return, all
Speaker 1: this was changed. He told me that certain letters might
Speaker 1: come to him from London, which would be marked by
Speaker 1: a cross and the stamp. These were to be set
Speaker 1: aside for his eyes only. I may say that several
Speaker 1: of these did pass through my hands, that they had
Speaker 1: the E C mark and were in an illiterate handwriting.
Speaker 1: If he answered them at all. The answers did not
Speaker 1: pass through my hands, nor into the letter basket in
Speaker 1: which our correspondence was collected. And the box, said Holmes, Ah, Yes,
Speaker 1: the box. The Professor brought back a little wooden box
Speaker 1: from his travels. It was the one thing that suggested
Speaker 1: a continental tour, for it was one of those quaint
Speaker 1: carved things which one associates with Germany. This he placed
Speaker 1: in his instrument cupboard. One day, in looking for a canula,
Speaker 1: I took up the box. To my surprise, he was
Speaker 1: very angry and reproved me in words which were quite
Speaker 1: savage for my curiosity. It was the first time such
Speaker 1: a thing had happened, and I was deeply hurt. I
Speaker 1: endeavored to explain that it was a accident that I
Speaker 1: had touched the box, But all the evening I was
Speaker 1: conscious that he looked at me harshly, and that the
Speaker 1: incident was rankling in his mind. Mister Bennett drew a
Speaker 1: little diary book from his pocket that was on July
Speaker 1: the second, said he. You are certainly an admirable witness,
Speaker 1: said Holmes, I may need some of these dates which
Speaker 1: you have noted. I learned method, among other things, from
Speaker 1: my great teacher. From the time that I observed abnormality
Speaker 1: in his behavior, I felt it was my duty to
Speaker 1: study his case. Thus I have it here that it
Speaker 1: was on that very day, July the second, that Roy
Speaker 1: attacked the professor as he came from his study into
Speaker 1: the hall again. On July the eleventh there was a
Speaker 1: scene of the same sort. And then I have a
Speaker 1: note of yet another upon July the twentieth. After that
Speaker 1: we had to banish roy to the stables. He was
Speaker 1: a dear, affectionate animal. But I fear I weary you,
Speaker 1: mister Bennett, spoke in a tone of reproach, for it
Speaker 1: was very clear that Holmes was not listening. His face
Speaker 1: was rigid, and his eyes gazed abstractedly at the ceiling.
Speaker 1: With an effort he recovered himself a singular, most singular.
Speaker 1: He murmured, these details were new to me, mister Bennett.
Speaker 1: I think we have now fairly gone over the old ground,
Speaker 1: have we not? But you spoke of some fresh developments.
Speaker 1: The pleasant open face of our visitor clouded over shadowed
Speaker 1: by some grim remembrance. What I speaker of occurred the
Speaker 1: night before last, said he. I was lying awake about
Speaker 1: two in the morning when I was aware of a dull,
Speaker 1: muffled sound coming from the passage. I opened my door
Speaker 1: and peeped out. I should explain that the professor sleeps
Speaker 1: at the end of the passage. The date being asked Holmes,
Speaker 1: our visitor was clearly annoyed at so irrelevant an interruption.
Speaker 1: I have said, sir, that it was the night before last,
Speaker 1: that is Sept the fourth. Holmes knotted and smiled recontinue
Speaker 1: said he he sleeps at the end of the passage
Speaker 1: and would have to pass my door in order to
Speaker 1: reach the staircase. It was a really terrifying experience, mister Holmes.
Speaker 1: I think that I am a strong nerved as my neighbors,
Speaker 1: but I was shaken by what I saw. The passage
Speaker 1: was dark save that one window halfway along it. Through
Speaker 1: a patch of light, I could see that something was
Speaker 1: coming along the passage, something dark and crouching. Then suddenly
Speaker 1: it emerged into the light, and I saw that it
Speaker 1: was he. He was crawling, mister Holmes. Crawling. He was
Speaker 1: not quite on his hands and knees, I should rather say,
Speaker 1: on his hands and feet, with his face sunk between
Speaker 1: his hands. Yet he seemed to move with ease. I
Speaker 1: was so paralyzed by the sight that it was not
Speaker 1: until he had reached my door that I was able
Speaker 1: to step forward and ask if I could assist him.
Speaker 1: His answer was extraordinary. He sprang up, spat out some
Speaker 1: atrocious word at me and hurried on past me and
Speaker 1: down the staircase. I waited about for an hour, but
Speaker 1: he did not come back. There must have been daylight
Speaker 1: before he regained his room. Well, Watson, what make you
Speaker 1: of that? Asked Holmes, with the air of the pathologist
Speaker 1: who presents a rare specimen. Lumbago? Possibly, I have known
Speaker 1: a severe attack make a man walk in just such
Speaker 1: a way, and nothing would be more trying to the temper.
