Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
Speaker 1: the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please
Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by
Speaker 1: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Chapter nine, The Adventure of the
Speaker 1: Engineer's Thumb. Of all the problems which have been submitted
Speaker 1: to my friend mister Sherlock Holmes for solution during the
Speaker 1: years of our intimacy, there were only two which I
Speaker 1: was the means of introducing to his notice, that of
Speaker 1: mister Hatherley's Thumb and that of Colonel Warburton's Madness. Of these,
Speaker 1: the latter may have afforded a finer view for an
Speaker 1: acute and original observer, but the other was so strange
Speaker 1: in its inception and so dramatic in its details, that
Speaker 1: it may be the more worthy of being placed upon record,
Speaker 1: even if it gave my friend fewer openings for those
Speaker 1: deductive methods of reasoning by which he achieved such remarkable results.
Speaker 1: The story has, I believe, been told more than once
Speaker 1: in the newspapers, but like all such narratives, its effect
Speaker 1: is much less striking when set forth on block in
Speaker 1: a single half column of print, than when the facts
Speaker 1: slowly evolved before your own eyes, and the mystery clears
Speaker 1: gradually away, as each new discovery furnishes a step which
Speaker 1: leads on to the complete truth. At the time, the
Speaker 1: circumstances made a deep impression upon me, and the lapse
Speaker 1: of two years has hardly served to weaken the effect.
Speaker 1: It was in the summer of eighty nine, not long
Speaker 1: after my marriage, that the events occurred which I am
Speaker 1: now about to summarize. I had returned to civil practice
Speaker 1: and had finally abandoned homes in his baker's street rooms.
Speaker 1: Although I continually visited him, and occasionally even persuaded him
Speaker 1: to forego his bohemian habits so far as to come
Speaker 1: and visit us. My practice had steadily increased, and as
Speaker 1: I happened to live at no very great distance from
Speaker 1: Paddington's station, I got a few patients from among the officials.
Speaker 1: One of these, whom I had cured of a painful
Speaker 1: and lingering deay disease. Was never weary of advertising my
Speaker 1: virtues and of endeavoring to send me on every sufferer
Speaker 1: over whom he might have any influence. One morning, at
Speaker 1: a little before seven o'clock. I was awakened by the
Speaker 1: maid tapping at the door to announce that two men
Speaker 1: had come from Paddington and were waiting in the consulting room.
Speaker 1: I dressed hurriedly, for I knew by experience that railway
Speaker 1: cases were seldom trivial, and hastened downstairs. As I descended
Speaker 1: my old ally, the guard came out of the room
Speaker 1: and closed the door tightly behind him. I've got him
Speaker 1: in here, he whispered, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.
Speaker 1: He's all right. What is it? Then, I asked, for
Speaker 1: his manner suggested that it was some strange creature which
Speaker 1: he had caged up in my room. It's a new patient,
Speaker 1: he whispered. I thought i'd bring him round myself then
Speaker 1: he couldn't slip away. There he is all safe and sound.
Speaker 1: I must go now, doctor, I have my duties just
Speaker 1: the same as you. And off he went, this trusty tout,
Speaker 1: without even giving me time to thank him. I entered
Speaker 1: my consulting room and found a gentleman seated by the table.
Speaker 1: He was quietly dressed in a suit of heather tweed
Speaker 1: with a soft cloth cap, which he had laid down
Speaker 1: upon my books round one of his hands. He had
Speaker 1: a handkerchief wrapped which was mottled all over with blood stains.
Speaker 1: He was young, not more than five and twenty, I
Speaker 1: should say, with a strong masculine face, but he was
Speaker 1: exceedingly pale, and gave me the impression of a man
Speaker 1: who was suffering from some strong agitation which it took
Speaker 1: all his strength of mind to control. I am sorry
Speaker 1: to knock you up so early, doctor, he said, but
Speaker 1: I have had a very serious accident during the night.
Speaker 1: I came in by train this morning, and on inquiring
Speaker 1: at Paddington as to where I might find a doctor,
Speaker 1: a worthy fellow very kindly escorted me here. I gave
Speaker 1: the maid a card, but I see that she has
Speaker 1: left it upon the side table. I took it up
Speaker 1: and glanced at it. Mister Victor Heatherley, hydraulic Engineer, sixteen
Speaker 1: a Victoria's Street, third floor. That was the name, style
Speaker 1: and abode of my morning visitor. I regret that I
Speaker 1: have kept you waiting, said I, sitting down in my
Speaker 1: library chair. You are fresh from a night journey, I understand,
Speaker 1: which is in itself a monotonous occupation. Oh my night
Speaker 1: could not be called monotonous, said he, and laughed. He laughed,
Speaker 1: very heartily, with a high ringing note, leaning back in
Speaker 1: his chair and shaking his sides. All my medical instincts
Speaker 1: rose up against that laugh. Stop it, I cried, pull
Speaker 1: yourself together, and I poured out some water from a caraffe.
Speaker 1: It was useless, however, he was off in one of
Speaker 1: those hysterical outbursts which come upon a strong nature when
Speaker 1: some great crisis is over and gone. Presently, he came
Speaker 1: to himself once more, very weary and pale looking. I
Speaker 1: have been making a fool of myself, he gasped, Not
Speaker 1: at all, drink this. I dashed some brandy into the water,
Speaker 1: and the color began to come back to his bloodless cheeks.
Speaker 1: That's better, said he. And now, doctor, perhaps you would
Speaker 1: kindly attend to my thumb, or rather to the place
Speaker 1: where my thumb used to be. He unwound the handkerchief
Speaker 1: and held out his hand. It gave even my hardened
Speaker 1: nerve a shudder to look at it. There were four
Speaker 1: protruding fingers and a horrid red, spongy surface where the
Speaker 1: thumb should have been. It had been hacked or torn
Speaker 1: right out from the roots. Good heavens, I cried, this
Speaker 1: is a terrible injury. It must have bled considerably. Yes,
Speaker 1: it did. I fainted when it was done, and I
Speaker 1: think that I must have been senseless for a long time.
Speaker 1: When I came to, I found that it was still bleeding.
Speaker 1: So I tied one end of my handkerchief very tightly
Speaker 1: round the wrist and braced it up with a twig. Excellent.
Speaker 1: You should have been a surgeon. It is a question
Speaker 1: of hydraulics, you see, and came within my own province.
