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Speaker 1: The resident patient. Glancing over the somewhat incoherent series of

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memoirs with which I have endeavored to illustrate a few

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of the mental peculiarities of my friend mister Sherlock Holmes,

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I have been struck by the difficulty which I have

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experienced in picking out examples which shall in every way

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answer my purpose. For in those cases in which Holmes

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has performed some toward a force of analytical reasoning and

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has demonstrated the value of his peculiar methods of investigation,

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the facts themselves have often been so slight or so commonplace,

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that I could not feel justified in laying them before

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the public. On the other hand, it has frequently happened

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that he has been concerned in some research where the

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facts have been of the most remarkable and dramatic character,

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but where the share which he has himself taken in

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determining their causes has been less pronounced than I, as

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his biographer, could wish. The small matter which I have

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chronicled under the heading of a study in scar and

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that other later one connected with the loss of the

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glorious Scott, may serve as examples of this. Scylla and charybdis,

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which are forever threatening the historian. It may be that,

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in the business of which I am now about to write,

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the part which my friend played is not sufficiently accentuated.

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And yet the whole train of circumstances is so remarkable

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that I cannot bring myself to omit it entirely from

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this series. It had been a close, rainy day in October.

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Our blinds were half drawn, and homes lay curled upon

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the sofa, reading and re reading a letter which he

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had received by the morning post. For myself, my term

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of service in India had trained me to stand heat

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better than cold, and a thermometer of ninety was no hardship.

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But the paper was uninteresting. Parliament had risen, everybody was

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out of town, and I yearned for the glades of

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the New Forest or the shingle of Southsea. A depleted

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bank account had caused me to postpone my holiday. And

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as to my companion, neither the country nor the sea

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presented the slightest attraction to him. He loved to lie

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in the very center of five millions of people, with

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his filaments stretching out and running through them, responsive to

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every little rumor or suspicion of unsolved crime. Appreciation of

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nature found no place among his many gifts, and his

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only change was when he turned his mind from the

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evil doer of the town to track down his brother

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of the country. Finding that Holmes was too absorbed for conversation,

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I had tossed aside the barren paper, and leaning back

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in my chair, I fell into a brown study. Suddenly

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my companion's voice broke in upon my thoughts. You are right, Watson,

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said he. It does seem a very preposterous way of

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settling a dispute. Most preposterous, I exclaimed, and then, suddenly

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realizing how he had echoed the inmost thought of my soul,

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I sat up in my chair and stared at him

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in blank amazement. What is this, Holmes, I cried, This

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is beyond anything which I could have imagined. He laughed

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heartily at my perplexity. You remember, said he that, some

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little time ago, when I read you the passage in

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one of Poe's sketches, in which a close reasoner follows

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the unspoken thought of his companion, you were inclined to

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treat the matter as a mere tortive force of the

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author on my remarking that I was constantly in the

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habit of doing the same thing. You expressed incredulity. Oh no,

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perhaps not with your tongue, my dear Watson, but certainly

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with your eyebrows. So when I saw you throw down

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your paper and enter upon a train of thought, I

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was very happy to have the opportunity of reading it off,

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and eventually of breaking into it, as a proof that

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I had been in rapport with you. But I was

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still far from satisfied in the example which you read

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to me, said I. The reasoner drew his conclusions from

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the actions of the man whom he observed. If I

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remember right, he stumbled over a heap of stones, looked

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up at the stars, and so on. But I've been

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seated quietly in my chair, And what clues can I

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have given you? You do yourself an injustice. The features

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are given to man as the means by which he

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shall express his emotions, and yours are faithful servants. Do

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you mean to say that you read my train of

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thoughts from my features? Your features, and especially your eyes.

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Perhaps you cannot yourself recall how your reverie commenced. No

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I cannot. Then I will tell you. After throwing down

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your paper, which was the act which drew my attention

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to you, You sat for half a minute with a

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vacant expression. Then your eyes fixed themselves upon your newly

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framed picture of General Gordon, and I saw by the

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alteration in your face that a train of thought had

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been started, but it did not lead very far. Your

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eyes turned across to the unframed portrait of Henry Ward Beecher,

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which stands upon the top of your books. You then

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glanced up at the wall, and of course your meaning

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was obvious. You were thinking that if the portrait were framed,

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it would just cover that bare space and correspond with

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Gordon's picture over there. You followed me wonderfully, I exclaimed,

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so far I could hardly have gone astray. But now

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your thoughts went back to Beecher, and you looked hard across,

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as if you were studying the character in his features.

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Then your eyes ceased pucker, but you continue to look across,

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and your face was thoughtful. You were recalling the incidents

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of Beecher's career. I was well aware that you could

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not do this without thinking of the mission which he

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undertook on behalf of the North at the time of

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the Civil War. For I remember you expressing your passionate

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indignation at the way in which he was received by

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the more turbulent of our people. You felt so strongly

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about it that I knew you could not think of

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Beecher without thinking of that. Also, when a moment later

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I saw your eyes wander away from the picture, I

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suspected that your mind had now turned to the Civil war.

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And when I observed that your lips set, your eyes sparkled,

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and your hands clinched, I was positive that you were

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indeed thinking of the gallantry which was shown by both

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sides in that desperate struggle. But then again your face

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grew sadder. You shook your head. You were dwelling upon

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the sadness and horror and useless waste of life. Your

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hands stole towards your own old wound, and a smile

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quivered on your lips, which showed me that the ridiculous

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side of this method of settling international questions had forced

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itself upon your mind. At this point I agreed with

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you that it was preposterous, and was glad to find

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that all my deductions had been correct. Absolutely, said I,

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And now that you've explained it. I confess that I

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am as amazed as before. It was very superficial, My

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dear Watson, I assure you I should not have intruded

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it upon your attention, had you not shown some incredulity

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the other day. But the evening has brought a breeze

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with it. What do you say to a ramble through London?

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I was weary of our little sitting room and gladly acquiesced.

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For three hours we strolled about together, watching the ever

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changing kaleidoscope of life as it ebbs and flows through

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Fleet Street and the Strand. His characteristic talk, its keen

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observance of detail, and subtle power of inference, held me

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amused and enthralled. It was ten o'clock before we reached

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Baker Street again. A Brupham was waiting at our door. Hum,

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a doctor's general practitioner, I perceive, said Holmes not been

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long in practice, but has a good deal to do.

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Come to consult us. I fancy lucky we came back.

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I was sufficiently conversant with Holmes's methods to be able

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to follow his reasoning and to see that the nature

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and state of the various medical instruments in the wicker

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basket which hung in the lamp light inside the Brupham

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had given him the data for his swift deduction. The

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light in our window above showed that his late visit

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was indeed intended for us. With some curiosity as to

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what could have sent a brother Medico to us at

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such an hour, I followed Holmes into our sanctum. A pale,

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taper faced man with sandy whiskers rose up from a

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chair by the fire as we entered. His age may

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not have been more than three or four and thirty,

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but his haggard expression and unhealthy hue told of a

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life which has sapped his strength and robbed him of

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his youth. His manner was nervous and shy, like that

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of a sensitive gentleman, and the thin white hand which

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he laid on the mantelpiece as he rose was that

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of an artist rather than of a surgeon. His dress

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was quiet and somber, a black frock coat, dark trousers,

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and a touch of color about his necktie. Good evening, doctor,

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said Holmes cheerily. I am glad to see that you

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have only been waiting a very few minutes. You spoke

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to my coachman. Then now it was the candle on

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the side table that told me, pray, resume your seat

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and let me know how I can serve you. My

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name is doctor Percy Trevellian, said our visitor. He and

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I live at four O three Brook Street. Are you

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not the author of a monograph upon Obscure Nervous Lesions?

