It was one of the finest corner-houses of the West End. Amachine-like footman took up our cards and returned with wordthat the lady was not at home. “Then we shall wait until she is,” said Holmes cheerfully. The machine broke down.
“Not at home means not at home to you,” said the footman.
“Good,” Holmes answered. “That means that we shall not haveto wait. Kindly give this note to your mistress.”
He scribbled three or four words upon a sheet of his notebook,folded it, and handed it to the man.
“What did you say, Holmes?” I asked.
“I simply wrote: ‘Shall it be the police, then?’ I think that shouldpass us in.”
It did—with amazing celerity. A minute later we were in anArabian Nights drawing-room, vast and wonderful, in a half gloom,picked out with an occasional pink electric light. The lady hadcome, I felt, to that time of life when even the proudest beautyfinds the half light more welcome. She rose from a settee as weentered: tall, queenly, a perfect figure, a lovely mask-like face, withtwo wonderful Spanish eyes which looked murder at us both.
“What is this intrusion—and this insulting message?” she asked,holding up the slip of paper.
“I need not explain, madame. I have too much respect for yourintelligence to do so—though I confess that intelligence has beensurprisingly at fault of late.”
“How so, sir?”
“By supposing that your hired bullies could frighten me frommy work. Surely no man would take up my profession if it werenot that danger attracts him. It was you, then, who forced me toexamine the case of young Maberley.”
“I have no idea what you are talking about. What have I to dowith hired bullies?”
Holmes turned away wearily.
“Yes, I have underrated your intelligence. Well, good-afternoon!”
“Stop! Where are you going?”
“To Scotland Yard.”
We had not got halfway to the door before she had overtaken usand was holding his arm. She had turned in a moment from steelto velvet.
“Come and sit down, gentlemen. Let us talk this matter over.
feel that I may be frank with you, Mr. Holmes. You have thefeelings of a gentleman. How quick a woman’s instinct is to find itout. I will treat you as a friend.”
“I cannot promise to reciprocate, madame. I am not the law,but I represent justice so far as my feeble powers go. I am ready tolisten, and then I will tell you how I will act.”
The Case Book of Sherlock Holmes 1297
“No doubt it was foolish of me to threaten a brave man likeyourself.”
“What was really foolish, madame, is that you have placedyourself in the power of a band of rascals who may blackmail orgive you away.”
“No, no! I am not so simple. Since I have promised to be frank,I may say that no one, save Barney Stockdale and Susan, his wife,have the least idea who their employer is. As to them, well, it is notthe first——” She smiled and nodded with a charming coquettishintimacy.
“I see. You’ve tested them before.”
“They are good hounds who run silent.”
“Such hounds have a way sooner or later of biting the hand thatfeeds them. They will be arrested for this burglary. The police arealready after them.”
“They will take what comes to them. That is what they are paidfor. I shall not appear in the matter.”
“Unless I bring you into it.”
“No, no, you would not. You are a gentleman. It is a woman’ssecret.”
“In the first place, you must give back this manu.”
She broke into a ripple of laughter and walked to the fireplace.
There was a calcined mass which she broke up with the poker.
“Shall I give this back?” she asked. So roguish and exquisite didshe look as she stood before us with a challenging smile that I feltof all Holmes’s criminals this was the one whom he would find ithardest to face. However, he was immune from sentiment.
“That seals your fate,” he said coldly. “You are very prompt inyour actions, madame, but you have overdone it on this occasion.”
She threw the poker down with a clatter.
“How hard you are!” she cried. “May I tell you the whole story?”
“I fancy I could tell it to you.”
“But you must look at it with my eyes, Mr. Holmes. You mustrealize it from the point of view of a woman who sees all her life’sambition about to be ruined at the last moment. Is such a womanto be blamed if she protects herself?”
“The original sin was yours.”
“Yes, yes! I admit it. He was a dear boy, Douglas, but it sochanced that he could not fit into my plans. He wanted marriage—marriage, Mr. Holmes—with a penniless commoner. Nothing lesswould serve him. Then he became pertinacious. Because I hadgiven he seemed to think that I still must give, and to him only. Itwas intolerable. At last I had to make him realize it.”
“By hiring ruffians to beat him under your own window.”
1298 The Complete Sherlock Holmes
“You do indeed seem to know everything. Well, it is true.
Barney and the boys drove him away, and were, I admit, a littlerough in doing so. But what did he do then? Could I have believedthat a gentleman would do such an act? He wrote a book in whichhe described his own story. I, of course, was the wolf; he the lamb.
was all there, under different names, of course; but who in allLondon would have failed to recognize it? What do you say tothat, Mr. Holmes?”
“Well, he was within his rights.”
“It was as if the air of Italy had got into his blood and broughtwith it the old cruel Italian spirit. He wrote to me and sent mecopy of his book that I might have the torture of anticipation.
There were two copies, he said—one for me, one for his publisher.”
“How did you know the publisher’s had not reached him?”
“I knew who his publisher was. It is not his only novel, youknow. I found out that he had not heard from Italy. Then cameDouglas’s sudden death. So long as that other manu was inthe world there was no safety for me. Of course, it must be amonghis effects, and these would be returned to his mother. I set thegang at work. One of them got into the house as servant. I wantedto do the thing honestly. I really and truly did. I was ready to buythe house and everything in it. I offered any price she cared to ask.