Speaker 1: This has been done, said I, examining the wound by
Speaker 1: a very heavy and sharp instrument, a thing like a cleaver.
Speaker 1: Said he, an accident, I presume by no means. What
Speaker 1: a murderous attack. Very murderous. Indeed, you horrify me. I
Speaker 1: sponged the wound, cleaned it, dressed it, and finally covered
Speaker 1: it over with cotton wadding and carbalized bandages. He lay
Speaker 1: back without wincing, though he bit his lip from time
Speaker 1: to time. How is that? I asked? When I had
Speaker 1: finished capital between your brand and your bandage, I feel
Speaker 1: a new man. I was very weak, but I've had
Speaker 1: a good deal to go through. Perhaps you had better
Speaker 1: not speak of the matter. It is evidently trying to
Speaker 1: your nerves. Oh no, not now, I shall have to
Speaker 1: tell my tale to the police, but between ourselves. If
Speaker 1: it were not for the convincing evidence of this wound
Speaker 1: of mine, I should be surprised if they believed my statement,
Speaker 1: for it is a very extraordinary one, and I have
Speaker 1: not much in the way of proof with which to
Speaker 1: back it up. And even if they believe me, the
Speaker 1: clues which I can give them are so vague that
Speaker 1: it is a question whether justice will be done, ha
Speaker 1: cried I. If it is anything in the nature of
Speaker 1: a problem which you desired to see solved, I should
Speaker 1: strongly recommend you come to my friend, mister Sherlock Holmes
Speaker 1: before you go to the official police. Oh. I have
Speaker 1: heard of that fellow, answered my visitor, and I should
Speaker 1: be very glad if he would take the matter up,
Speaker 1: though of course I must use the official police as well.
Speaker 1: Would you give me an introduction to him? I'll do better.
Speaker 1: I'll take you round to him myself. I should be
Speaker 1: immensely obliged to you. We'll call a cab and go together.
Speaker 1: We shall just be in time to have a little
Speaker 1: breakfast with him. Do you feel equal to it. Yes,
Speaker 1: I shall not feel easy until I have told my story.
Speaker 1: Then my servant will call a cab and I shall
Speaker 1: be with you. In an instant, I rushed upstairs, explained
Speaker 1: the matter shortly to my wife, and in five minutes
Speaker 1: was inside a hansom, driving with my new acquaintance to
Speaker 1: Baker Street. Sherlock Holmes was as I expected, lounging about
Speaker 1: his sitting room in his dressing gown, reading the agony
Speaker 1: column of the Times, and smoking his before breakfast pipe,
Speaker 1: which was composed of all the plugs and dottles left
Speaker 1: from his smokes of the day before, all carefully dried
Speaker 1: and collected in the corner of the mantel piece. He
Speaker 1: received us in his quietly genial fashion, ordered fresh rashers
Speaker 1: and eggs, and joined us in a hearty meal. When
Speaker 1: it was concluded, he settled our new acquaintance upon the sofa,
Speaker 1: placed a pillow beneath his head, and laid a glass
Speaker 1: of brandy and water within his reach. It is easy
Speaker 1: to see that your experience has been no common one,
Speaker 1: mister Hatherley, said. He pray, lie down there and make
Speaker 1: yourself absolutely at home. Tell us what you can, but
Speaker 1: stop when you are tired, and keep up your strength
Speaker 1: with a little stimulant Thank you, said my patient. But
Speaker 1: I have felt another man since the doctor bandage me,
Speaker 1: and I think that your breakfast has completed the cure.
Speaker 1: I shall take up as little of your valuable time
Speaker 1: as possible, so I shall start at once upon my
Speaker 1: peculiar experiences. Holmes sat in his big arm chair with
Speaker 1: the weary, heavy lidded expression which failed his keen and
Speaker 1: eager nature, while I sat opposite to him, and we
Speaker 1: listened in silence to the strange story which our visitor
Speaker 1: detailed to us. You must know, said he, that I
Speaker 1: am an orphan and a bachelor, residing alone in lodgings
Speaker 1: in London. By profession, I am a hydraulic engineer, and
Speaker 1: I have had considerable experience of my work during the
Speaker 1: seven years that I was apprenticed to Venner and Matheson,
Speaker 1: the well known firm of Greenwich. Two years ago, having
Speaker 1: served my time, and having also come into a fair
Speaker 1: sum of money through my poor father's death, I determined
Speaker 1: to start in business for myself and took professional chambers
Speaker 1: in Victorious Street. I suppose that everyone finds his first
Speaker 1: independent start in business a dreary experience to me, it
Speaker 1: has been exceptionally so. During two years I have had
Speaker 1: three consultations in one small job, and that is absolutely
Speaker 1: all that my profession has brought me. My gross takings
Speaker 1: amount to twenty seven pounds ten shillings. Every day. From
Speaker 1: nine in the morning until four in the afternoon, I
Speaker 1: waited in my little den, until at last my heart
Speaker 1: began to sink, and I came to believe that I
Speaker 1: should never have any practice at all. Yesterday, however, just
Speaker 1: as I was thinking of leaving the office, my clerk
Speaker 1: entered to say there was a gentleman waiting who wished
Speaker 1: to see me upon business. He brought up a card too,
Speaker 1: with the name of Colonel Lysander Stark engraved upon it.
Speaker 1: Close at his heels came the Colonel himself, a man
Speaker 1: rather over the middle size, but of an exceeding thinness.
Speaker 1: I do not think that that I have ever seen
Speaker 1: so thin a man. His whole face sharpened away into
Speaker 1: nose and chin, and the skin of his cheeks was
Speaker 1: drawn quite tense over his outstanding bones. Yet this emaciation
Speaker 1: seemed to be his natural habit, and due to no
Speaker 1: disease for his eye was bright, his step brisk, and
Speaker 1: his bearing assured. He was plainly but neatly dressed. And
Speaker 1: his age, I should judge would be nearer forty than thirty,
Speaker 1: mister Hatherley, said he with something of a German accent.