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I asked, his pale cheeks flushed with pleasure at hearing

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that his work was known to me. I so seldom

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hear of the work that I thought it was quite dead,

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said he. My publishers gave me most discouraging account of

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its sale. You are, yourself, I presume, a medical man,

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a retired Army surgeon. My own hobby has always been

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nervous disease. I should wish to make it an absolute specialty,

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but of course a man must take what he can

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get at first. This, however, is beside the question, mister

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Sherlock Holmes, and I quite appreciate how valuable your time is.

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The fact is that a very singular train of events

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has occurred recently at my house in Brook Street, and

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to night they came to such a head as I

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felt it was quite impossible for me to wait another

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hour before asking for your advice and assistance. Sherlock Holmes

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sat down and lit his pipe. You are very welcome

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to both, said he pray. Let me have a detailed

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account of what the circumstances are which have disturbed you.

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One or two of them are so trivial, said Doctor Trevallion.

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That really I am almost ashamed to mention them. But

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the matter is so inexplicable, and the recent turn which

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it has taken is so elaborate, that I shall lay

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it all before you, and you shall judge what is

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essential and what is not. I am compelled to begin

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with to say something of my own college career. I

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am a London University man, you know, and I am

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sure that you will not think that I am unduly

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singing my own praises if I say that my student

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career was considered by my professors to be a very

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promising one. After I graduated, I continued to devote myself

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to research, occupying a minor position in King's College Hospital,

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and I was fortunate enough to excite considerable interest by

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my my research into the pathology of catalepsy, and finally

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to win the Bruce Pinkton Prize and meddle by the

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monograph on Nervous Lesions to which your friend has just alluded.

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I should not go too far if I were to

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say that there was a general impression at the time

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that a distinguished career lay before me. But the one

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great stumbling block lay in my want of capital. As

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you will readily understand, a specialist who aims high is

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compelled to start in one of a dozen streets in

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the Cavendish Square Quarter, all of which entail enormous rents

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and furnishing expenses. Besides this preliminary outlay, he must be

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prepared to keep himself for some years, and to hire

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a presentable carriage and horse. To do this was quite

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beyond my power, and I could only hope that by economy,

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I might in ten years time save enough to enable

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me to put up my plate. Suddenly, however, an unexpected

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incident opened up quite a new prospect to me. This

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was a visit from a gentleman of the name of Blessington,

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who was a complete stranger to me. He came up

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to my room one morning and plunged into business in

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an instant. You are the same, Percy Trevellion, who has

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had so distinguished a career and won a great prize lately,

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said he. I bowed answer me frankly, he continued, for

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you'll find it your interest to do so. You have

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all the cleverness which makes a successful man, have you

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the tact? I could not help smiling at the abruptness

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of the question. I trust that I have my share,

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I said, any bad habits not drawn towards drink ere? Really, sir,

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I cried, quite right, that's all right. But I was

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bound to ask, with all these qualities, why are you

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not in practice? I shrugged my shoulders. Come, come, said

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he in his bustling way. It's the old story. More

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in your brains than in your pocket. Eh, What would

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you say if I were to start you in brook Street?

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I stared at him in astonishment. Oh it's for my sake,

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not for yours, he cried. I'll be perfectly frank with you,

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and if it suits you, it'll suit me very well.

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I have a few thousands to invest, you see, and

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I think I'll sink them in you. But why, I gasped, Well,

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it's just like any other speculation, and safer than most.

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What am I to do. Then I'll tell you I'll

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take the house, furnish it, pay the maids, and run

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the whole place. All you have to do is just

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to wear out your chair in the consulting room. I'll

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let you have pocket money and everything, and you hand

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over to me three quarters of what you earn, and

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you keep the other quarter for yourself. This was the

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00:15:00,840 --> 00:15:05,039
strange proposal, mister Holmes, with which the man Blessington approached me.

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I won't weary you with the account of how we

243
00:15:08,120 --> 00:15:12,200
bargained and negotiated. It ended in my moving into the

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house next lady day and starting in practice on very

245
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much the same conditions as he had suggested. He came

246
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himself to live with me in the character of a

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resident patient. His heart was weak, it appears, and he

248
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needed constant medical supervision. He turned the two best rooms

249
00:15:30,720 --> 00:15:33,320
of the first floor into a sitting room and bed

250
00:15:33,399 --> 00:15:36,840
room for himself. He was a man of singular habits,

251
00:15:37,360 --> 00:15:41,799
shunning company and very seldom going out. His life was irregular,

252
00:15:42,399 --> 00:15:46,759
but in one respect he was regularity itself. Every evening,

253
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at the same hour he walked into the consulting room,

254
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examined the books, put down five and threepence for every

255
00:15:54,519 --> 00:15:57,279
guinea that I had earned, and carried the rest off

256
00:15:57,320 --> 00:16:00,679
to the strong box in his own room. I may

257
00:16:00,720 --> 00:16:03,759
say with confidence that he never had occasion to regret

258
00:16:03,759 --> 00:16:07,960
his speculation. From the first it was a success. A

259
00:16:08,000 --> 00:16:11,080
few good cases, and the reputation which I had won

260
00:16:11,120 --> 00:16:14,399
in the hospital brought me rapidly to the front, and

261
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during the last few years I have made him a

262
00:16:17,080 --> 00:16:21,519
rich man. So much mister Holmes, for my past history

263
00:16:22,080 --> 00:16:25,960
and my relations with mister Blessington, it only remains for

264
00:16:26,080 --> 00:16:28,039
me now to tell you what has occurred to bring

265
00:16:28,080 --> 00:16:32,960
me here to night. Some weeks ago mister Blessington came

266
00:16:33,000 --> 00:16:35,480
down to me, in as it seemed to me, a

267
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state of considerable agitation. He spoke of some burglary which

268
00:16:40,000 --> 00:16:43,080
he said had been committed in the West End, and

269
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he appeared, I remember, to be quite unnecessarily excited about it,

270
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declaring that a day should not pass before we should

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add stronger bolts to our windows and doors. For a

272
00:16:53,639 --> 00:16:56,799
week he continued to be in a peculiar state of restlessness,

273
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peering continually out of the windows and to take the

274
00:17:00,799 --> 00:17:03,600
short walk which had usually been the prelude to his dinner.

275
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From his manner, it struck me that he was in

276
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mortal dread of something or somebody. But when I questioned

277
00:17:11,519 --> 00:17:15,039
him upon the point, he became so offensive that I

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00:17:15,119 --> 00:17:19,599
was compelled to drop the subject. Gradually, as time passed,

279
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his fears appeared to die away, and he had renewed

280
00:17:22,680 --> 00:17:26,039
his former habits, when a fresh event reduced him to

281
00:17:26,079 --> 00:17:29,400
the pitiable state of prostration in which he now lies.