Speaker 1: Good Watson, you always keep us flat footed on the ground,
Speaker 1: but we can hardly accept lumbago. Since he was able
Speaker 1: to stand erect in a moment. He was never in
Speaker 1: better health, said Bennett. In fact, he is stronger than
Speaker 1: I have known him for years. But there are the facts,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes. It is not a case in which we
Speaker 1: can consult the police. And yet we are utterly at
Speaker 1: our wits end as to what to do, and we
Speaker 1: feel in some strange way that we are drifting towards disaster.
Speaker 1: Edith and Miss Presbury feels as I do, that we
Speaker 1: cannot wait passively any longer. It is certainly a very
Speaker 1: curious and suggestive case. What do you think, Watson, speaking
Speaker 1: as a medical man, said I it appears to be
Speaker 1: a case for an alienist. The old gentleman's cerebral processes
Speaker 1: were disturbed by the love affair. He made a journey
Speaker 1: abroad in the hope of breaking himself of the passion.
Speaker 1: His letters and the box may be connected with some
Speaker 1: other private transaction alone, perhaps, or share certificates which are
Speaker 1: in the box. And the Wolfhound no doubt disapproved of
Speaker 1: the financial bargain. No, no, Watson, there is more in
Speaker 1: it than this. Now I can only suggest what Sherlock
Speaker 1: Holmes was about to suggest never be known, for at
Speaker 1: this moment the door opened and a young lady was
Speaker 1: shown into the room. As she appeared, mister Bennett sprang
Speaker 1: up with a cry and ran forward with his hands
Speaker 1: out to meet those which she had herself outstretched. Edith,
Speaker 1: dear nothing the matter, I hope, I felt. I must
Speaker 1: follow you, Oh Jack, I have been so dreadfully frightened.
Speaker 1: It is awful to be there alone. Mister Holmes, this
Speaker 1: is the young lady I spoke of. This is my fiancee.
Speaker 1: We were gradually coming to that conclusion, were we not,
Speaker 1: Watson Holmes answered with a smile. I take it, miss Presbury,
Speaker 1: that there is some fresh development in the case, and
Speaker 1: that you thought we should know our new visitor. A bright,
Speaker 1: handsome girl of a conventional English type smiled back at
Speaker 1: Holmes as she seated herself beside mister Bennett. When I
Speaker 1: found mister Bennett had left his hotel, I thought I
Speaker 1: should probably find him here. Of course he had told
Speaker 1: me that he would consult you. But oh, mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: can you do nothing for my poor father? I have hopes,
Speaker 1: Miss Presbury, but the case is still obscure. Perhaps what
Speaker 1: you have to say may throw some fresh light upon it.
Speaker 1: It was last night, mister Holmes. He had been very
Speaker 1: strange all day. I am sure that there are times
Speaker 1: when he has no recollection of what he does. He
Speaker 1: lives as in a strange dream. Yesterday was such a day.
Speaker 1: It was not my father with whom I lived. His
Speaker 1: outward shell was there that it was not? Really? He
Speaker 1: tell me what happened. I was awakened in the night
Speaker 1: by the dog barking most furiously. Poor Roy. He is
Speaker 1: chained now near the stable. I may say that I
Speaker 1: always sleep with my door locked, for as jack as
Speaker 1: mister Bennett will tell you, we all have a feeling
Speaker 1: of impending danger. My room is on the second floor.
Speaker 1: It happened that the blind was up in my window.
Speaker 1: There was bright moonlight outside. As I lay with my
Speaker 1: eyes fixed upon the square of light, listening to the
Speaker 1: frenzied barkings of the dog, I was amazed to see
Speaker 1: my father's face looking in at me. Mister Holmes, I
Speaker 1: nearly died of surprise and horror. There it was pressed
Speaker 1: against the windowpane, and one hand seemed to be raised
Speaker 1: as if to push up the window. If that window
Speaker 1: had opened, I think I should have gone mad. It
Speaker 1: was no delusion, mister Holmes. Don't deceive yourself by thinking so.
Speaker 1: I dare say. It was twenty seconds or so that
Speaker 1: I lay paralyzed and watched the face. Then it vanished,
Speaker 1: but I could not. I could not spring out of
Speaker 1: bed and look out after it. I lay cold and
Speaker 1: shivering till morning. At breakfast. He was sharp and fierce
Speaker 1: in manner, and made no allusion to the adventure of
Speaker 1: the night. Neither did I. But I gave an excuse
Speaker 1: for coming to town, and here I am. Holmes looked
Speaker 1: thoroughly surprised at Miss Presbury's narrative. My dear young lady,
Speaker 1: you say that your room is on the second floor.