Speaker 1: You've been recommended to me, mister Hatherley, as being a
Speaker 1: man who is not only proficient in his profession, but
Speaker 1: is also discreet and capable of preserving a secret. I bowed,
Speaker 1: feeling as flattered as any young man would at such
Speaker 1: an address. My ask who it was who gave me
Speaker 1: so good a character. Well, perhaps it is better that
Speaker 1: I should not tell you that just at this moment
Speaker 1: I have it from the same source that you are
Speaker 1: both an orphan and a bachelor and are residing alone
Speaker 1: in London. That is quite correct, I answered, But you
Speaker 1: will excuse me if I say that I cannot see
Speaker 1: how all this bears upon my professional qualifications. I understand
Speaker 1: that it was on a professional matter that you wish
Speaker 1: to speak to me, undoubtedly so, but you will find
Speaker 1: that all I say is really to the point. I
Speaker 1: have a professional commission for you. But absolute secrecy is
Speaker 1: quite essential. Absolute secrecy, you understand, and of course we
Speaker 1: may expect that more from a man who is alone
Speaker 1: than from one who lives in the bosom of his family.
Speaker 1: If I promise to keep a secret, said I, you
Speaker 1: may absolutely depend upon my doing so. He looked very
Speaker 1: hard at me as I spoke, and it seemed to
Speaker 1: me that I had never seen so suspicious and questioning
Speaker 1: an eye. Do you promise, then, he said, at last, Yes,
Speaker 1: I promise absolute and complete silence, before, during, and after
Speaker 1: no reference to the matter at all, either in word
Speaker 1: or writing. I have already given you my word. Very good.
Speaker 1: He suddenly sprang up, and, darting like lightning across the room,
Speaker 1: he flung open the door. The passage outside was empty.
Speaker 1: That's all right, sir, he coming back. I know that
Speaker 1: clerks are sometimes curious as to their master's affairs. Now
Speaker 1: we can talk in safety. He drew up his chair
Speaker 1: very close to mine and began to stare at me
Speaker 1: again with the same questioning and thoughtful look. A feeling
Speaker 1: of repulsion and of something akin to fear had begun
Speaker 1: to rise within me at the strange antics of this
Speaker 1: fleshless man. Even my dread of losing a client could
Speaker 1: not restrain me from showing my impatience. I beg that
Speaker 1: you will state your business, sir said I My time
Speaker 1: is of value. Heaven forgive me for that last sentence,
Speaker 1: But the words came to my lips. How would fifty
Speaker 1: guineas for a knight's work suit you, he asked, most admirably.
Speaker 1: I say a night's work, but an hour's would be
Speaker 1: nearer the mark. I simply want your opinion about a
Speaker 1: hydraulic stamping machine which has got out of gear. If
Speaker 1: you show us what is wrong, we shall soon set
Speaker 1: it right ourselves. What do you think of such a
Speaker 1: commission as that the work appears to be light and
Speaker 1: the pay munificent? Precisely so, we shall want you to
Speaker 1: come to night by the last train where two to
Speaker 1: Ayford in Berkshire. It is a little place near the
Speaker 1: borders of Oxfordshire, and within seven miles of reading. There
Speaker 1: is a train from Paddington which would bring you there
Speaker 1: at about eleven fifteen. Very good. I shall come down
Speaker 1: in a carriage to meet you. There is a drive then, Yes,
Speaker 1: our little place is quite out in the country. It
Speaker 1: is a good seven miles from Ayford station. Then we
Speaker 1: can hardly get there before midnight. I suppose there be
Speaker 1: no chance of a train back. I should be compelled
Speaker 1: to stop the night. Yes, we could easily give you
Speaker 1: a shakedown. That is very awkward. Could I not come
Speaker 1: at some more convenient hour. We have judged it best
Speaker 1: that you should come late. It is to recompense you
Speaker 1: for any inconvenience that we are paying to you, a
Speaker 1: young and unknown man, a fee which would buy an
Speaker 1: opinion from the very heads of your profession. Still, of course,
Speaker 1: if you would like to draw out of the business,
Speaker 1: there is plenty of time to do so. I thought
Speaker 1: of the fifty guineas of how very useful they would
Speaker 1: be to me. Not at all said I, I shall
Speaker 1: be very happy to accommodate myself to your wishes. I
Speaker 1: should like, however, to understand a little more clearly what
Speaker 1: it is that you wish me to do. Quite so,
Speaker 1: it is very natural that the pledge of secrecy which
Speaker 1: we have exacted from you should have aroused your curiosity.
Speaker 1: I have no wish to commit you to anything without
Speaker 1: your having it all laid before you. I suppose that
Speaker 1: we are absolutely safe from eavesdroppers entirely, then the matter stands. Thus,
Speaker 1: you are probably aware that Fuller's Earth is a valuable product,
Speaker 1: and that it is only found in one or two
Speaker 1: places in England. I have heard so. Some little time
Speaker 1: ago I bought a small place, a very small place,
Speaker 1: within ten miles of reading. I was fortunate enough to
Speaker 1: discover that there was a deposit of Fuller's earth in
Speaker 1: one of my fields. On examining it, however, I found
Speaker 1: that this deposit was a comparatively small one, and that
Speaker 1: it formed a link between two very much larger ones
Speaker 1: upon the right and left both of them. However, in
Speaker 1: the grounds of my neighbors. These good people were absolutely
Speaker 1: ignorant that their land contained that which was quite as
Speaker 1: valuable as a gold mine. Naturally, it was to my
Speaker 1: interest to buy their land before they discovered its true value,
Speaker 1: but unfortunately I had no capital by which I could
Speaker 1: do this. I took a few of my friends into
Speaker 1: the secret, however, and they suggested that we should quietly
Speaker 1: and secretly work our own little deposit, and that in
Speaker 1: this way we should earn the money which would enable
Speaker 1: us to buy the neighboring fields. This we have now
Speaker 1: been doing for some time, and in order to help
Speaker 1: us in the operations, we erected a hydraulic press This press,
Speaker 1: as I have already explained, has got out of order,
Speaker 1: and we wish your advice upon the subject. We guard
Speaker 1: our secret very jealously, however, and if it once became
Speaker 1: known that we had hydraulic engineers coming to our little house,
Speaker 1: it would soon rouse inquiry, and then if the facts
Speaker 1: came out, it would be good bye to any chance
Speaker 1: of getting these fields and carrying out our plans. That
Speaker 1: is why I have made you promise me that you
Speaker 1: will not tell a human being that you are going
Speaker 1: to Aford tonight. I hope that I make it all plain.
Speaker 1: I quite follow you, said I. The only point which
Speaker 1: I could not quite understand was what use you could
Speaker 1: make of a hydraulic press in excavating full as earth, which,
Speaker 1: as I understand, is dug out like gravel from a pit.
