“Thefactsarebrieflythese：Somefiveyearsago，duringa
lengthyvisittoWarsaw，Imadetheacquaintanceofthewell-known
adventuress，IreneAdler。Thenameisnodoubtfamiliartoyou。”
“Kindlylookherupinmyindex，Doctor，“murmuredHolmeswithout
openinghiseyes。Formanyyearshehadadoptedasystemof
docketingallparagraphsconcerningmenandthings，sothatitwas
difficulttonameasubjectorapersononwhichhecouldnotat
oncefurnishinformation。InthiscaseIfoundherbiography
sandwichedinbetweenthatofaHebrewrabbiandthatofa
staff-commanderwhohadwrittenamonographuponthedeep-seafishes。
“Letmesee！“saidHolmes。“Hum！BorninNewJerseyintheyear
1858。Contralto-hum！LaScala，hum！PrimadonnaImperialOperaof
Warsaw-yes！Retiredfromoperaticstage-ha！LivinginLondon-
quiteso！YourMajesty，asIunderstand，becameentangledwiththis
youngperson，wrotehersomecompromisingletters，andisnowdesirous
ofgettingthoselettersback。”
“Preciselyso。Buthow-“
“Wasthereasecretmarriage？“
“None。”
“Nolegalpapersorcertificates？“
“None。”
“ThenIfailtofollowyourMajesty。Ifthisyoungpersonshould
produceherlettersforblackmailingorotherpurposes，howisshe
toprovetheirauthenticity？“
“Thereisthewriting。”
“Pooh，pooh！Forgery。”
“Myprivatenote-paper。”
“Stolen。”
“Myownseal。”
“Imitated。”
“Myphotograph。”
“Bought。”
“Wewerebothinthephotograph。”
“Ohdear！Thatisverybad！YourMajestyhasindeedcommittedan
indiscretion。”
“Iwasmad-insane。”
“Youhavecompromisedyourselfseriously。”
“IwasonlyCrownPrincethen。Iwasyoung。Iambutthirtynow。”
“Itmustberecovered。”
“Wehavetriedandfailed。”
“YourMajestymustpay。Itmustbebought。”
“Shewillnotsell。”
“Stolen，then。”
“Fiveattemptshavebeenmade。Twiceburglarsinmypayransacked
herhouse。Oncewedivertedherluggagewhenshetravelled。Twice
shehasbeenwaylaid。Therehasbeennoresult。”
“Nosignofit？“
“Absolutelynone。”
Holmeslaughed。“Itisquiteaprettylittleproblem，“saidhe。
“Butaveryseriousonetome，“returnedtheKingreproachfully。
“Very，indeed。Andwhatdoessheproposetodowiththephotograph？“
“Toruinme。”
“Buthow？“
“Iamabouttobemarried。”
“SoIhaveheard。”
“ToClotildeLothmanvonSaxe-Meningen，seconddaughterofthe
KingofScandinavia。Youmayknowthestrictprinciplesofherfamily。
Sheisherselftheverysoulofdelicacy。Ashadowofadoubtastomy
conductwouldbringthemattertoanend。”
“AndIreneAdler？“
“Threatenstosendthemthephotograph。Andshewilldoit。Iknow
thatshewilldoit。Youdonotknowher，butshehasasoulofsteel。
Shehasthefaceofthemostbeautifulofwomen，andthemindofthe
mostresoluteofmen。RatherthanIshouldmarryanotherwoman，
therearenolengthstowhichshewouldnotgo-none。”
“Youaresurethatshehasnotsentityet？“
“Iamsure。”
“Andwhy？“
“Becauseshehassaidthatshewouldsenditonthedaywhenthe
betrothalwaspubliclyproclaimed。ThatwillbenextMonday。”
“Oh，thenwehavethreedaysyet，“saidHolmeswithayawn。“Thatis
veryfortunate，asIhaveoneortwomattersofimportancetolook
intojustatpresent。YourMajestywill，ofcourse，stayinLondonfor
thepresent？“
“Certainly。YouwillfindmeattheLanghamunderthenameofthe
CountVonKramm。”
“ThenIshalldropyoualinetoletyouknowhowweprogress。”
“Praydoso。Ishallbeallanxiety。”
“Then，astomoney？“
“Youhavecarteblanche。”
“Absolutely？“
“ItellyouthatIwouldgiveoneoftheprovincesofmykingdom
tohavethatphotograph。”
“Andforpresentexpenses？“
TheKingtookaheavychamoisleatherbagfromunderhiscloakand