Speaker 1: Is there a long ladder in the garden, Oh, mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: that is the amazing part of it. There is no
Speaker 1: possible way of reaching the window, and yet he was there,
Speaker 1: the date being September the fifth, said Holmes. That certainly
Speaker 1: complicates matters. It was the young lady's turn to look surprised.
Speaker 1: This is the second time that you have alluded to
Speaker 1: the date, mister Holmes, said Bennett. Is it possible that
Speaker 1: it has any bearing upon the case. It is possible,
Speaker 1: very possible, And yet I have not my full material
Speaker 1: at present. Possibly your thinking of the connections between insanity
Speaker 1: and the phases of the moon, No, I assure you
Speaker 1: it was quite a different line of thought. Possibly, you
Speaker 1: can leave your note book with me and I will
Speaker 1: check the dates. Now, I think, Watson, that our line
Speaker 1: of action is perfectly clear. This young lady has informed us,
Speaker 1: and I have the greatest confidence in her intuition, that
Speaker 1: her father remembers little or nothing which occurs upon certain dates.
Speaker 1: We will therefore call upon him as if he had
Speaker 1: given us an appointment upon such a date. He will
Speaker 1: put it down to his own lack of memory. Thus
Speaker 1: we will open our campaign by having a good close
Speaker 1: view of him. That is excellent, said mister Bennett. I
Speaker 1: warn you, however, that the Professor is irascible and violent
Speaker 1: at times homes smiled. There are reasons why we should
Speaker 1: come at once, very cogent reasons. If my theories hold
Speaker 1: good to morrow, mister Bennett will certainly see us in Camphord.
Speaker 1: There is, if I remember right, an inn called the Checkers,
Speaker 1: where the port used to be above mediocrity and the
Speaker 1: linen was above reproach. I think, Watson, that our lot
Speaker 1: for the next few days might lie in less pleasant places.
Speaker 1: Monday morning found us on our way to the famous
Speaker 1: university town, an easy effort on the part of Holmes,
Speaker 1: who had no routes to pull up, but one which
Speaker 1: involved frantic planning and hurrying on my part, as my
Speaker 1: practice was by this time not inconsiderable. Holmes made no
Speaker 1: allusion to the case until after we had deposited our
Speaker 1: suit cases at the ancient hostel of which he had spoken.
Speaker 1: I think, Watson, that we can catch the professor just
Speaker 1: before lunch. He lectures at eleven, and should have an
Speaker 1: interval at home. What possible excuse have we for calling
Speaker 1: Holmes glanced at his note book. There was a period
Speaker 1: of excitement upon August the twenty sixth. We will assume
Speaker 1: that he is a little hazy as to what he
Speaker 1: does at such times. If we insist that we are
Speaker 1: there by appointment, I think he will hardly venture to
Speaker 1: contradict us. Have you the effrontery necessary to put it through?
Speaker 1: We can but try, excellent Watson, compound of the busy
Speaker 1: bee and excelsior. We can but try the motto of
Speaker 1: the firm. A friendly native will surely guide us. Such
Speaker 1: a one. On the back of a smart hansom, swept
Speaker 1: us past a row of ancient colleges, and, finally turning
Speaker 1: into a tree lined drive, pulled up at the door
Speaker 1: of a charming house, girt round with lawns and covered
Speaker 1: with purple wisteria. Professor Presbury was certainly surrounded with every
Speaker 1: sign not only of comfort, but of luxury. Even as
Speaker 1: we pulled up, a grizzled head appeared at the front window,
Speaker 1: and we were aware of a pair of keen eyes
Speaker 1: from under shaggy brows, which surveyed us through large horn glasses.
Speaker 1: A moment later we were actually in his sanctum, and
Speaker 1: the mysterious scientist whose vagaries had brought us from London,
Speaker 1: was standing before us. There was certainly no sign of eccentricity,
Speaker 1: either in his manner or appearance, for he was a portly,
Speaker 1: large featured man, grave, tall and frock coated with the
Speaker 1: dignity of bearing which a lecturer needs. His eyes were
Speaker 1: his most remarkable feature. Keen, observant, and clever to the
Speaker 1: verge of cunning. He looked at our cards. Pray, sit down, gentlemen.
Speaker 1: What can I do for you? Mister Holmes smiled amiably.
Speaker 1: It was the question which I was about to put
Speaker 1: to you, Professor. To me, sir, possibly there is some mistake.