Speaker 1: Ah said he carelessly. We have our own process. We
Speaker 1: compressed the earth into bricks so as to remove them
Speaker 1: without revealing what they are. But that is a mere detail.
Speaker 1: I have taken you fully into my confidence now, mister Hatherley,
Speaker 1: and I have shown you how I trust you. He
Speaker 1: rose as he spoke. I shall expect you then at
Speaker 1: Aeford at eleven fifteen. I shall certainly be there, and
Speaker 1: not a word to a soul. He looked at me
Speaker 1: with the last long, questioning gaze, and then pressing my
Speaker 1: hand in a cold, dank grasp, he hurried from the room. Well.
Speaker 1: When I came to think it all over in cool blood,
Speaker 1: I was very much astonished, as you may both think,
Speaker 1: at this sudden commission which had been entrusted to me.
Speaker 1: On the one hand, of course, I was glad, for
Speaker 1: the fee was at least tenfold what I should have
Speaker 1: asked had I set a price upon my own services,
Speaker 1: and was possible that this order might lead to other ones.
Speaker 1: On the other hand, the face and manner of my
Speaker 1: patron had made an unpleasant impression upon me, and I
Speaker 1: could not think that his explanation of the Fuller's Earth
Speaker 1: was sufficient to explain the necessity for my coming at midnight,
Speaker 1: and his extreme anxiety lest I should tell any one
Speaker 1: of my Errand however, I threw all fears to the
Speaker 1: winds ate a hearty supper, drove to Paddington and started off,
Speaker 1: Having obeyed to the letter the injunction as to holding
Speaker 1: my tongue at reading, I had to change not only
Speaker 1: my carriage but my station However, I was in time
Speaker 1: for the last trained afort, and I reached the little
Speaker 1: dim lit station after eleven o'clock. I was the only
Speaker 1: passenger who got out there, and there was no one
Speaker 1: upon the platform save a single sleepy porter with a lantern.
Speaker 1: As I passed out through the wicket gate, however, I
Speaker 1: found my acquaintance of the morning waiting in the shadow
Speaker 1: upon the other side. Without a word, he grasped my
Speaker 1: arm and hurried me into a carriage, the door of
Speaker 1: which was standing open. He drew up the windows on
Speaker 1: either side, tapped on the woodwork, and away we went,
Speaker 1: as fast as the horse could go. One horse, interjected Holmes, Yes,
Speaker 1: only one. Did you observe the color? Yes, I saw
Speaker 1: it by the side lights when I was stepping into
Speaker 1: the carriage. It was a chestnut, tired looking or fresh, oh,
Speaker 1: fresh and glossy. Thank you. I'm sorry to have interrupted you.
Speaker 1: Pray continue your most interesting statement. Away we went, then,
Speaker 1: and we drove for at least an hour. Colonel Lysander
Speaker 1: Stark had said that it was only seven miles, but
Speaker 1: I should think from the rate that we seemed to go,
Speaker 1: and from the time that we took, that it must
Speaker 1: have been nearer twelve. He sat at my side in
Speaker 1: silence all the time, and I was aware more than
Speaker 1: once when I glanced in his direction, that he was
Speaker 1: looking at me with great intensity. The country road seemed
Speaker 1: to not be very good in that part of the world,
Speaker 1: for we lurched and jolted terribly. I tried to look
Speaker 1: out of the windows to see something of where we were,
Speaker 1: but they were made of frosted glass, and I could
Speaker 1: make out nothing save the occasional bright blur of a
Speaker 1: passing light. Now and then I hazarded some remark to
Speaker 1: break the monotony of the journey, but the Colonel answered
Speaker 1: only in monosyllables, and the conversation soon flagged. At last, however,
Speaker 1: the bumping of the road was exchanged for the crisp
Speaker 1: smoothness of a gravel drive, and the carriage came to
Speaker 1: a stand. Colonel Lysander Stark sprang out, and as I
Speaker 1: followed after him, pulled me swiftly into a porch which
Speaker 1: gaped in front of us. We stepped, as it were,
Speaker 1: right out of the carriage and into the hall, so
Speaker 1: that I failed to catch the most fleeting glance of
Speaker 1: the front of the house. The instant that I had
Speaker 1: crossed the threshold. The door slammed heavily behind us, and
Speaker 1: I heard faintly the rattle of the wheels as the
Speaker 1: carriage drove away. It was pitch dark inside the house,
Speaker 1: and the colonel fumbled about, looking for matches and muttering
Speaker 1: under his breath. Suddenly a door opened at the other
Speaker 1: end of the passage, and a long golden bar of
Speaker 1: light shot out in our direction. It grew broader, and
Speaker 1: a woman appeared with a lamp in her hand, which
Speaker 1: she held above her head, pushing her face forward ward
Speaker 1: and peering at us. I could see that she was pretty,
Speaker 1: and from the gloss with which the light shone upon
Speaker 1: her dark dress, I knew that it was a rich material.
Speaker 1: She spoke a few words in a foreign tongue, in
Speaker 1: a tone as though asking a question, and when my
Speaker 1: companion answered in a gruff monosyllable, she gave such a
Speaker 1: start that the lamp nearly fell from her hand. Colonel
Speaker 1: Stark went up to her, whispered something in her ear,
Speaker 1: and then pushing her back into the room from whence
Speaker 1: she had come, he walked towards me again with the
Speaker 1: lamp in his hand. Perhaps you will have the kindness
Speaker 1: to wait in this room for a few minutes, said he,
Speaker 1: throwing open another door. It was a quiet, little, plainly
Speaker 1: furnished room, with a round table in the center, on
Speaker 1: which several German books were scattered. Colonel Stark laid down
Speaker 1: the lamp on the top of a harmonium beside the door.
Speaker 1: I shall not keep you waiting an instant, said he,
Speaker 1: and vanished into the darkness. I glanced at the books
Speaker 1: upon the table, and in spite of my ignorance of German,
Speaker 1: I could see that the two of them were treatises
Speaker 1: on science, the other being volumes of poetry. Then I
Speaker 1: walked across to the window, hoping that I might catch
Speaker 1: some glimpse of the countryside. But an oak shutter heavily barred,
Speaker 1: was folded across it. It was a wonderfully silent house.