laiditonthetable。
“Therearethreehundredpoundsingoldandsevenhundredinnotes，“
hesaid。
Holmesscribbledareceiptuponasheetofhisnote-bookand
handedittohim。
“AndMademoiselle”saddress？“heasked。
“IsBrionyLodge，SerpentineAvenue，St。John”sWood。”
Holmestookanoteofit。“Oneotherquestion，“saidhe。“Wasthe
photographacabinet？“
“Itwas。”
“Then，good-night，yourMajesty，andItrustthatweshallsoonhave
somegoodnewsforyou。Andgood-night，Watson，“headded，asthe
wheelsoftheroyalbroughamrolleddownthestreet。“Ifyouwillbe
goodenoughtocallto-morrowafternoonatthreeo”clockIshouldlike
tochatthislittlematteroverwithyou。”
2
Atthreeo”clockpreciselyIwasatBakerStreet，butHolmeshadnot
yetreturned。Thelandladyinformedmethathehadleftthehouse
shortlyaftereighto”clockinthemorning。Isatdownbesidethe
fire，however，withtheintentionofawaitinghim，howeverlonghe
mightbe。Iwasalreadydeeplyinterestedinhisinquiry，for，
thoughitwassurroundedbynoneofthegrimandstrangefeatures
whichwereassociatedwiththetwocrimeswhichIhavealready
recorded，still，thenatureofthecaseandtheexaltedstationofhis
clientgaveitacharacterofitsown。Indeed，apartfromthenature
oftheinvestigationwhichmyfriendhadonhand，therewas
somethinginhismasterlygraspofasituation，andhiskeen，incisive
reasoning，whichmadeitapleasuretometostudyhissystemofwork，
andtofollowthequick，subtlemethodsbywhichhedisentangledthe
mostinextricablemysteries。SoaccustomedwasItohisinvariable
successthattheverypossibilityofhisfailinghadceasedtoenter
intomyhead。
Itwascloseuponfourbeforethedooropened，andadrunken-looking
groom，ill-kemptandside-whiskered，withaninflamedfaceand
disreputableclothes，walkedintotheroom。AccustomedasIwasto
myfriend”samazingpowersintheuseofdisguises，Ihadtolook
threetimesbeforeIwascertainthatitwasindeedhe。Withanod
hevanishedintothebedroom，whenceheemergedinfiveminutes
tweed-suitedandrespectable，asofold。Puttinghishandsintohis
pockets，hestretchedouthislegsinfrontofthefireandlaughed
heartilyforsomeminutes。
“Well，really！“hecried，andthenhechokedandlaughedagainuntil
hewasobligedtolieback，limpandhelpless，inthechair。
“Whatisit？“
“It”squitetoofunny。IamsureyoucouldneverguesshowI
employedmymorning，orwhatIendedbydoing。”
“Ican”timagine。Isupposethatyouhavebeenwatchingthe
habits，andperhapsthehouse，ofMissIreneAdler。”
“Quiteso；butthesequelwasratherunusual。Iwilltellyou，
however。Ileftthehousealittleaftereighto”clockthismorningin
thecharacterofagroomoutofwork。Thereisawonderfulsympathy
andfreemasonryamonghorsymen。Beoneofthem，andyouwillknowall
thatthereistoknow。IsoonfoundBrionyLodge。Itisabijouvilla，
withagardenattheback，butbuiltoutinfrontrightuptothe
road，twostories。Chubblocktothedoor。Largesitting-roomonthe
rightside，wellfurnished，withlongwindowsalmosttothefloor，and
thosepreposterousEnglishwindowfastenerswhichachildcould
open。Behindtherewasnothingremarkable，savethatthepassage
windowcouldbereachedfromthetopofthecoach-house。Iwalked
rounditandexamineditcloselyfromeverypointofview，butwithout
notinganythingelseofinterest。
“Ithenloungeddownthestreetandfound，asIexpected，thatthere
wasamewsinalanewhichrunsdownbyonewallofthegarden。Ilent
theostlersahandinrubbingdowntheirhorses，andreceivedin