282
00:17:30,759 --> 00:17:35,000
What happened was this. Two days ago I received the

283
00:17:35,079 --> 00:17:38,599
letter which I now read to you. Neither address nor

284
00:17:38,680 --> 00:17:42,799
date is attached to it. A Russian nobleman, who is

285
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now resident in England, it runs, would be glad to

286
00:17:46,200 --> 00:17:50,359
avail himself of the professional assistance of doctor Percy Trevallian.

287
00:17:51,119 --> 00:17:54,000
He has been for some years a victim to cataleptic attacks,

288
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on which, as is well known, doctor trevallion is an authority.

289
00:17:59,240 --> 00:18:01,880
He proposes to call at about quarter past six to

290
00:18:01,880 --> 00:18:05,519
morrow evening, if Doctor Trevallian will make it convenient to

291
00:18:05,559 --> 00:18:11,200
be at home. This letter interested me deeply, because the

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chief difficulty in the study of catalepsy is the rareness

293
00:18:14,759 --> 00:18:18,200
of the disease. You may believe, then, that I was

294
00:18:18,240 --> 00:18:21,519
in my consulting room when at the appointed hour the

295
00:18:21,559 --> 00:18:27,400
page showed in the patient. He was an elderly man, thin, demure,

296
00:18:27,839 --> 00:18:32,160
and commonplace, by no means the conception one forms of

297
00:18:32,160 --> 00:18:35,680
a Russian nobleman. I was much more struck by the

298
00:18:35,680 --> 00:18:39,480
appearance of his companion. This was a tall young man,

299
00:18:40,000 --> 00:18:44,319
surprisingly handsome, with a dark, fierce face and the lips

300
00:18:44,359 --> 00:18:47,880
and chest of a Hercules. He had his hand under

301
00:18:47,920 --> 00:18:50,680
the other's arm as they entered, and helped him to

302
00:18:50,720 --> 00:18:53,279
a chair with a tenderness which one would hardly have

303
00:18:53,319 --> 00:18:58,720
expected from his appearance. You will excuse me coming in, doctor,

304
00:18:59,119 --> 00:19:01,799
said he to me, speaking English with a slight lisp.

305
00:19:02,759 --> 00:19:05,640
This is my father, and his health is a matter

306
00:19:05,720 --> 00:19:09,960
of the most overwhelming importance to me. I was touched

307
00:19:10,000 --> 00:19:14,519
by his filial anxiety. You would perhaps care to remain

308
00:19:14,640 --> 00:19:19,519
during the consultation, said I, Not for the world, he cried,

309
00:19:19,559 --> 00:19:22,559
with a gesture of horror. It is more painful to

310
00:19:22,640 --> 00:19:26,240
me than I can express. If I were to see

311
00:19:26,319 --> 00:19:29,720
my father in one of those dreadful seizures. I am

312
00:19:29,799 --> 00:19:33,400
convinced that I should never survive it. My own nervous

313
00:19:33,400 --> 00:19:37,880
system is an exceptionally sensitive one. With your permission, I

314
00:19:37,920 --> 00:19:40,759
will remain in the waiting room while you go into

315
00:19:40,759 --> 00:19:45,680
my father's case. To this, of course, I assented, and

316
00:19:45,759 --> 00:19:49,480
the young man withdrew the patient, and I then plunged

317
00:19:49,480 --> 00:19:52,279
into a discussion of his case, of which I took

318
00:19:52,319 --> 00:19:57,160
exhaustive notes. He was not remarkable for intelligence, and his

319
00:19:57,240 --> 00:20:00,920
answers were frequently obscure, which I attribut to his limited

320
00:20:00,920 --> 00:20:05,960
acquaintance with our language. Suddenly, however, as I sat writing,

321
00:20:06,599 --> 00:20:09,119
he ceased to give any answer at all to my inquiries,

322
00:20:09,799 --> 00:20:13,000
and on my turning towards him, I was shocked to

323
00:20:13,039 --> 00:20:15,880
see that he was sitting bolt upright in his chair,

324
00:20:16,400 --> 00:20:19,319
staring at me with a perfectly blank and rigid face.

325
00:20:20,279 --> 00:20:23,640
He was again in the grip of his mysterious malady.

326
00:20:25,079 --> 00:20:27,920
My first feeling, as I have just said, was one

327
00:20:27,960 --> 00:20:32,240
of pity and horror. My second, I fear, was rather

328
00:20:32,359 --> 00:20:36,640
one of professional satisfaction. I made notes of my patient's

329
00:20:36,720 --> 00:20:40,440
pulse and temperature, tested the rigidity of his muscles, and

330
00:20:40,559 --> 00:20:44,720
examined his reflexes. There was nothing markedly abnormal in any

331
00:20:44,759 --> 00:20:49,720
of these conditions, which harmonized with my former experiences. I

332
00:20:49,759 --> 00:20:53,200
had obtained good results in such cases by the inhalation

333
00:20:53,279 --> 00:20:56,920
of nitrite of amyl, and the presence seemed an admirable

334
00:20:56,920 --> 00:21:01,440
opportunity of testing its virtues. The bottle was downstairs in

335
00:21:01,480 --> 00:21:05,240
my laboratory, so leaving my patient seated in his chair,

336
00:21:05,839 --> 00:21:09,000
I ran down to get it. There was some little

337
00:21:09,000 --> 00:21:12,839
delay in finding it five minutes, let us say, and

338
00:21:12,880 --> 00:21:17,200
then I returned. Imagine my amazement to find the room

339
00:21:17,319 --> 00:21:21,960
empty and the patient gone. Of course, my first act

340
00:21:22,079 --> 00:21:24,920
was to run into the waiting room. The sun had

341
00:21:24,920 --> 00:21:29,279
gone also. The hall door had been closed, but not shut.

342
00:21:30,160 --> 00:21:33,759
My page, who admits patience, is a new boy, and

343
00:21:33,799 --> 00:21:37,240
by no means quick he waits downstairs and runs up

344
00:21:37,279 --> 00:21:40,160
to show patients out. When I ring the consulting room bell,

345
00:21:41,160 --> 00:21:44,960
he had heard nothing, and the affair remained a complete mystery.

346
00:21:46,359 --> 00:21:50,079
Mister Blessington came in from his walk shortly afterwards, but

347
00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:52,279
I did not say anything to him upon the subject,

348
00:21:52,680 --> 00:21:55,440
for to tell the truth, I have got in the

349
00:21:55,480 --> 00:21:58,480
way of late of holding as little communication with him

350
00:21:58,480 --> 00:22:02,759
as possible. Well, I never thought that I should see

351
00:22:02,799 --> 00:22:05,839
anything more of the Russian and his son, So you

352
00:22:05,880 --> 00:22:09,119
can imagine my amazement when at the very same hour

353
00:22:09,160 --> 00:22:12,720
this evening they both came marching into my consulting room,

354
00:22:13,480 --> 00:22:17,440
just as they had done before. I feel that I

355
00:22:17,559 --> 00:22:22,640
owe you a great many apologies for my abrupt departure yesterday, doctor,

356
00:22:23,240 --> 00:22:27,160
said my patient. I confess that I was very much

357
00:22:27,240 --> 00:22:32,880
surprised at it, said I. Well, the fact is, he remarked,

358
00:22:33,720 --> 00:22:37,240
that when I recover from these attacks, my mind is

359
00:22:37,319 --> 00:22:40,240
always very clouded as to all that has gone before.