Speaker 1: There was an old clock ticking loudly somewhere in the passage,
Speaker 1: but otherwise everything was deadly still. A vague feeling of
Speaker 1: uneasiness began to steal over me. Who were these German people,
Speaker 1: and what were they doing living in this strange out
Speaker 1: of the way place? And where was this place? I
Speaker 1: was ten miles or so from Eyford. That was all
Speaker 1: I knew, but whether north, south, east, or west, I
Speaker 1: had no idea for that matter. Reading and possibly other
Speaker 1: large towns were within that radius, so the place might
Speaker 1: not be so secluded after all. Yet it was quite certain,
Speaker 1: from the absolute stillness that we were in the country.
Speaker 1: I paced up and down the room, humming a tune
Speaker 1: under my breath to keep up my spirits, and feeling
Speaker 1: that I was thoroughly earning my fifty guinea fee. Suddenly,
Speaker 1: without any preliminary sound, in the midst of the utter
Speaker 1: ste stillness, the door of my room swung slowly open.
Speaker 1: The woman was standing in the aperture, the darkness of
Speaker 1: the hall behind her, the yellow light for my lamp
Speaker 1: beating upon her eager and beautiful face. I could see
Speaker 1: at a glance that she was sick with fear, and
Speaker 1: the sight sent a chill to my own heart. She
Speaker 1: held up one shaking finger to warn me to be silent,
Speaker 1: and she shot a few whispered words of broken English
Speaker 1: at me, her eyes glancing back like those of a
Speaker 1: frightened horse, into the gloom behind her. I would go,
Speaker 1: said she, trying hard, as it seemed to me, to
Speaker 1: speak calmly I would go. I should not stay here.
Speaker 1: There is no good for you to do. But Madam,
Speaker 1: I said, I have not yet done what I came for.
Speaker 1: I cannot possibly leave until I have seen the machine.
Speaker 1: It is not worth your while to wait. She went on,
Speaker 1: you can pass through the door. No one hinders, And then,
Speaker 1: seeing that I smiled and shook my head, she suddenly
Speaker 1: threw aside her constraint and made a step forward with
Speaker 1: her hands wrung together. For the love of Heaven, she whispered,
Speaker 1: get away from here before it is too late. But
Speaker 1: I am somewhat headstrong by nature, and the more ready
Speaker 1: to engage in an affair when there is some obstacle
Speaker 1: in the way. I thought of my fifty guinea fee,
Speaker 1: of my wearisome journey, and of the unpleasant night which
Speaker 1: seemed to be before me. Was it all to go
Speaker 1: for nothing? Why should I slink away without having carried
Speaker 1: out my commission and without the payment which was my due.
Speaker 1: This woman might, for all I knew, be a monomaniac
Speaker 1: with a stout bearing. Therefore, though her manner had shaken
Speaker 1: me more than I cared to confess, I still shook
Speaker 1: my head and declared my intention of remaining where I was.
Speaker 1: She was about to renew her entreaties when a door
Speaker 1: slammed overhead, and the sound of several footsteps was heard
Speaker 1: upon the stairs. She listened for an instant, threw up
Speaker 1: her hands with a despairing gesture, and vanished as suddenly
Speaker 1: and as noiselessly as she had come. The newcomers were
Speaker 1: Colonel Lysander Stark and a short, thick man with the
Speaker 1: chin and chill, a beard growing out of the creases
Speaker 1: of his double chin. Who is introduced to me as
Speaker 1: mister Ferguson. This is my secretary and manager, said the colonel.
Speaker 1: By the way, I was under the impression that I
Speaker 1: let this door shut just now. I feared that you
Speaker 1: have felt the draft. On the contrary, said I, I
Speaker 1: opened the door myself because I felt the room to
Speaker 1: be a little close. He shot one of his suspicious
Speaker 1: looks at me. Perhaps we had better proceed to business, then,
Speaker 1: said he, mister Ferguson, and I will take you up
Speaker 1: to see the machine. I had better put my hat on,
Speaker 1: I suppose. Oh, no, it is in the house what
Speaker 1: you dig Fuller's earth in the house. No, No, this
Speaker 1: is only where we can press it. But never mind
Speaker 1: that all we wish you to do is to examine
Speaker 1: the machine and to let us know what is wrong
Speaker 1: with it. We went upstairs together, the Colonel first with
Speaker 1: the lamp, the fat manager, and I behind him. It
Speaker 1: was a labyrinth of an old house, with corridors, passages,
Speaker 1: narrow winding staircases, and little low doors, the thresholds of
Speaker 1: which were hollowed out by the generation who had crossed them.
Speaker 1: There were no carpets and no sign of any furniture
Speaker 1: above the ground floor, while the plaster was peeling off
Speaker 1: the walls and the damp was breaking through in green,
Speaker 1: unhealthy blotches. I tried to put on as an unconcerned
Speaker 1: air as possible, but I had not forgotten the warnings
Speaker 1: of the lady, even though I disregarded them, and I
Speaker 1: kept a keen eye upon my two companions. Ferguson appeared
Speaker 1: to be a morose and silent man, but I could
Speaker 1: see from the little that he had said that he
Speaker 1: was at least a fellow countryman. Colonel Lysander Stark stopped
Speaker 1: at last before a low door, which he unlocked. Within
Speaker 1: was a small square room in which the three of
Speaker 1: us could hardly get at one time, Ferguson remained outside,
Speaker 1: and the Colonel ushered me in. We are now said
Speaker 1: he actually within the hydraulic press, and it would be
Speaker 1: a particularly unpleasant thing for us if any one were
Speaker 1: to turn it on. The ceiling of this small chamber
Speaker 1: is really the end of the descending piston, and it
Speaker 1: comes down with the force of many tons upon this
Speaker 1: metal floor. There are some all lateral columns of water
Speaker 1: outside which received the force, and which transmit and multiply
Speaker 1: it in the manner which is familiar to you. The
Speaker 1: machine goes readily enough, but there is some stiffness in
Speaker 1: the working of it, and it has lost a little
Speaker 1: of its force. Perhaps you will have the goodness to
Speaker 1: look it over and to show us how we can
Speaker 1: set it right. I took the lamp from him, and
Speaker 1: I examined the machine very thoroughly. It was indeed a
Speaker 1: gigantic one, and capable of exercising enormous pressure. When I
Speaker 1: passed outside, however, and pressed down the levers which controlled it,
Speaker 1: I knew at once by the wishing sound that there
Speaker 1: was a slight leakage which allowed a regurgitation of water
Speaker 1: through one of the side cylinders. An examination showed that
Speaker 1: one of the indie rubber bands, which was round the
Speaker 1: head of a driving rod, had shrunk so as not
Speaker 1: quite to fill the socket along which it worked. This
Speaker 1: was clearly the cause of the loss of power, and
Speaker 1: I pointed it out to my companions, who followed my
Speaker 1: remarks very carefully and asked several practical questions as to
Speaker 1: how they should proceed to set it right. When I
Speaker 1: had made it clear to them, I returned to the
Speaker 1: main chamber of the machine and took a good look
Speaker 1: at it to satisfy my own curiosity. It was obvious
Speaker 1: at a glance that the story of the Fuller's Earth
Speaker 1: was the merest fabrication, for it would be absurd to
Speaker 1: suppose that so powerful an engine could be designed for
Speaker 1: so inadequate a purpose. The walls were of wood, but
Speaker 1: the floor consisted of a large iron trough, and when
Speaker 1: I came to examine it, I could see a crust
Speaker 1: of metallic deposit all over it. I had stooped and
Speaker 1: was scraping at this to see exactly what it was,
Speaker 1: when I heard a muttered exclamation in German and saw
Speaker 1: the cadaverous face of the Colonel looking down at me.