exchangetwopence，aglassofhalfandhalf，twofillsofshag
tobacco，andasmuchinformationasIcoulddesireaboutMissAdler，
tosaynothingofhalfadozenotherpeopleintheneighbourhoodin
whomIwasnotintheleastinterested，butwhosebiographiesIwas
compelledtolistento。”
“AndwhatofIreneAdler？“Iasked。
“Oh，shehasturnedallthemen”sheadsdowninthatpart。Sheis
thedaintiestthingunderabonnetonthisplanet。Sosaythe
Serpentine-mews，toaman。Shelivesquietly，singsatconcerts，
drivesoutatfiveeveryday，andreturnsatsevensharpfordinner。
Seldomgoesoutatothertimes，exceptwhenshesings。Hasonlyone
malevisitor，butagooddealofhim。Heisdark，handsome，and
dashing，nevercallslessthanonceaday，andoftentwice。Heisa
Mr。GodfreyNorton，oftheInnerTemple。Seetheadvantagesofa
cabmanasaconfidant。theyhaddrivenhimhomeadozentimesfrom
Serpentine-mews，andknewallabouthim。WhenIhadlistenedtoall
theyhadtotell，IbegantowalkupanddownnearBrionyLodgeonce
more，andtothinkovermyplanofcampaign。
“ThisGodfreyNortonwasevidentlyanimportantfactorinthe
matter。Hewasalawyer。Thatsoundedominous。Whatwastherelation
betweenthem，andwhattheobjectofhisrepeatedvisits？Wasshe
hisclient，hisfriend，orhismistress？Iftheformer，shehad
probablytransferredthephotographtohiskeeping。Ifthelatter，
itwaslesslikely。OntheissueofthisquestiondependedwhetherI
shouldcontinuemyworkatBrionyLodge，orturnmyattentiontothe
gentleman”schambersintheTemple。Itwasadelicatepointandit
widenedthefieldofmyinquiry。IfearthatIboreyouwiththese
details，butIhavetoletyouseemylittledifficulties，ifyou
aretounderstandthesituation。”
“Iamfollowingyouclosely，“Ianswered。
“Iwasstillbalancingthematterinmymindwhenahansomcabdrove
uptoBrionyLodge，andagentlemansprangout。Hewasaremarkably
handsomeman，dark，aquiline，andmoustached-evidentlythemanof
whomIhadheard。Heappearedtobeinagreathurry，shoutedtothe
cabmantowait，andbrushedpastthemaidwhoopenedthedoorwiththe
airofamanwhowasthoroughlyathome。
“Hewasinthehouseabouthalfanhour，andIcouldcatch
glimpsesofhiminthewindowsofthesitting-room，pacingupand
down，talkingexcitedly，andwavinghisarms。OfherIcouldsee
nothing。Presentlyheemerged，lookingevenmoreflurriedthanbefore。
Ashesteppeduptothecab，hepulledagoldwatchfromhispocket
andlookedatitearnestly，`Drivelikethedevil”heshouted，`first
toGross&Hankey”sinRegentStreet，andthentotheChurchofSt。
MonicaintheEdgewareRoad。Halfaguineaifyoudoitintwenty
minutes！”
“Awaytheywent，andIwasjustwonderingwhetherIshouldnotdo
welltofollowthemwhenupthelanecameaneatlittlelandau，the
coachmanwithhiscoatonlyhalf-buttoned，andhistieunderhis
ear，whileallthetagsofhisharnesswerestickingoutofthe
buckles。Ithadn”tpulledupbeforesheshotoutofthehalldoor
andintoit。Ionlycaughtaglimpseofheratthemoment，butshewas
alovelywoman，withafacethatamanmightdiefor。
“`TheChurchofSt。Monica，John”shecried，`andhalfa
sovereignifyoureachitintwentyminutes。”
“Thiswasquitetoogoodtolose，Watson。Iwasjustbalancing
whetherIshouldrunforit，orwhetherIshouldperchbehindher
landauwhenacabcamethroughthestreet。Thedriverlookedtwice
atsuchashabbyfare，butIjumpedinbeforehecouldobject。`The
ChurchofSt。Monica”saidI，`andhalfasovereignifyoureachit
intwentyminutes。”Itwastwenty-fiveminutestotwelve，andof
courseitwasclearenoughwhatwasinthewind。