360
00:22:41,200 --> 00:22:43,920
I woke up in a strange room, as it seemed

361
00:22:43,920 --> 00:22:47,079
to me, and made my way out into the street

362
00:22:47,160 --> 00:22:50,079
in a sort of dazed way when you were absent,

363
00:22:50,759 --> 00:22:55,000
and I said the son, seeing my father past the

364
00:22:55,079 --> 00:22:59,279
door of the waiting room, naturally thought that the consultation

365
00:22:59,440 --> 00:23:02,279
had come to an end. It was not until we

366
00:23:02,319 --> 00:23:05,759
had reached home that I began to realize the true

367
00:23:05,839 --> 00:23:10,599
state of affairs. Well, said I, laughing. There is no

368
00:23:10,680 --> 00:23:15,160
harm done except that you puzzled me terribly. So if you, sir,

369
00:23:15,640 --> 00:23:18,519
would kindly step into the waiting room, I shall be

370
00:23:18,559 --> 00:23:21,880
happy to continue our consultation, which was brought to so

371
00:23:22,000 --> 00:23:26,079
abrupt an ending. For half an hour or so, I

372
00:23:26,160 --> 00:23:30,200
discussed that old gentleman's symptoms with him, and then, having

373
00:23:30,240 --> 00:23:33,039
prescribed for him, I saw him go off upon the

374
00:23:33,119 --> 00:23:36,279
arm of his son. I have told you that mister

375
00:23:36,359 --> 00:23:39,839
Blessington generally chose this hour of the day for his exercise.

376
00:23:40,680 --> 00:23:45,119
He came in shortly afterwards and passed upstairs. An instant

377
00:23:45,200 --> 00:23:48,319
later I heard him running down, and he burst into

378
00:23:48,400 --> 00:23:51,359
my consulting room like a man who is mad with panic.

379
00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:55,759
Who has been in my room? He cried. No, one

380
00:23:55,960 --> 00:24:00,200
said I, it's a lie, he yelled, come up and look.

381
00:24:01,200 --> 00:24:04,000
I passed over the grossness of his language, as he

382
00:24:04,039 --> 00:24:06,880
seemed half out of his mind with fear. When I

383
00:24:06,920 --> 00:24:10,640
went upstairs with him, he pointed to several footprints upon

384
00:24:10,640 --> 00:24:14,319
the light carpet. Do you mean to say those are mine?

385
00:24:14,759 --> 00:24:18,799
He cried. They were certainly very much larger than any

386
00:24:18,799 --> 00:24:22,920
which he could have made, and were evidently quite fresh.

387
00:24:23,000 --> 00:24:25,880
It rained hard this afternoon, as you know, and my

388
00:24:26,000 --> 00:24:29,359
patients were the only people who called. It must have

389
00:24:29,440 --> 00:24:31,960
been the case, then, that the man in the waiting

390
00:24:32,039 --> 00:24:34,960
room had, for some unknown reason, while I was busy

391
00:24:35,000 --> 00:24:38,359
with the other ascended to the room of my resident patient.

392
00:24:39,400 --> 00:24:42,559
Nothing had been touched or taken, but there were the

393
00:24:42,559 --> 00:24:46,200
footprints to prove that the intrusion was an undoubted fact.

394
00:24:47,559 --> 00:24:50,680
Mister Blessington seemed more excited over the matter than I

395
00:24:50,680 --> 00:24:53,519
should have thought possible, though of course it was enough

396
00:24:53,559 --> 00:24:57,960
to disturb anybody's peace of mind. He actually sat crying

397
00:24:58,200 --> 00:25:00,880
in an arm chair, and I it'd hardly get him

398
00:25:00,920 --> 00:25:05,480
to speak coherently. It was his suggestion that I should

399
00:25:05,519 --> 00:25:08,279
come round to you, and of course I at once

400
00:25:08,319 --> 00:25:11,559
saw the propriety of it, For certainly the incident is

401
00:25:11,599 --> 00:25:15,559
a very singular one, though he appears to completely overrate

402
00:25:15,640 --> 00:25:18,920
its importance. If you would only come back with me,

403
00:25:19,039 --> 00:25:22,079
my Brotherham, you would at least be able to soothe him,

404
00:25:22,720 --> 00:25:24,920
though I can hardly hope that you will be able

405
00:25:24,960 --> 00:25:30,240
to explain this remarkable occurrence. Sherlock Holmes had listened to

406
00:25:30,279 --> 00:25:33,680
this long narrative with an intentness which showed me that

407
00:25:33,720 --> 00:25:38,039
his interest was keenly aroused. His face was as impassive

408
00:25:38,079 --> 00:25:41,359
as ever, but his lids had dropped more heavily over

409
00:25:41,400 --> 00:25:44,160
his eyes, and his smoke had curled up more thickly

410
00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:47,440
from his pipe to emphasize each curious episode in the

411
00:25:47,480 --> 00:25:52,920
doctor's tale. As our visitor concluded, Holmes sprang up without

412
00:25:52,920 --> 00:25:55,839
a word, hand him in my hat, picked his own

413
00:25:55,880 --> 00:25:58,440
from the table, and followed Doctor Trevallian to the door.

414
00:25:59,640 --> 00:26:01,680
Within a quarter of an hour, we had been dropped

415
00:26:01,680 --> 00:26:04,440
at the door of the physician's residence in Brook Street,

416
00:26:04,880 --> 00:26:08,720
one of those somber, flat faced houses which one associates

417
00:26:08,759 --> 00:26:12,559
with the West End practice. A small page admitted us,

418
00:26:12,960 --> 00:26:15,920
and we began at once to ascend the broad well

419
00:26:16,000 --> 00:26:20,839
carpeted stare, but a singular interruption brought us to a standstill.

420
00:26:21,799 --> 00:26:25,119
The light at the top was suddenly whisked out, and

421
00:26:25,200 --> 00:26:29,119
from the darkness came a reedy, quivering voice. I have

422
00:26:29,240 --> 00:26:32,920
a pistol, it cried. I give you my word that

423
00:26:33,000 --> 00:26:37,880
I'll fire if you come any nearer. This really grows outrageous,

424
00:26:37,920 --> 00:26:43,200
mister Blessington, cried doctor Trevallian. Oh then it is you, doctor,

425
00:26:43,880 --> 00:26:46,480
said the voice, with a great heave of relief. But

426
00:26:46,559 --> 00:26:49,200
those other gentlemen, are they what they pretend to be?

427
00:26:50,480 --> 00:26:55,799
We were conscious of a long scrutiny out of the darkness. Yes, yes,

428
00:26:56,039 --> 00:26:59,200
it's all right, said the voice. At last, you can

429
00:26:59,240 --> 00:27:02,000
come up, and I am sorry if my precautions have

430
00:27:02,000 --> 00:27:05,839
annoyed you. He reel at the stair gas as he spoke,

431
00:27:06,440 --> 00:27:10,039
and we saw before us a singular looking man whose appearance,

432
00:27:10,079 --> 00:27:13,359
as well as his voice, testified to his jangled nerves.