Speaker 1: What are you doing there, he asked. I felt angry
Speaker 1: at having been tricked by so elaborate a story as
Speaker 1: that which he had told me. I was admiring your
Speaker 1: fuller's earth, said I. I think that I should be
Speaker 1: better able to advise you as to your machine if
Speaker 1: I knew what the exact purpose was for which it
Speaker 1: was used. The instant that I uttered the words, I
Speaker 1: regretted the rashness of my speech. His face sat hard,
Speaker 1: and a bell light sprang up in his gray eyes.
Speaker 1: Very well, said he, you shall know all about the machine.
Speaker 1: He took a step backward, slammed the little door, and
Speaker 1: turned the key in the lock. I rushed towards it
Speaker 1: and pulled at the handle, but it was quite secure
Speaker 1: and had not given the least to my kicks and shoves. Hullo,
Speaker 1: I held, hullo. Colonel let me out. And then suddenly,
Speaker 1: in the silence, I heard a sound which sent my
Speaker 1: heart into my mouth. It was the clank of the
Speaker 1: levers and the swish of the leaking cylinder. He had
Speaker 1: set the engine at work. The lamp still stood upon
Speaker 1: the floor where I had placed it. When examining the
Speaker 1: trough by its light, I saw that the black ceiling
Speaker 1: was coming down upon me, slowly, jerkily, but as none
Speaker 1: knew better than myself, with a force which must, within
Speaker 1: a minute grind me to a shapeless pulp. I threw myself,
Speaker 1: screaming against the door, and dragged with my nails at
Speaker 1: the lock. I implored the colonel to let me out,
Speaker 1: but the remorseless clanking of the levers drowned my cries.
Speaker 1: The ceiling was only foot or two above my head,
Speaker 1: and with my hand upraised, I could feel its hard,
Speaker 1: rough surface. Then it flashed through my mind that the
Speaker 1: pain of my death would depend very much upon the
Speaker 1: position in which I met it. If I lay on
Speaker 1: my face, the weight would come upon my spine, and
Speaker 1: I shuddered to think of that dreadful snap. Easier the
Speaker 1: other way, perhaps, And yet had I the nerve to
Speaker 1: lie and look up at that deadly black shadow wavering
Speaker 1: down upon me, already I was unable to stand erect
Speaker 1: when my eye caught something which brought a gush of
Speaker 1: hope back to my heart. I have said that though
Speaker 1: the floor and ceiling were of iron, the walls were
Speaker 1: of wood. As I gave a last hurried glance around
Speaker 1: I saw a thin line of yellow light between two
Speaker 1: of the boards, which broadened and broadened as a small
Speaker 1: panel was pushed backward. For an instant I could hardly
Speaker 1: believe that here was indeed a door which led away
Speaker 1: from death. The next instant I threw myself through and
Speaker 1: lay half fainting upon the other side. The panel had
Speaker 1: closed again behind me, But the crash of the lamp,
Speaker 1: and a few moments afterwards the clang of the two
Speaker 1: slabs of metal told me how narrow had been my escape.
Speaker 1: I was recalled to myself by frantic plucking at my wrist,
Speaker 1: and I found myself lying upon the stone floor of
Speaker 1: a narrow corridor, while a woman bent over me and
Speaker 1: tugged at me with her left hand, while she held
Speaker 1: a candle in her right. It was the same good
Speaker 1: friend whose warning I had so foolishly rejected. Come, Come,
Speaker 1: she cried breathlessly. They will be here in a moment.
Speaker 1: They will see that you are not there. Oh, do
Speaker 1: not waste the so precious time. But come this time,
Speaker 1: at least I did not scorn her advice. I staggered
Speaker 1: to my feet and ran with her along the corridor
Speaker 1: and down a winding stair. The latter led to another
Speaker 1: broad passage, and just as we reached it, we heard
Speaker 1: the sound of running feet and the shouting of two voices,
Speaker 1: one answering the other from the floor on which we were,
Speaker 1: and from the one beneath. My guide stopped and looked
Speaker 1: about her, like one who was at her WIT's end.
Speaker 1: Then she threw open a door which led into a bedroom,
Speaker 1: through the window which the moon was shining brightly. It
Speaker 1: is your only chance, said she. It is high, but
Speaker 1: it may be that you can jump it. As she spoke,
Speaker 1: a light sprang into view at the further end of
Speaker 1: the passage, and I saw the lean figure of Colonel
Speaker 1: Lysander Stark rushing forward, with a lantern in one hand
Speaker 1: and a weapon like a butcher's cleaver in the other.
Speaker 1: I rushed across the bedroom, flung open the window, and
Speaker 1: looked out how quiet and sweet and wholesome the garden
Speaker 1: looked in the moonlight, and it could not be more
Speaker 1: than thirty feet down. I clambered out upon the sill,
Speaker 1: but I hesitated to jump until I should have heard
Speaker 1: what passed between my savior and the ruffian who pursued me.