Speaker 1: I heard through a second person that Professor Presbury of
Speaker 1: Camphord had need of my services. Oh indeed, it seemed
Speaker 1: to me that there was a malicious sparkle in the
Speaker 1: intense gray eyes. You heard that? Did you? May I
Speaker 1: ask the name of your informant? I am sorry, Professor,
Speaker 1: but the matter was rather confidential. If I have made
Speaker 1: a mistake, there is no harm done. I can only
Speaker 1: express my regret. Not at all. I should wish to
Speaker 1: go further into this matter. It interests me have you
Speaker 1: any scrap of writing any letter or telegram to bear
Speaker 1: out your assertion. No, I have not. I presume that
Speaker 1: you do not go so far as to assert that
Speaker 1: I summoned you. I would rather answer no questions, said Holmes.
Speaker 1: No I dare say not, said the Professor with asperity. However,
Speaker 1: that particular one can be answered very easily without your aid.
Speaker 1: He walked across the room to the bell. Our London friend,
Speaker 1: mister Bennett, answered the call. Come in, mister Bennett. These
Speaker 1: two gentlemen have come from London under the impression that
Speaker 1: they have been summoned. You handle all my correspondents. Have
Speaker 1: you a note of anything going to a person named Holmes, No, sir,
Speaker 1: Bennett answered with a flush That is conclusive, said the Professor,
Speaker 1: glaring angrily at my companion. Now, sir, he leaned forward
Speaker 1: with his two hands upon the table, it seems to
Speaker 1: me that your position is a very questionable one. Holmes
Speaker 1: shrugged his shoulders. I can only repeat that I am
Speaker 1: sorry that we have made a needless intrusion. Hardly enough,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, the old man cried in a high screaming voice,
Speaker 1: with extraordinary malignancy upon his face. He got between us
Speaker 1: and the door, as he spoke, and he shook his
Speaker 1: two hands at us with furious passion. You can hardly
Speaker 1: get out of it so easily as that his face
Speaker 1: was convulsed, and he grinned and gibbered at us in
Speaker 1: his senseless rage. I'm convinced that we should have had
Speaker 1: to fight our way out of the room if mister
Speaker 1: Bennett had not intervened. My dear professor, he cried, consider
Speaker 1: your position, Consider the scandal at the university. Mister Holmes
Speaker 1: is a well known man. You cannot possibly treat him
Speaker 1: with such discourtesy. Sulkily, our host, if I may call him, so,
Speaker 1: cleared the path to the door. We were glad to
Speaker 1: find ourselves outside the house and in the choiet of
Speaker 1: the tree lined drive. Holmes seemed greatly amused by the episode.
Speaker 1: Our learned friend's nerves are somewhat out of order, said he.
Speaker 1: Perhaps our intrusion was a little crude, and yet we
Speaker 1: have gained that personal contact which I desired for. Dear me, Watson,
Speaker 1: he is surely at our heels. The villain still pursues us.
Speaker 1: There were the sounds of running feet behind, but it
Speaker 1: was to my relief not the formidable Professor but his assistant,
Speaker 1: who appeared round the curve of the drive. He came
Speaker 1: panting up to us. I am so sorry, mister Holmes.
Speaker 1: I wish to apologize, my dear sir, There is no need.
Speaker 1: It is all in the way of professional experience. I
Speaker 1: have never seen him in a more dangerous mood, for
Speaker 1: he grows more sinister. You can understand now why his
Speaker 1: daughter and I are alarmed. And yet his mind is
Speaker 1: perfectly clear. Too clear, said Holmes. That was my miscalculation.
Speaker 1: It is evident that his memory is much more reliable
Speaker 1: than I had thought. By the way, can we, before
Speaker 1: we go see the window of miss Presbury's room. Mister
Speaker 1: Bennett pushed his way through some shrubs and we had
Speaker 1: a view of the side of the house. It is there,
Speaker 1: the second on the left. Dear me. It seems hardly accessible,
Speaker 1: and yet you will observe that there is a creeper
Speaker 1: below and a water pipe above which gives some foothold.
Speaker 1: I could not climb it myself, said mister Bennett. Very likely,
Speaker 1: It would certainly be a dangerous exploit for any normal man.
Speaker 1: There was one other thing I wished to tell you,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes. I have the address of the man in London,
Speaker 1: to whom the Professor writes. He seems to have written
Speaker 1: this morning, and I got it from his blotting paper.
Speaker 1: It is an ignoble position for a trusted secretary. What
Speaker 1: else can I do? Holmes glanced at the paper and
Speaker 1: put it into his pocket door Rack a curious name Slavonic.
Speaker 1: I imagine, well, it is an important link in the chain.
Speaker 1: We return to London this afternoon, Mister Bennett, I see
Speaker 1: no good purpose to be served by our remaining. We
Speaker 1: cannot arrest the Professor because he has done no crime.
Speaker 1: Nor can we place him under constraint, for he cannot
Speaker 1: be proved to be mad. No action is as yet possible.