433
00:27:14,160 --> 00:27:17,039
He was very fat, but had apparently at some time

434
00:27:17,160 --> 00:27:20,240
been much fatter, so that the skin hung about his

435
00:27:20,319 --> 00:27:23,799
face in loose pouches, like the cheeks of a bloodhound.

436
00:27:24,680 --> 00:27:27,640
He was of a sickly color, and his thin, sandy

437
00:27:27,680 --> 00:27:30,519
hair seemed to bristle up with the intensity of his emotion.

438
00:27:31,720 --> 00:27:34,359
In his hand he held a pistol, but he thrust

439
00:27:34,359 --> 00:27:37,839
it into his pocket as we advanced good evening, mister

440
00:27:37,880 --> 00:27:40,759
Holmes said he I am sure, I am very much

441
00:27:40,799 --> 00:27:44,039
obliged to you for coming round. No one ever needed

442
00:27:44,039 --> 00:27:47,240
your advice more than I do. I suppose that doctor

443
00:27:47,279 --> 00:27:51,079
Trevallian has told you of this most unwarrantable intrusion into

444
00:27:51,079 --> 00:27:56,160
my rooms. Quite so, said Holmes. Who are these two men,

445
00:27:56,240 --> 00:28:01,400
mister Blessington, and why do they wish to molest you? Well? Well,

446
00:28:01,960 --> 00:28:05,160
said the resident patient, in a nervous fashion. Of course,

447
00:28:05,440 --> 00:28:08,200
it is hard to say that. You can hardly expect

448
00:28:08,200 --> 00:28:11,200
me to answer that, mister Holmes, Do you mean that

449
00:28:11,279 --> 00:28:15,240
you don't know? Come in here, if you please, just

450
00:28:15,400 --> 00:28:18,559
have the kindness to step in here. He led the

451
00:28:18,559 --> 00:28:21,720
way into his bedroom, which was large and comfortably furnished.

452
00:28:22,640 --> 00:28:25,480
You see that said he, pointing to a big black

453
00:28:25,519 --> 00:28:28,319
box at the end of his bed. I have never

454
00:28:28,359 --> 00:28:31,400
been a very rich man, mister Holmes, never made but

455
00:28:31,559 --> 00:28:34,920
one investment in my life, as doctor Trevallian would tell you.

456
00:28:35,720 --> 00:28:38,759
But I don't believe in bankers. I would never trust

457
00:28:38,799 --> 00:28:42,640
a banker, mister Holmes. Between ourselves, what little I have

458
00:28:42,839 --> 00:28:45,640
is in that box. So you can understand what it

459
00:28:45,680 --> 00:28:49,640
means to me when unknown people forced themselves into my rooms.

460
00:28:50,839 --> 00:28:53,680
Holmes looked at Blessington in his questioning way and shook

461
00:28:53,720 --> 00:28:57,640
his head. I cannot possibly advise you if you try

462
00:28:57,680 --> 00:29:01,519
to deceive me, said he. But I have told you everything.

463
00:29:02,640 --> 00:29:05,240
Holmes turned on his heel with a gesture of disgust.

464
00:29:06,279 --> 00:29:10,480
Good Night, doctor Trevallion said he And no advice for me,

465
00:29:11,200 --> 00:29:15,359
cried Blessington in a breaking voice. My advice to you, sir,

466
00:29:16,039 --> 00:29:19,720
is to speak the truth. A minute later, we were

467
00:29:19,759 --> 00:29:22,720
in the street and walking for home. We had crossed

468
00:29:22,759 --> 00:29:26,160
Oxford Street and were half way down Harley Street before

469
00:29:26,160 --> 00:29:29,759
I could get a word from my companion. Sorry to

470
00:29:29,759 --> 00:29:32,799
bring you out on such a fool's errand Watson, he said,

471
00:29:32,799 --> 00:29:36,119
at last, it is an interesting case too. At the

472
00:29:36,119 --> 00:29:41,359
bottom of it, I can make little of it. I confessed, well,

473
00:29:41,400 --> 00:29:45,039
it is quite evident that there are two men more perhaps,

474
00:29:45,359 --> 00:29:48,319
but at least two who are determined for some reason

475
00:29:48,440 --> 00:29:51,559
to get at this fellow Blessington. I have no doubt

476
00:29:51,599 --> 00:29:53,960
in my mind that both on the first and on

477
00:29:53,960 --> 00:29:58,440
the second occasion, that young man penetrated to Blessington's room,

478
00:29:59,000 --> 00:30:03,039
while his confederate, by an ingenious device, kept the doctor

479
00:30:03,079 --> 00:30:10,319
from interfering, and the catalepsy a fraudulent imitation, Watson, though

480
00:30:10,359 --> 00:30:13,880
I should hardly dare to hint as much to our specialist,

481
00:30:14,759 --> 00:30:18,359
It is a very easy complaint to imitate. I have

482
00:30:18,440 --> 00:30:23,799
done it myself, And then, by the purest chance, Blessington

483
00:30:23,920 --> 00:30:26,920
was out on each occasion. Their reason for choosing so

484
00:30:27,079 --> 00:30:30,920
unusual an hour for a consultation was obviously to ensure

485
00:30:30,960 --> 00:30:34,079
that there should be no other patient in the waiting room.

486
00:30:34,599 --> 00:30:39,319
It just happened, however, that this hour coincided with Blessington's constitutional,

487
00:30:39,720 --> 00:30:42,000
which seems to show that they were not very well

488
00:30:42,000 --> 00:30:46,119
acquainted with his daily routine. Of course, if they had

489
00:30:46,160 --> 00:30:49,200
been merely after plunder, they would at least have made

490
00:30:49,200 --> 00:30:53,039
some attempt to search for it. Besides, I can read

491
00:30:53,079 --> 00:30:55,039
in a man's eye, when it is his own skin

492
00:30:55,160 --> 00:30:58,559
that he is frightened. For it is inconceivable that this

493
00:30:58,640 --> 00:31:01,720
fellow could have made two such vindictive enemies as these

494
00:31:01,759 --> 00:31:05,759
appear to be without knowing of it. I hold it, therefore,

495
00:31:06,279 --> 00:31:08,920
to be certain that he does know who these men are,

496
00:31:09,559 --> 00:31:12,880
and that, for reasons of his own, he suppresses it.

497
00:31:12,880 --> 00:31:16,279
It is just possible that to morrow may find him

498
00:31:16,319 --> 00:31:20,519
in a more communicative mood. Is there not one alternative?

499
00:31:20,759 --> 00:31:25,880
I suggested? Grotesquely improbable, no doubt, but still just conceivable.

500
00:31:26,720 --> 00:31:29,079
Might the whole story of the cataleptic Russian and his

501
00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:32,440
son be a concoction of doctor Trevallion's, who has, for

502
00:31:32,480 --> 00:31:36,680
his own purposes, been in Blessington's rooms. I saw in

503
00:31:36,720 --> 00:31:39,839
the gaslight that Holmes wore an amused smile at this

504
00:31:39,960 --> 00:31:45,079
brilliant departure of mine, my dear fellow, said he. It

505
00:31:45,160 --> 00:31:47,359
was one of the first solutions which occurred to me.