Speaker 1: If she were ill used, then at any risks. I
Speaker 1: was determined to go back to her assistance. The thought
Speaker 1: had hardly flashed through my mind before he was at
Speaker 1: the door, pushing his way past her, But she threw
Speaker 1: her arms round him and tried to hold him back. Fritz, Fritz,
Speaker 1: she cried in English. Remember your promise, after the last
Speaker 1: time you said it should not be again. He will
Speaker 1: be silent. Oh, he'll be silent. You are mad, Elise,
Speaker 1: he shouted, struggling to break away from her. You will
Speaker 1: be the ruin of us. He has seen too much.
Speaker 1: Let me pass, I say. He dashed her to one side, and,
Speaker 1: rushing to the window, cut at me with his heavy weapon.
Speaker 1: I had let myself go and was hanging by the
Speaker 1: hands to the sill. When his blow fell. I was
Speaker 1: conscious of a dull pain. My grip loosened, and I
Speaker 1: fell into the garden below. I was shaken, but not
Speaker 1: hurt by the fall. So I picked myself up and
Speaker 1: rushed off among the bushes as hard as I could run,
Speaker 1: for I understood that I was far from being out
Speaker 1: of danger yet. Suddenly, however, as I ran, a deadly
Speaker 1: dizziness and sickness came over me. I glanced down at
Speaker 1: my hand, which was throbbing painfully, and then for the
Speaker 1: first time saw that my thumb had been cut off,
Speaker 1: and that the blood was pouring from my wound. I
Speaker 1: endeavored to tie my handkerchief round it, but there came
Speaker 1: a sudden buzzing in my ears, and next moment I
Speaker 1: fell into a dead faint among the rose bushes. How
Speaker 1: long I remained unconscious, I cannot tell. It must have
Speaker 1: been in a very long time, for the moon had
Speaker 1: sunk and a bright morning was breaking. When I came
Speaker 1: to myself, my clothes were all sodden with dew, and
Speaker 1: my coat sleeve was drenched with blood from my wounded thumb.
Speaker 1: The smarting of it recalled in an instant all the
Speaker 1: particulars of my night's adventure, and I sprang to my
Speaker 1: feet with the feeling that I might hardly yet be
Speaker 1: safe from my pursuers. But to my astonishment, when I
Speaker 1: came to look round me, neither house nor garden were
Speaker 1: to be seen. I had been lying in an angle
Speaker 1: of the hedge, close by the high road, and just
Speaker 1: a little lower down was a long building, which proved,
Speaker 1: upon my approaching it, to be the very station at
Speaker 1: which I had arrived upon the previous night. Were it
Speaker 1: not for the ugly wound upon my hand, all that
Speaker 1: had passed during those dreadful hours might have been an
Speaker 1: evil dream. Half dazed, I went into the station and
Speaker 1: asked about the morning train. There'd be one to reading
Speaker 1: in less than an hour. The same porter was on duty,
Speaker 1: I found as had been there when I arrived. I
Speaker 1: inquired of him whether he had ever heard of Colonel
Speaker 1: Lysander's Stark. The name was strange to him. Had he
Speaker 1: observed a carriage the night before waiting for me? No,
Speaker 1: he had not. Was there a police station anywhere near?
Speaker 1: There was one about three miles off. It was too
Speaker 1: far for me to go. Weak and ill as I was,
Speaker 1: I determined to wait until I got back to town
Speaker 1: before telling my story to the police. It was a
Speaker 1: little past six when I arrived, so I went first
Speaker 1: to have my wound a dressed, and then the doctor
Speaker 1: was kind enough to bring me along here. I put
Speaker 1: the case into your hands, and shall do exactly what
Speaker 1: you advise. We both sat in silence for some little
Speaker 1: time after listening to this extraordinary narrative. Then Sherlock Holmes
Speaker 1: pulled down from the shelf one of the ponderous commonplace
Speaker 1: books in which he placed his cuttings. Here is an
Speaker 1: advertisement which will interest you, said he. It appeared in
Speaker 1: all the papers about a year ago. Listen to this
Speaker 1: lost on the ninth mister Jeremiah Hayling, aged twenty six,
Speaker 1: a hydraulic engineer, left his lodgings at ten o'clock at
Speaker 1: night and has not been heard of since. Was dressed
Speaker 1: in et cetera, et cetera. Ha, that represents the last
Speaker 1: time that the colonel needed to have his machine overhauled.
Speaker 1: I fancy good, heavens, cried my patient. Then that explains
Speaker 1: what the girl said. Undoubtedly it is quite clear that
Speaker 1: the colonel was a cool and desperate man who was
Speaker 1: absolutely determined that nothing should stand in the way of
Speaker 1: his little game, like those out and out pirates who
Speaker 1: will leave no survivor from a captured ship. Well, every
Speaker 1: moment now is precious, so if you feel equal to it,
Speaker 1: we shall go down to Scotland Yard at once as
Speaker 1: a preliminary to starting for Ayford. Some three hours or
Speaker 1: so afterwards, we were all in the train together, bound
Speaker 1: from Reading to the Little Berkshire village. There were Sherlock Holmes,
Speaker 1: the hydraulic engineer, Inspector Bradstreet of Scotland, Yard, a plain's clothesman,
Speaker 1: and myself. Brad Street had spread an ordnance map of
Speaker 1: the county out upon the seat, and was busy with
Speaker 1: his compass drawing a circle with Ayford for its center.
Speaker 1: There you are, said he. That circle is drawn at
Speaker 1: a radius of ten miles from the village. The place
Speaker 1: we want must be somewhere near that line. You said,
Speaker 1: ten miles. I think, sir, it was an hour's good drive.
Speaker 1: And you think that they brought you back all that
Speaker 1: way when you were unconscious. They must have done so.
Speaker 1: I have a confused memory too, of having been lifted
Speaker 1: and conveyed somewhere. What I cannot understand, said I is
Speaker 1: why they should have spared you when they found you
Speaker 1: lying fainting in the garden. Perhaps the villain was softened
Speaker 1: by the woman's entreaties. I hardly think that likely. I
Speaker 1: never saw a more inexorable face in my life. Oh
Speaker 1: we shall soon clear up all that, said brad Street. Well,
Speaker 1: I have drawn my circle, and I only wish I
Speaker 1: knew at what point upon it the folk that we
Speaker 1: are in search of are to be found. I think
Speaker 1: I could lay my finger on it, said Holmes quietly.
Speaker 1: Really now, cried the inspector. You have formed your opinion.