Speaker 1: Then what on earth are we to do a little patience,
Speaker 1: mister Bennett. Things will soon develop. Unless I am mistaken.
Speaker 1: Next Tuesday may mark a crisis. Certainly we shall be
Speaker 1: in Camphord on that day. Meanwhile, the general position is
Speaker 1: undeniably unpleasant, and if Miss Presbury can prolong her visit,
Speaker 1: that is easy. Then let her stay till we can
Speaker 1: assure her that all danger is past. Meanwhile, let him
Speaker 1: have his way, and do not cross him, so long
Speaker 1: as he is in a good humor. All is well,
Speaker 1: there he is, said Bennett, a startled whisper. Looking between
Speaker 1: the branches, we saw the tall, erect figure emerge from
Speaker 1: the hall door, and look around him. He stood leaning forward,
Speaker 1: his hands swinging straight before him, his head turning from
Speaker 1: side to side. The secretary, with a last wave, slipped
Speaker 1: off among the trees, and we saw him presently rejoin
Speaker 1: his employer, the two entering the house together in what
Speaker 1: seemed to be animated and even excited conversation. I expect
Speaker 1: the old gentleman has been putting two and two together,
Speaker 1: said Holmes, as we walked hotelward. He struck me as
Speaker 1: having a particularly clear and logical brain from the little
Speaker 1: I saw of him. Explosive, no doubt. But then from
Speaker 1: his point of view, he has something to explode about
Speaker 1: if detectives are put on his track and he suspects
Speaker 1: his own household of doing it. I rather fancy that
Speaker 1: friend Bennett is in for an uncomfortable time. Homes stopped
Speaker 1: at post office and sent off a telegram on our way.
Speaker 1: The answer reached us in the evening, and he tossed
Speaker 1: it across to me. Our visited the commercial road unseen
Speaker 1: d'orak swafperson Bohemian elderly keeps large general store. Mercer mercer
Speaker 1: is since your time, said Holmes. He is my general
Speaker 1: utility man who looks up routine business. It was important
Speaker 1: to know something of the man with whom our professor
Speaker 1: was so secretly corresponding. His nationality connects up with the
Speaker 1: prague visit. Thank goodness that something connects with something, said I.
Speaker 1: At present we seem to be faced by a long
Speaker 1: series of inexplicable incidents with no bearing upon each other.
Speaker 1: For example, what possible connection can there be between an
Speaker 1: angry wolfhound and a visit to Bohemia, or either of
Speaker 1: them with a man crawling down a passage at night?
Speaker 1: As to your dates, that is the biggest mystification of all.
Speaker 1: Home smiled and rubbed his hands. We were, I may say,
Speaker 1: seated in the old sitting room of an ancient hotel,
Speaker 1: with a bottle of the famous vintage of which Holmes
Speaker 1: had spoken on the table between us. Well, now let
Speaker 1: us take the dates first, said he, His finger tips
Speaker 1: together earned his manner as if he were addressing a class.
Speaker 1: This excellent young man's diary shows that there was trouble
Speaker 1: upon July the second, and from then onward it seems
Speaker 1: to have been at nine day intervals, with so far
Speaker 1: as I remember, only one exception. Thus, the last outbreak
Speaker 1: upon Friday was on September the third, which also falls
Speaker 1: into the series, as did August the twenty sixth, which
Speaker 1: preceded it. The thing is beyond coincidence, I was forced
Speaker 1: to agree. Let us then form the provisional theory that
Speaker 1: every nine days the Professor takes some strong drug which
Speaker 1: has a passing but highly poisonous effect. His naturally violent
Speaker 1: nature is intensified by it. He learned to take this
Speaker 1: drug while he was in Prague, and is now supplied
Speaker 1: with it by a Bohemian intermediary in London. This all
Speaker 1: hangs together, Watson. But the dog, the face at the window,
Speaker 1: the creeping man in the passage. Well, well we have
Speaker 1: made a beginning. I should not expect any fresh developments
Speaker 1: until next Tuesday. In the meantime, we can only keep
Speaker 1: in touch with friend Bennett and enjoy the amenities of
Speaker 1: this charming town. In the morning, mister Bennett slipped round
Speaker 1: to bring us the latest report. As Holmes had imagined,
Speaker 1: times had not been easy with him Without exactly, accusing
Speaker 1: him of being responsible for our presence. The professor had
Speaker 1: been very rough and rude in his speech, and evidently
Speaker 1: felt some strong grievance. This morning, he was quite himself again, however,
Speaker 1: and had delivered his usual brilliant lecture to a crowded class.