“Mycabbydrovefast。Idon”tthinkIeverdrovefaster，butthe
othersweretherebeforeus。Thecabandthelandauwiththeir
steaminghorseswereinfrontofthedoorwhenIarrived。Ipaidthe
manandhurriedintothechurch。Therewasnotasoultheresavethe
twowhomIhadfollowedandasurplicedclergyman，whoseemedtobe
expostalatingwiththem。Theywereallthreestandinginaknotin
frontofthealtar。Iloungedupthesideaislelikeanyotheridler
whohasdroppedintoachurch。Suddenly，tomysurprise，thethree
atthealtarfacedroundtome，andGodfreyNortoncamerunningas
hardashecouldtowardsme。
“`ThankGod”hecried。`You”lldo。Come！Come！”
“`Whatthen？”Iasked。
“`Come，man，come，onlythreeminutes，oritwon”tbelegal。”
“Iwashalf-draggeduptothealtar，andbeforeIknewwhereIwasI
foundmyselfmumblingresponseswhichwerewhisperedinmyear，and
vouchingforthingsofwhichIknewnothing，andgenerallyassisting
inthesecuretyingupofIreneAdler，spinster，toGodfreyNorton，
bachelor。Itwasalldoneinaninstant，andtherewasthegentleman
thankingmeontheonesideandtheladyontheother，whilethe
clergymanbeamedonmeinfront。Itwasthemostpreposterousposition
inwhichIeverfoundmyselfinmylife，anditwasthethoughtof
itthatstartedmelaughingjustnow。Itseemsthattherehadbeen
someinformalityabouttheirlicense，thattheclergymanabsolutely
refusedtomarrythemwithoutawitnessofsomesort，andthatmy
luckyappearancesavedthebridegroomfromhavingtosallyoutinto
thestreetsinsearchofabestman。Thebridegavemeasovereign，
andImeantowearitonmywatch-chaininmemoryoftheoccasion。”
“Thisisaveryunexpectedturnofaffairs，“saidI；“andwhat
then？“
“Well，Ifoundmyplansveryseriouslymenaced。Itlookedasif
thepairmighttakeanimmediatedeparture，andsonecessitatevery
promptandenergeticmeasuresonmypart。Atthechurchdoor，however，
theyseparated，hedrivingbacktotheTemple，andshetoherown
house。`Ishalldriveoutintheparkatfiveasusual”shesaidas
shelefthim。Iheardnomore。Theydroveawayindifferent
directions，andIwentofftomakemyownarrangements。”
“Whichare？“
“Somecoldbeefandaglassofbeer，“heanswered，ringingthebell。
“Ihavebeentoobusytothinkoffood，andIamlikelytobebusier
stillthisevening。Bytheway，Doctor，Ishallwantyour
cooperation。”
“Ishallbedelighted。”
“Youdon”tmindbreakingthelaw？“
“Notintheleast。”
“Norrunningachanceofarrest？“
“Notinagoodcause。”
“Oh，thecauseisexcellent！“
“ThenIamyourman。”
“IwassurethatImightrelyonyou。”
“Butwhatisityouwish？“
“WhenMrs。TurnerhasbroughtinthetrayIwillmakeitclearto
you。Now，“hesaidasheturnedhungrilyonthesimplefarethatour
landladyhadprovided，“ImustdiscussitwhileIeat，forIhave
notmuchtime。Itisnearlyfivenow。Intwohourswemustbeonthe
sceneofaction。MissIrene，orMadame，rather，returnsfromherdrive
atseven。WemustbeatBrionyLodgetomeether。”
“Andwhatthen？“
“Youmustleavethattome。Ihavealreadyarrangedwhatisto
occur。ThereisonlyonepointonwhichImustinsist。Youmustnot
interfere，comewhatmay。Youunderstand？“
“Iamtobeneutral？“
“Todonothingwhatever。Therewillprobablybesomesmall
unpleasantness。Donotjoininit。Itwillendinmybeingconveyed
intothehouse。Fourorfiveminutesafterwardsthesitting-room
windowwillopen。Youaretostationyourselfclosetothatopen
window。”
“Yes。”
“Youaretowatchme，forIwillbevisibletoyou。”
“Yes。”
“AndwhenIraisemyhand-so-youwillthrowintotheroomwhatI
giveyoutothrow，andwill，atthesametime，raisethecryof
fire。Youquitefollowme？“