Speaker 1: Come now we shall see who agrees with you. Ay
Speaker 1: say it is south, for the country is more deserted there,
Speaker 1: and I say east, said my patient. I am for west,
Speaker 1: remarked the plains clothesman. There are several quiet little villages
Speaker 1: up there, And I am for north, said I because
Speaker 1: there are no hills there. And our friend says they
Speaker 1: did not notice the carriage go up any Come, cried
Speaker 1: the inspector, laughing. It's a very pretty diversity of opinion.
Speaker 1: We have boxed the compass among us. Who do you
Speaker 1: give your casting vote to? You are all wrong, but
Speaker 1: we can't all be. Oh, yes you can. This is
Speaker 1: my point. He placed his finger in the center of
Speaker 1: the circle. This is where we shall find them. But
Speaker 1: the twelve mile drive, gasp, Patherley, six out and six back?
Speaker 1: Nothing simpler. You say yourself that the horse was fresh
Speaker 1: and glossy when you get in. How could it be
Speaker 1: that if it had gone twelve miles over heavy roads? Indeed,
Speaker 1: it is a likely ruse enough, observed Bradstreet thoughtfully. Of course,
Speaker 1: there can be no doubt as to the nature of
Speaker 1: this gang, none at all, said Holmes. They are coiners
Speaker 1: on a large scale, and have used the machine to
Speaker 1: form the amalgam which has taken the place of silver.
Speaker 1: We have known for some time that a clever gang
Speaker 1: was at work, said the inspector. They've been turning out
Speaker 1: half crowns by the thousand. We even trace them as
Speaker 1: far as Redding, but get no farther, for they'd covered
Speaker 1: their traces in a way that showed that they were
Speaker 1: very old hands. But now, thanks to this lucky chance,
Speaker 1: I think that we have got them right enough. But
Speaker 1: the inspector was mistaken, for those criminals were not destined
Speaker 1: to fall into the hands of justice. As we rolled
Speaker 1: into Ayford station, we saw a gigantic column of smoke
Speaker 1: which streamed up from behind a small clump of trees
Speaker 1: in the neighborhood and hung like an immense Ostrich feather
Speaker 1: over the landscape. A house on fire, asked Bradstreet, as
Speaker 1: the train steamed off again on its way, Yes, sir,
Speaker 1: said the station master. When did it break out? I
Speaker 1: hear that it was during the night, sir, But has
Speaker 1: got worse, and the whole place is in a blaze.
Speaker 1: Whose house is it? Doctor Becker's tell me broke In
Speaker 1: the engineer. Is doctor Becker a German, very thin, with
Speaker 1: a long sharp nose. The station master laughed heartily, No, sir,
Speaker 1: Doctor Becker is an Englishman, and there isn't a man
Speaker 1: in the parish who has a better lined waistcoat. But
Speaker 1: he has a gentleman staying with them, a patient, as
Speaker 1: I understand, who is a foreigner. And he looks as
Speaker 1: if a little good Berkshire beef would do him no harm.
Speaker 1: The station master had not finished his speech before we
Speaker 1: were all hastening in the direction of the fire. The
Speaker 1: road topped a low hill, and there was a great
Speaker 1: widespread whitewashed building in front of us, spouting fire at
Speaker 1: every chink and window, while in the garden in front,
Speaker 1: three fire engines were vainly striving to keep the flames
Speaker 1: under That's it, cried Hatherley, in intense excitement. There is
Speaker 1: the gravel drive, and there are the rose bushes where
Speaker 1: I lay. That second window was the one that I
Speaker 1: jumped from. Well, at least, said Holmes, you've had your
Speaker 1: revenge upon them. There could be no question that it
Speaker 1: was your oil lamp which when it was crushed in
Speaker 1: the press set fire to the wooden walls, though no
Speaker 1: doubt they were too excited in the chase after you
Speaker 1: to observe it at the time. Now keep your eyes
Speaker 1: open in this crowd for your friends of last night,
Speaker 1: though I very much fear that they are a good
Speaker 1: hundred miles off by now. And Holmes's fears came to
Speaker 1: be realized, for from that day to this no word
Speaker 1: has ever been heard either of the beautiful woman, the
Speaker 1: sinister German, or the morose Englishmen. Early that morning a
Speaker 1: peasant had met a cart containing several people and some
Speaker 1: very bulky boxes, driving rapidly in the direction of Reading.
Speaker 1: But there all traces of the fugitives disappeared, and even
Speaker 1: Holmes's ingenuity failed ever to discover the least clue as
Speaker 1: to their whereabouts. The firemen had been much perturbed at
Speaker 1: the strange arrangements which they had found within, and still
Speaker 1: more so by discovering a newly severed human thumb upon
Speaker 1: a window sill of the second floor. About sunset, however,
Speaker 1: their efforts were at last successful, and they subdued the flames,
Speaker 1: but not before the roof had fallen in and the
Speaker 1: whole place had been reduced to such an absolute ruin that,
Speaker 1: save some twisted cylinders and iron piping, not a trace
Speaker 1: remained of the machinery which had cost our unfortunate acquaintance.
Speaker 1: So dearly large masses of nickel out of tin were
Speaker 1: discovered stored in an outhouse, but no coins were to
Speaker 1: be found, which may have explained the presence of those
Speaker 1: bulky boxes which have been already referred to. How our
Speaker 1: hydraulic engineer had been conveyed from the garden to the
Speaker 1: spot where he recovered his senses might have remained forever
Speaker 1: a mystery, were it not for the soft mold, which
Speaker 1: told us a very plain tale. He had evidently been
Speaker 1: carried down by two persons, one of whom had remarkably
Speaker 1: small feet and the other unusually large ones. On the
Speaker 1: whole it was most probable that the silent Englishman, being
Speaker 1: less bold or less murderous than his companion, had assisted
Speaker 1: the woman to bear the unconscious man out of the
Speaker 1: way of danger. Well, said our engineer ruefully, as we
Speaker 1: took our seats to return once more to London. It
Speaker 1: has been a pretty business for me. I've lost my
Speaker 1: thumb and I have lost a fifty guinea fee, and
Speaker 1: what have I gained? Experience? Said Holmes, laughing indirectly it
Speaker 1: may be of value, you know. You've only to put
Speaker 1: it into words to gain the reputation of being excellent
Speaker 1: company for the remainder of your existence. End of Chapter nine.