Speaker 1: Apart from his queer fits, said Bennett, he has actually
Speaker 1: more energy and vitality than I can ever remember, nor
Speaker 1: was his brain ever clearer. But it's not he, It's
Speaker 1: never the man whom we have known. I don't think
Speaker 1: you have anything to fear now for a week at least,
Speaker 1: Holmes answered, I am a busy man, and doctor Watson
Speaker 1: has his patience to attend to. Let us agree that
Speaker 1: we meet here at this hour next Tuesday, and I
Speaker 1: shall be surprised if before we leave you again we
Speaker 1: are not able to explain, even if we cannot, perhaps
Speaker 1: put an end to your troubles. Meanwhile, keep us posted
Speaker 1: in what occurs. I saw nothing of my friend for
Speaker 1: the next few days, but on the following Monday evening
Speaker 1: I had a short note asking me to meet him
Speaker 1: next day at the train. From what he told me
Speaker 1: as we traveled up to Camford, all was well. The
Speaker 1: peace of the Professor's house had been unruffled, and his
Speaker 1: own conduct perfectly normal. This also was the report which
Speaker 1: was given us by mister Bennett himself, when he called
Speaker 1: upon us that evening at our old quarters in the Chequers.
Speaker 1: He heard from his London correspondent to day there was
Speaker 1: a letter, and there was a small packet, each with
Speaker 1: the cross under the stamp, which warned me not to
Speaker 1: touch them. There has been nothing else that may prove
Speaker 1: quite enough, said Holmes grimly. Now, mister Bennett, we shall,
Speaker 1: I think come to some conclusion to night. If my
Speaker 1: deductions are correct, we should have an opportunity of bringing
Speaker 1: matters to a head. In order to do so, it
Speaker 1: is necessary to hold the Professor under observation. I would suggest, therefore,
Speaker 1: that you remain awake and on the lookout. Should you
Speaker 1: hear him pass your door, do not interrupt him, but
Speaker 1: follow him as discreetly as you can. Dr Watson and
Speaker 1: I will not be far off way. Where is the
Speaker 1: key of that little box of which you spoke upon
Speaker 1: his watch chain? I fancy our researches must lie in
Speaker 1: that direction. At worst, the locks should not be very formidable.
Speaker 1: Have you any other able bodied man on the premises
Speaker 1: there is the coachman MacPhail. Where does he sleep over
Speaker 1: the stables? We might possibly want him. Well, we can
Speaker 1: do no more until we see how things develop. Goodbye,
Speaker 1: but I expect that we shall see you before morning.
Speaker 1: It was nearly midnight before we took our station among
Speaker 1: some bushes immediately opposite the hall door of the Professor.
Speaker 1: It was a fine night, but chilly, and we were
Speaker 1: glad of our warm overcoat. There was a breeze, and
Speaker 1: clouds were scudding across the sky, obscuring from time to
Speaker 1: time the half moon. It would have been a dismal
Speaker 1: vigil were it not for the expectation and excitement which
Speaker 1: carried us along, and lurance of my comrade that we
Speaker 1: had probably reached the end of the strange sequence of
Speaker 1: events which had engaged our attention. If the cycle of
Speaker 1: nine days holds good, then we shall have the Professor
Speaker 1: at his worst tonight, said Holmes. The fact that these
Speaker 1: strange symptoms began after his visit to Prague, that he
Speaker 1: is in secret correspondence with a bohemian dealer in London
Speaker 1: who presumably represents someone in Prague, and that he received
Speaker 1: a packet from him this very day, all point in
Speaker 1: one direction. What he takes and why he takes it
Speaker 1: are still beyond our ken but that it emanates in
Speaker 1: some way from Prague is clear enough. He takes it
Speaker 1: under definite directions which regulate this ninth day system, which
Speaker 1: was the first point which attracted my attention. But his
Speaker 1: symptoms are most remarkable. Did you observe his knuckles? I
Speaker 1: had to confess that I did not thick and horny
Speaker 1: in a way, which is quite new in my experience.
Speaker 1: Always look at the hands first. Watson then cuffs, trowsernes,
Speaker 1: and boots, very curious knuckles which can only be explained
Speaker 1: by the mode of progression observed by Holmes. Paused and
Speaker 1: suddenly clapped his hand to his forehead. Oh, Watson, Watson,
Speaker 1: what a fool I have been? It seems incredible, and
Speaker 1: yet it must be true. All points in one direction.
Speaker 1: How could I miss seeing the connection of ideas, those knuckles,
Speaker 1: How could I have passed those knuckles and the dog
Speaker 1: and the ivy. It's surely time that I disappeared into
Speaker 1: that little farm of my dreams. Look out, Watson, here
Speaker 1: he is. We shall have the chance of seeing for
Speaker 1: ourselves the hall door had slowly opened, and against the
Speaker 1: lamp lit background we saw the tall figure of Professor Presbury.