506
00:31:48,039 --> 00:31:51,519
But I was soon able to corroborate the doctor's tale.

507
00:31:51,559 --> 00:31:54,640
This young man has left Prince upon the stair carpet,

508
00:31:55,000 --> 00:31:57,960
which made it quite superfluous for me to ask to

509
00:31:58,000 --> 00:32:01,480
see those which he had made in the room. When

510
00:32:01,519 --> 00:32:04,559
I tell you that his shoes were square toed instead

511
00:32:04,559 --> 00:32:08,000
of being pointed like Blessington's, and were quite an inch

512
00:32:08,039 --> 00:32:11,519
and a third longer than the doctor's. You will acknowledge

513
00:32:11,799 --> 00:32:14,559
that there can be no doubt as to his individuality.

514
00:32:15,359 --> 00:32:17,680
But we may sleep on it now, for I shall

515
00:32:17,720 --> 00:32:20,119
be surprised if we do not hear something further from

516
00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:25,400
Brook Street in the morning. Sherlock Holmes's prophecy was soon fulfilled,

517
00:32:26,119 --> 00:32:29,880
and in a dramatic fashion. At half past seven next morning,

518
00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:33,440
in the first glimmer of daylight, I found him standing

519
00:32:33,480 --> 00:32:37,240
by my bedside in his dressing gown. There's a broughon

520
00:32:37,279 --> 00:32:40,680
waiting for us, Watson, said he. What's the matter? Then?

521
00:32:41,680 --> 00:32:47,519
The Brook Street business? Any fresh news? Tragic but ambiguous,

522
00:32:47,799 --> 00:32:51,599
said he, pulling up the blind. Look at this a

523
00:32:51,680 --> 00:32:55,359
sheet from a note book with for God's sake, come

524
00:32:55,400 --> 00:33:01,119
at once p. T. Scrawled upon it in pencil. Our friend,

525
00:33:01,200 --> 00:33:03,440
the doctor was hard put to it when he wrote this,

526
00:33:04,160 --> 00:33:06,640
come along, my dear fellow, for it's an urgent call.

527
00:33:08,079 --> 00:33:09,640
In a quarter of an hour or so we were

528
00:33:09,640 --> 00:33:12,519
back at the physician's house. He came running out to

529
00:33:12,519 --> 00:33:16,480
meet us with a face of horror. Oh, such a business,

530
00:33:16,559 --> 00:33:19,559
he cried, with his hands to his temples. What then,

531
00:33:20,440 --> 00:33:26,480
Blessington has committed suicide? Holmes whistled, Yes, he hanged himself

532
00:33:26,559 --> 00:33:29,920
during the night we had entered, and the doctor had

533
00:33:29,920 --> 00:33:33,839
preceded us into what was evidently his waiting room. I

534
00:33:33,960 --> 00:33:37,720
really hardly know what I'm doing, he cried. The police

535
00:33:37,759 --> 00:33:42,519
are already upstairs. It has shaken me most dreadfully. When

536
00:33:42,559 --> 00:33:45,640
did you find out he has a cup of tea

537
00:33:45,680 --> 00:33:48,880
taken into him early every morning? When the maid entered

538
00:33:48,880 --> 00:33:52,319
about seven there the unfortunate fellow was hanging in the

539
00:33:52,319 --> 00:33:55,200
middle of the room. He had tied his cord to

540
00:33:55,240 --> 00:33:57,319
the hook on which the heavy lamp used to hang,

541
00:33:57,920 --> 00:33:59,680
and he had jumped off from the top of the

542
00:33:59,759 --> 00:34:03,799
very box that he showed us yesterday. Holmes stood for

543
00:34:03,839 --> 00:34:08,199
a moment in deep thought. With your permission, said he

544
00:34:08,280 --> 00:34:10,960
at last, I should like to go upstairs and look

545
00:34:11,000 --> 00:34:14,800
into the matter. We both ascended, followed by the doctor.

546
00:34:15,840 --> 00:34:18,000
It was a dreadful sight which met us as we

547
00:34:18,119 --> 00:34:21,559
entered the bedroom door. I have spoken of the impression

548
00:34:21,599 --> 00:34:25,880
of flabbiness which this man Blessington conveyed as he dangled

549
00:34:25,880 --> 00:34:30,199
from the hook. It was exaggerated and intensified until he

550
00:34:30,280 --> 00:34:34,079
was scarce human in his appearance. The neck was drawn

551
00:34:34,119 --> 00:34:37,159
out like a plucked chicken's, making the rest of him

552
00:34:37,159 --> 00:34:41,400
seem the more obese and unnatural. By contrast, he was

553
00:34:41,480 --> 00:34:44,280
clad only in his long night dress, and his swollen

554
00:34:44,320 --> 00:34:49,480
ankles and ungainly feet protruded starkly from beneath it. Beside

555
00:34:49,559 --> 00:34:52,800
him stood a smart looking police inspector who was taking

556
00:34:52,880 --> 00:34:57,400
notes in a pocket book. Ah, mister Elmes, said he

557
00:34:57,400 --> 00:35:00,039
heartily as my friend entered. I am delighted to I

558
00:35:00,119 --> 00:35:05,039
see you. Good morning, Leanna answered Holmes. You won't think

559
00:35:05,119 --> 00:35:07,840
me an intruder. I am sure. Have you heard of

560
00:35:07,880 --> 00:35:11,199
the events which led up to this affair? Yeah, I

561
00:35:11,320 --> 00:35:16,079
heard something of them. Have you formed any opinion? As

562
00:35:16,119 --> 00:35:18,519
far as I can see, the man has been driven

563
00:35:18,519 --> 00:35:21,360
out of his senses by fright. The bed has been

564
00:35:21,400 --> 00:35:24,800
well slept in. You see, there's his impression deep enough.

565
00:35:25,239 --> 00:35:28,039
It's about five in the morning. You know that suicides

566
00:35:28,039 --> 00:35:30,599
are most common. That would be about his time for

567
00:35:30,639 --> 00:35:33,599
hanging himself. It seems to have been a very deliberate affair.

568
00:35:34,840 --> 00:35:37,719
I should say that he has been dead about three hours,

569
00:35:38,000 --> 00:35:42,000
judging by the rigidity of the muscles, said, I noticed

570
00:35:42,039 --> 00:35:46,880
anything peculiar about the room, asked Holmes found a screwdriver

571
00:35:47,000 --> 00:35:50,119
and some screws on the washhand stand. Seems to have

572
00:35:50,159 --> 00:35:53,559
smoked heavily during the night too. Here are four cigar

573
00:35:53,719 --> 00:35:57,960
ends that I've picked out of the fireplace, hm said Holmes.

574
00:35:58,679 --> 00:36:03,039
Have you got his cigar holder? No, I have, say none,

575
00:36:03,400 --> 00:36:07,519
his cigar case? Then, yes, it was in his coat pocket.

