endeavouring to conceal his irrepressible yawns.
"sorry to keep you waiting, mr. holmes. i can see that you are
bored to death with the whole affair. well, he has confessed, all
right. come in here, macpherson. let these gentlemen hear of
your most inexcusable conduct."
the big constable, very hot and penitent, sidled into the room.
"i meant no harm, sir, i'm sure. the young woman came to the door
last evening -- mistook the house, she did. and then we got
talking. it's lonesome, when you're on duty here all day."
"well, what happened then?"
"she wanted to see where the crime was done -- had read about it
in the papers, she said. she was a very respectable, well-spoken
young woman, sir, and i saw no harm in letting her have a peep.
when she saw that mark on the carpet, down she dropped on the
floor, and lay as if she were dead. i ran to the back and got
some water, but i could not bring her to. then i went round the
corner to the ivy plant for some brandy, and by the time i had
brought it back the young woman had recovered and was off --
ashamed of herself, i dare say, and dared not face me."
"how about moving that drugget?"
"well, sir, it was a bit rumpled, certainly, when i came back. you
see, she fell on it, and it lies on a polished floor with nothing
to keep it in place. i straightened it out afterwards."
"it's a lesson to you that you can't deceive me, constable
macpherson," said lestrade, with dignity. "no doubt you thought
that your breach of duty could never be discovered, and yet a mere
glance at that drugget was enough to convince me that someone had
been admitted to the room. it's lucky for you, my man, that
nothing is missing, or you would find yourself in queer street.
i'm sorry to have called you down over such a petty business, mr.
holmes, but i thought the point of the second stain not
corresponding with the first would interest you."
"certainly, it was most interesting. has this woman only been
here once, constable?"
"yes, sir, only once."
"who was she?"
"don't know the name, sir. was answering an advertisement about
type-writing, and came to the wrong number -- very pleasant,
genteel young woman, sir."
"tall? handsome?"
"yes, sir; she was a well-grown young woman. i suppose you might
say she was handsome. perhaps some would say she was very
handsome. 'oh, officer, do let me have a peep!' says she. she
had pretty, coaxing ways, as you might say, and i thought there
was no harm in letting her just put her head through the door."
"how was she dressed?"
"quiet, sir -- a long mantle down to her feet."
"what time was it?"
"it was just growing dusk at the time. they were lighting the
lamps as i came back with the brandy."
"very good," said holmes. "come, watson, i think that we have
more important work elsewhere."
as we left the house lestrade remained in the front room, while
the repentant constable opened the door to let us out. holmes
turned on the step and held up something in his hand. the
constable stared intently.
"good lord, sir!" he cried, with amazement on his face. holmes
put his finger on his lips, replaced his hand in his
breast-pocket, and burst out laughing as we turned down the
street. "excellent!" said he. "come, friend watson, the curtain
rings up for the last act. you will be relieved to hear that
there will be no war, that the right honourable trelawney hope
will suffer no set-back in his brilliant career, that the
indiscreet sovereign will receive no punishment for his
indiscretion, that the prime minister will have no european
complication to deal with, and that with a little tact and
management upon our part nobody will be a penny the worse for what
might have been a very ugly incident."
my mind filled with admiration for this extraordinary man.
"you have solved it!" i cried.
"hardly that, watson. there are some points which are as dark as
ever. but we have so much that it will be our own fault if we
cannot get the rest. we will go straight to whitehall terrace and
bring the matter to a head."
when we arrived at the residence of the european secretary it was
for lady hilda trelawney hope that sherlock holmes inquired. we
were shown into the morning-room.
"mr. holmes!" said the lady, and her face was pink with her
indignation, "this is surely most unfair and ungenerous upon your
part. i desired, as i have explained, to keep my visit to you a
secret, lest my husband should think that i was intruding into his
affairs. and yet you compromise me by coming here and so showing
that there are business relations between us."
"unfortunately, madam, i had no possible alternative. i have been
commissioned to recover this immensely important paper. i must
therefore ask you, madam, to be kind enough to place it in my
hands."
the lady sprang to her
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