Speaker 1: He was clad in his dressing gown as he stood
Speaker 1: outlined in the doorway. He was erecting forward with dangling arms,
Speaker 1: as when we saw him last. Now he stepped forward
Speaker 1: into the drive, and an extraordinary change came over him.
Speaker 1: He sank down into a crouching position and moved along
Speaker 1: upon his hands and feet, skipping every now and then
Speaker 1: as if he were overflowing with energy and vitality. He
Speaker 1: moved along the face of the house and then round
Speaker 1: the corner. As he disappeared, Bennett slipped through the hall
Speaker 1: door and softly followed him. Come what come, cried Holmes,
Speaker 1: and we stole as softly as we could through the
Speaker 1: bushes until we had gained a spot, whence we could
Speaker 1: see the other side of the house, which was bathed
Speaker 1: in the light of the half moon. The Professor was
Speaker 1: clearly visible crouching at the foot of the ivy covered wall.
Speaker 1: As we watched him, he suddenly began, with incredible agility
Speaker 1: to ascend it from branch to branch. He sprang, sure
Speaker 1: of foot and firm of grasp, climbing, apparently in mere
Speaker 1: joy at his own powers, with no definite object in view.
Speaker 1: With his dressing gown flapping on each side of him,
Speaker 1: he looked like some huge bat glued against the side
Speaker 1: of his own house, a great square, dark patch upon
Speaker 1: the moonlit wall. Presently, he tired of this amusement, and
Speaker 1: dropping from branch to branch, he squatted down in the
Speaker 1: old attitude and moved towards the stables, creeping along in
Speaker 1: the same strange way as before. The wolfhound was out,
Speaker 1: now barking furiously and more excited than ever. When it
Speaker 1: actually caught sight of its master, it was straining on
Speaker 1: its chain and quivering with eagerness and rage. The Professor
Speaker 1: squatted down, very deliberately, just out of reach of the hound,
Speaker 1: and began to provoke it in every possible way. He
Speaker 1: took handfuls of pebbles from the drive and threw them
Speaker 1: in the dog's face, prodded him with a stick which
Speaker 1: he had picked up, flicked his hands about only a
Speaker 1: few inches from the gaping mouth, and endeavored in every
Speaker 1: way to increase the animal's fury, which was already beyond
Speaker 1: all control. In all our adventures, I do not know
Speaker 1: that I have ever seen a more strange sight than
Speaker 1: this impassive and still dignified creature, crouching frog like upon
Speaker 1: the ground and goading to a wilder exhibition of passion
Speaker 1: the maddened hound, which ramped and raged in front of
Speaker 1: him by all manner of ingenious and calculated cruelty. And
Speaker 1: then in a moment it happened. It was not the
Speaker 1: chain that broke, but it was the collar that slipped,
Speaker 1: for it had been made for a thick necked Newfoundland.
Speaker 1: We heard the rattle of falling metal, and the next
Speaker 1: instant dog and man were rolling on the ground together,
Speaker 1: the one roaring in rage, the other screaming in a
Speaker 1: strange shrill falsetto of terror. It was a very narrow
Speaker 1: thing for the Professor's life. The savage creature had him
Speaker 1: fairly by the throat, its fangs had bitten deep, and
Speaker 1: he was senseless. Before we could reach them and drag
Speaker 1: the two apart. It might have been a dangerous task
Speaker 1: for us, but Bennett's voice and presence brought the great
Speaker 1: wolfhound instantly to reason. The uproar had brought the sleepy
Speaker 1: and astonished coachman from his room above the stables. I'm
Speaker 1: not surprised, said he, shaking his head. I've seen him
Speaker 1: at it before. I knew the dog would get him
Speaker 1: sooner or later. The hound was secured, and together we
Speaker 1: carried the professor up to his room, where Bennett, who
Speaker 1: had a medical degree, helped me to dress his torn throat.
Speaker 1: The sharp teeth had passed dangerously near the carotid artery,
Speaker 1: and the hemorrhage was serious. In half an hour the
Speaker 1: danger was past. I had given the patient an injection
Speaker 1: of morphea, and he had sunk into deep sleep. Then
Speaker 1: and only then were we able to look at each
Speaker 1: other and take stock of the situation. I think a
Speaker 1: first class surgeon should see him, said I. For God's sake, no,
Speaker 1: cried Bennett. At present, the scandal is confined to our
Speaker 1: own household. It is safe with us. If it gets
Speaker 1: beyond these walls, it will never stop. Consider his position
Speaker 1: at the university, his European reputation, the feelings of his daughter.