576
00:36:08,679 --> 00:36:13,719
Holmes opened it and smelled the single cigar which it contained. Oh,

577
00:36:14,199 --> 00:36:17,440
this is an Havana and these others are cigars of

578
00:36:17,480 --> 00:36:20,119
the peculiar sort, which are imported by the Dutch from

579
00:36:20,159 --> 00:36:23,719
their East Indian colonies. They are usually wrapped in straw,

580
00:36:23,800 --> 00:36:26,320
you know, and are thinner for their length than any

581
00:36:26,320 --> 00:36:29,679
other brand. He picked up the four ends and examined

582
00:36:29,679 --> 00:36:32,679
them with his pocket lens. Two of these have been

583
00:36:32,719 --> 00:36:36,320
smoked from a holder and two without, said he. Two

584
00:36:36,400 --> 00:36:39,400
have been cut by a not very sharp knife, and

585
00:36:39,519 --> 00:36:41,480
two have had the ends bitten off by a set

586
00:36:41,480 --> 00:36:46,440
of excellent teeth. This is no suicide, mister Leanna. It

587
00:36:46,519 --> 00:36:51,159
is a very deeply planned and cold blooded murder. Impossible,

588
00:36:51,599 --> 00:36:56,480
cried the inspector. And why why should any one murder

589
00:36:56,519 --> 00:36:59,320
a man? In so clumsy a fashion as by hanging him.

590
00:37:00,559 --> 00:37:03,440
That is what we have to find out. How could

591
00:37:03,480 --> 00:37:08,400
thy gain through the front door? It was barred in

592
00:37:08,440 --> 00:37:12,639
the morning, then it was barred after them. How do

593
00:37:12,719 --> 00:37:17,679
you know I saw their traces. Excuse me a moment,

594
00:37:17,920 --> 00:37:19,800
and I may be able to give you some further

595
00:37:19,840 --> 00:37:23,800
information about it. He went over to the door, and

596
00:37:23,880 --> 00:37:26,559
turning the lock, he examined it in his methodical way.

597
00:37:27,559 --> 00:37:30,159
Then he took out the key, which was on the inside,

598
00:37:30,199 --> 00:37:34,480
and inspected that. Also the bed, the carpet, the chairs,

599
00:37:34,599 --> 00:37:37,440
the mantel piece, the dead body, and the rope were

600
00:37:37,480 --> 00:37:42,760
each in turn examined, until at last he professed himself satisfied, and,

601
00:37:42,880 --> 00:37:46,119
with my aid and that of the inspector, cut down

602
00:37:46,119 --> 00:37:49,159
the wretched object and laid it reverently under a sheet.

603
00:37:50,719 --> 00:37:54,480
How about this rope, he asked, It is cut off,

604
00:37:54,480 --> 00:37:57,960
This said doctor Trevillian, drawing a large coil from under

605
00:37:57,960 --> 00:38:02,039
the bed. He was morbidly of fire, and always kept

606
00:38:02,039 --> 00:38:04,599
this beside him so that he might escape by the

607
00:38:04,639 --> 00:38:08,440
window in case the stairs were burning. That must have

608
00:38:08,519 --> 00:38:13,960
saved them trouble, said Holmes thoughtfully. Yes, the actual facts

609
00:38:13,960 --> 00:38:16,760
are very plain, and I shall be surprised if by

610
00:38:16,760 --> 00:38:19,159
the afternoon I cannot give you the reasons for them

611
00:38:19,199 --> 00:38:23,159
as well. I will take this photograph of Blessington, which

612
00:38:23,199 --> 00:38:25,840
I see upon the mantelpiece, as it may help me

613
00:38:25,880 --> 00:38:30,280
in my inquiries. But you have told us nothing, cried

614
00:38:30,280 --> 00:38:33,519
the doctor. Oh, there can be no doubt as to

615
00:38:33,519 --> 00:38:37,039
the sequence of events, said Holmes. There were three of

616
00:38:37,079 --> 00:38:40,400
them in it, the young man, the old man, and

617
00:38:40,519 --> 00:38:44,239
a third to whose identity I have no clue. The

618
00:38:44,280 --> 00:38:46,800
first two, I need hardly remark, are the same who

619
00:38:46,840 --> 00:38:50,239
masqueraded as the Russian count and his son, so we

620
00:38:50,280 --> 00:38:53,679
can give a very full description of them. They were

621
00:38:53,719 --> 00:38:58,480
admitted by a confederate inside the house. If I might

622
00:38:58,559 --> 00:39:01,679
offer you a word of advice, Specter, it would be

623
00:39:01,719 --> 00:39:04,960
to arrest the page, who, as I understand, has only

624
00:39:05,039 --> 00:39:09,760
recently come into your service. Doctor. The young imp cannot

625
00:39:09,760 --> 00:39:13,480
be found, said Doctor Trevallion. The maid and the cook

626
00:39:13,519 --> 00:39:17,840
have just been searching for him. Holmes shrugged his shoulders.

627
00:39:18,639 --> 00:39:21,679
He has played a not unimportant part in this drama,

628
00:39:21,960 --> 00:39:25,280
said he. The three men having ascended the stairs, which

629
00:39:25,320 --> 00:39:28,960
they did on tiptoe, the elder man first, the younger

630
00:39:28,960 --> 00:39:33,039
man second, and the unknown man in the rear, My

631
00:39:33,199 --> 00:39:37,360
dear Holmes, I ejaculated. Oh, there could be no question

632
00:39:37,480 --> 00:39:40,199
as to the superimposing of the footmarks. I had the

633
00:39:40,239 --> 00:39:44,440
advantage of learning which was which last night. They ascended

634
00:39:44,599 --> 00:39:47,760
then to mister Blessington's room, the door of which they

635
00:39:47,800 --> 00:39:50,760
found to be locked. With the help of a wire. However,

636
00:39:50,800 --> 00:39:54,079
they forced round the quay even without the lens. You

637
00:39:54,079 --> 00:39:57,199
will perceive by the scratches on this ward where the

638
00:39:57,239 --> 00:40:01,199
pressure was applied on entering the room. Their first proceeding

639
00:40:01,400 --> 00:40:04,360
must have been to gag mister Blessington. He may have

640
00:40:04,400 --> 00:40:07,280
been asleep, or he may have been so paralyzed with

641
00:40:07,440 --> 00:40:10,920
terror as to have been unable to cry out. These

642
00:40:10,960 --> 00:40:14,280
walls are thick, and it is conceivable that his shriek,

643
00:40:14,719 --> 00:40:18,440
if he had time to utter one, was unheard. Having

644
00:40:18,480 --> 00:40:21,760
secured him, it is evident to me that a consultation

645
00:40:21,920 --> 00:40:25,559
of some sort was held. Probably it was something in

646
00:40:25,599 --> 00:40:29,199
the nature of a judicial proceeding. It must have lasted

647
00:40:29,239 --> 00:40:32,119
for some time, for it was then that these cigars

648
00:40:32,119 --> 00:40:35,480
were smoked. The older man sat in that wicker chair.

649
00:40:36,239 --> 00:40:39,599
It was he who used the cigar holder. The younger

650
00:40:39,639 --> 00:40:43,000
man sat over yonder. He knocked his ash off against

651
00:40:43,000 --> 00:40:46,760
the chest of drawers. The third fellow paced up and down.