Speaker 1: Quite so, said Holmes, I think it may be possible
Speaker 1: to keep the matter to ourselves, and also to prevent
Speaker 1: its recurrence. Now that we have a free hand the
Speaker 1: key from the watch chain, mister Bennett mc phail will
Speaker 1: guard the patient and let us know if there is
Speaker 1: any change. Let us see what we can find in
Speaker 1: the Professor's mysterious box. There was not much, but there
Speaker 1: was enough, an empty file, another nearly full, a hypodermic syringe,
Speaker 1: several letters in a crabbed foreign hand. The marks on
Speaker 1: the envelopes showed that they were those which had disturbed
Speaker 1: the routine of the secretary, and each was dated from
Speaker 1: the commercial road and signed Adorak. They were mere invoices
Speaker 1: to say that a fresh bottle was being sent to
Speaker 1: Professor Presbury, or receipt to acknowledge money. There was one
Speaker 1: other envelope, however, in a more educated hand, bearing the
Speaker 1: Austrian stamp with the postmark of Prague. Here we have
Speaker 1: our material, cried Holmes as he tore out the enclosure.
Speaker 1: Honored colleague, it ran since your esteemed visit, I have
Speaker 1: thought much of your case, and though in your circumstances
Speaker 1: there are some special reasons for the treatment, I would
Speaker 1: none the less enjoin caution, as my results have showed
Speaker 1: own that it is not without danger of a kind.
Speaker 1: It is possible that the serum of anthropoid would have
Speaker 1: been better. I have, as I explained to you, used
Speaker 1: black faced Langer because a specimen was accessible. Langer is
Speaker 1: of course a crawler and climber, while anthropoid walks, erect
Speaker 1: and is in all ways nearer. I beg you to
Speaker 1: take every possible precaution that there be no premature revelation
Speaker 1: of the process. I have one other client in England,
Speaker 1: and Dorak is my agent for both weekly reports. Will
Speaker 1: oblige yours with high esteem. H Lowenstein. Lowenstein. The name
Speaker 1: brought back to me the memory of some snippet from
Speaker 1: a newspaper which spoke of an obscure scientist who was
Speaker 1: striving in some unknown way for the seak writ of
Speaker 1: rejuvenescence and the elixir of life. Lowenstein of Prague, Lowenstein,
Speaker 1: with the wondrous strength, giving serum to booed by the
Speaker 1: profession because he refused to reveal its source. In a
Speaker 1: few words, I said what I remembered. Bennett had taken
Speaker 1: a manual of zoology from the shelves Languor. He read
Speaker 1: the Great black Faced Monkey of the Himalayan Slopes, biggest
Speaker 1: and most human of climbing monkeys. Many details were added
Speaker 1: well thanks to you, mister Holmes. It is very clear
Speaker 1: that we have traced the evil to its source. The
Speaker 1: real source, said Holmes, lies, of course, in that untimely
Speaker 1: love affair, which gave our impetuous professor the idea that
Speaker 1: he could only gain his wish by turning himself into
Speaker 1: a younger man. When one tried to rise about nature,
Speaker 1: one is liable to fall below it. The highest type
Speaker 1: of man may revert to the animal if he leaves
Speaker 1: the straight road of destiny. He sat musing for a
Speaker 1: while with the file in his hand, looking at the
Speaker 1: clear liquid within. When I have written to this man
Speaker 1: and told him that I hold him criminally responsible for
Speaker 1: the poisons which he circulates, we will have no more trouble.
Speaker 1: But it may recur. Others may find a better way.
Speaker 1: There is danger, there, a very real danger to humanity.
Speaker 1: Consider Watson, that the material, the sensual, the worldly would
Speaker 1: all prolong their worthless lives. The spiritual would not avoid
Speaker 1: the call to something higher. It would be the survival
Speaker 1: of the least fit. What sort of cesspool may not
Speaker 1: our poor world become? Suddenly the dreamer disappeared, and Holmes,
Speaker 1: the man of action, sprang from his chair. I think
Speaker 1: there is nothing more to be said mister Bennett. The
Speaker 1: various incidents will now fit themselves easily into the general scheme.
Speaker 1: The dog, of course, was aware of the change far
Speaker 1: more quickly than you. His smell would insure that it
Speaker 1: was the monkey, not the professor, whom Roy attacked, just
Speaker 1: as it was the monkey who teased Roy. Climbing was
Speaker 1: a joy to the creature, and it was mere chance,
Speaker 1: I take it, that the pastime brought him to the
Speaker 1: young lady's window. There is an early train to town, Watson,
Speaker 1: but I think we shall just have time for a
Speaker 1: cup of tea at the Chequers before we catch it.
Speaker 1: That is the end of the Adventure of the Creeping Man,
Speaker 1: by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, read by Greg Wagland for
Speaker 1: Magpie Audio twenty nineteen.