652
00:40:47,679 --> 00:40:50,599
Blessington I think sat upright in the bed, but of

653
00:40:50,599 --> 00:40:55,239
that I cannot be absolutely certain. Well it ended by

654
00:40:55,280 --> 00:40:58,440
their taking Blessington and hanging him. The matter was so

655
00:40:58,559 --> 00:41:01,639
prearranged that it is my belief that they brought with

656
00:41:01,760 --> 00:41:04,840
them some sort of block or pulley which might serve

657
00:41:04,840 --> 00:41:09,480
as a gallows. That screwdriver and those screws were, as

658
00:41:09,480 --> 00:41:13,400
I conceive, for fixing it up. Seeing the hook, however,

659
00:41:13,440 --> 00:41:17,159
they naturally saved themselves the trouble. Having finished their work,

660
00:41:17,239 --> 00:41:19,960
they made off, and the door was barred behind them

661
00:41:20,000 --> 00:41:24,119
by their confederate. We had all listened with the deepest

662
00:41:24,159 --> 00:41:27,199
interest to this sketch of the night's doings, which Holmes

663
00:41:27,199 --> 00:41:31,039
had deduced from signs so subtle and minute that even

664
00:41:31,079 --> 00:41:33,239
when he had pointed them out to us, we could

665
00:41:33,280 --> 00:41:37,679
scarcely follow him in his reasoning. The inspector hurried away

666
00:41:37,719 --> 00:41:41,119
on the instant to make inquiries about the page, while

667
00:41:41,199 --> 00:41:45,239
Holmes and I returned to Baker Street for breakfast. I'll

668
00:41:45,280 --> 00:41:48,559
be back by three, said he, when we'd finished our meal.

669
00:41:49,519 --> 00:41:51,800
Both the inspector and the doctor will meet me here

670
00:41:51,840 --> 00:41:54,679
at that hour, and I hope by that time to

671
00:41:54,719 --> 00:41:57,519
have cleared up any little obscurity which the case may

672
00:41:57,599 --> 00:42:02,920
still present. Our visitors arrived at the appointed time, but

673
00:42:02,960 --> 00:42:05,199
it was a quarter to four before my friend put

674
00:42:05,199 --> 00:42:09,159
in an appearance. From his expression as he entered, however,

675
00:42:09,840 --> 00:42:11,840
I could see that all had gone well with him.

676
00:42:13,280 --> 00:42:19,199
Any news, Inspector. We've got the boy, sir, excellent, and

677
00:42:19,360 --> 00:42:23,079
I have got the men. You have got them, we

678
00:42:23,199 --> 00:42:27,559
cried all three. Well, at least I have got their identity.

679
00:42:28,360 --> 00:42:32,800
This so called Blessington is, as I expected, well known

680
00:42:32,840 --> 00:42:37,440
at headquarters, and so are his assailants. Their names are Biddle,

681
00:42:37,639 --> 00:42:43,679
Haywood and moffat the Worthingdon Bank gang, cried the inspector. Precisely,

682
00:42:44,079 --> 00:42:51,119
said Holmes. Then Blessington must have been sattin exactly, said Holmes.

683
00:42:51,639 --> 00:42:55,559
Why that makes it as clear as crystal, said the inspector.

684
00:42:56,639 --> 00:42:59,199
But Trevellion and I looked at each other in bewilderment.

685
00:43:00,960 --> 00:43:05,119
You must surely remember the great Worthingdon Bank business, said Holmes.

686
00:43:05,840 --> 00:43:09,360
Five men were in it, these four and a fifth

687
00:43:09,360 --> 00:43:13,880
called Cartwright. Tobin. The caretaker was murdered, and the thieves

688
00:43:13,920 --> 00:43:17,719
got away with seven thousand pounds. This was in eighteen

689
00:43:17,760 --> 00:43:21,639
seventy five. They were all five arrested, but the evidence

690
00:43:21,679 --> 00:43:26,679
against them was by no means conclusive. This Blessington or Sutton,

691
00:43:27,079 --> 00:43:30,280
who was the worst of the gang, turned informer on

692
00:43:30,400 --> 00:43:33,360
his evidence. Cartwright was hanged and the other three got

693
00:43:33,360 --> 00:43:36,760
fifteen years apiece. When they got out the other day,

694
00:43:37,159 --> 00:43:40,960
which was some years before their full term, they set themselves,

695
00:43:41,239 --> 00:43:44,079
as you perceive, to hunt down the traitor and to

696
00:43:44,119 --> 00:43:47,760
avenge the death of their comrade upon him. Twice they

697
00:43:47,760 --> 00:43:51,079
tried to get at him and failed. A third time,

698
00:43:51,440 --> 00:43:54,519
you see it came off. Is there anything further which

699
00:43:54,559 --> 00:43:58,400
I can explain, Doctor Trevallian? I think you've made it

700
00:43:58,440 --> 00:44:02,039
all remarkably clear, the doctor, no doubt. The day on

701
00:44:02,079 --> 00:44:04,559
which he was perturbed was the day when he had

702
00:44:04,599 --> 00:44:08,920
seen of their release in the newspapers. Quite so, his

703
00:44:09,039 --> 00:44:13,199
talk about a burglary was the merest blind. But why

704
00:44:13,239 --> 00:44:16,760
could he not tell you this? Well, my dear sir,

705
00:44:17,400 --> 00:44:20,920
knowing the vindictive character of his old associates, he was

706
00:44:20,920 --> 00:44:23,960
trying to hide his own identity from everybody as long

707
00:44:24,000 --> 00:44:27,840
as he could. His secret was a shameful one, and

708
00:44:27,960 --> 00:44:31,480
he could not bring himself to divulge it. However, wretch

709
00:44:31,519 --> 00:44:34,199
as he was, he was still living under the shield

710
00:44:34,199 --> 00:44:37,079
of British law. And I have no doubt, Inspector, that

711
00:44:37,159 --> 00:44:39,960
you will see that though that shield might fail to guard,

712
00:44:40,639 --> 00:44:45,679
the sword of justice is still there to avenge. Such

713
00:44:45,760 --> 00:44:49,599
were the singular circumstances in connection with the Resident Patient

714
00:44:49,960 --> 00:44:53,800
and the brook Street doctor. From that night. Nothing has

715
00:44:53,840 --> 00:44:56,760
been seen of the three murderers by the police, and

716
00:44:56,840 --> 00:44:59,840
it is surmised at Scotland Yard that they were among

717
00:44:59,800 --> 00:45:04,320
them passengers of the ill fated steamer Norah Creina, which

718
00:45:04,440 --> 00:45:07,239
was lost some years ago with all hands upon the

719
00:45:07,280 --> 00:45:11,000
Portuguese coast, some leagues to the north of a Porto.

720
00:45:12,239 --> 00:45:15,480
The proceedings against the page broke down for want of evidence,

721
00:45:16,079 --> 00:45:19,079
and the brook Street mystery, as it was called, has

722
00:45:19,159 --> 00:45:22,480
never until now been fully dealt with in any public print.

723
00:45:24,519 --> 00:45:26,800
End of the Resident Patient