“Entirely。”
“Itisnothingveryformidable，“hesaid，takingalongcigar-shaped
rollfromhispocket。“Itisanordinaryplumber”ssmoke-rocket，
fittedwithacapateitherendtomakeitself-lighting。Yourtaskis
confinedtothat。Whenyouraiseyourcryoffire，itwillbetakenup
byquiteanumberofpeople。Youmaythenwalktotheendofthe
street，andIwillrejoinyouintenminutes。IhopethatIhave
mademyselfclear？“
“Iamtoremainneutral，togetnearthewindow，towatchyou，and
atthesignaltothrowinthisobject，thentoraisethecryof
fire，andtowaityouatthecornerofthestreet。”
“Precisely。”
“Thenyoumayentirelyrelyonme。”
“Thatisexcellent。Ithink，perhaps，itisalmosttimethatI
prepareforthenewroleIhavetoplay。”
Hedisappearedintohisbedroomandreturnedinafewminutesinthe
characterofanamiableandsimple-mindedNonconformistclergyman。His
broadblackhat，hisbaggytrousers，hiswhitetiehissympathetic
smile，andgenerallookofpeeringandbenevolentcuriositywere
suchasMr。JohnHarealonecouldhaveequalled。Itwasnotmerely
thatHolmeschangedhiscostume。Hisexpression，hismanner，his
verysoulseemedtovarywitheveryfreshpartthatheassumed。The
stagelostafineactor，evenassciencelostanacutereasoner，
whenhebecameaspecialistincrime。
ItwasaquarterpastsixwhenweleftBakerStreet，anditstill
wantedtenminutestothehourwhenwefoundourselvesinSerpentine
Avenue。Itwasalreadydusk，andthelampswerejustbeinglighted
aswepacedupanddowninfrontofBrionyLodge，waitingforthe
comingofitsoccupant。ThehousewasjustsuchasIhadpicturedit
fromSherlockHolmes”ssuccinctdescription，butthelocalityappeared
tobelessprivatethanIexpected。Onthecontrary，forasmall
streetinaquietneighbourhood，itwasremarkablyanimated。Therewas
agroupofshabbilydressedmensmokingandlaughinginacorner，a
scissors-grinderwithhiswheel，twoguardsmenwhowereflirting
withanurse-girl，andseveralwelldressedyoungmenwhowere
loungingupanddownwithcigarsintheirmouths。
“Yousee，“remarkedHolmes，aswepacedtoandfroinfrontofthe
house，“thismarriagerathersimplifiesmatters。Thephotograph
becomesadouble-edgedweaponnow。Thechancesarethatshewouldbe
asaversetoitsbeingseenbyMr。GodfreyNorton，asourclientisto
itscomingtotheeyesofhisprincess。Nowthequestionis，Whereare
wetofindthephotograph？“
“Where，indeed？“
“Itismostunlikelythatshecarriesitaboutwithher。Itis
cabinetsize。Toolargeforeasyconcealmentaboutawoman”sdress。
SheknowsthattheKingiscapableofhavingherwaylaidandsearched。
Twoattemptsofthesorthavealreadybeenmade。Wemaytakeit，then，
thatshedoesnotcarryitaboutwithher。”
“Where，then？”
“Herbankerorherlawyer。Thereisthatdoublepossibility。ButI
aminclinedtothinkneither。Womenarenaturallysecretive，and
theyliketodotheirownsecreting。Whyshouldshehanditoverto
anyoneelse？Shecouldtrustherownguardianship，butshecouldnot
tellwhatindirectorpoliticalinfluencemightbebroughttobear
uponabusinessman。Besides，rememberthatshehadresolvedtouseit
withinafewdays。Itmustbewhereshecanlayherhandsuponit。
Itmustbeinherownhouse。”
“Butithastwicebeenburgled。”
“Pshaw！Theydidnotknowhowtolook。”
“Buthowwillyoulook？“
“Iwillnotlook。”
“Whatthen？“
“Iwillgethertoshowme。”
“Butshewillrefuse。”
“Shewillnotbeableto。ButIheartherumbleofwheels。Itisher
carriage。Nowcarryoutmyorderstotheletter。”
Ashespokethegleamoftheside-lightsofacarriagecameround
thecurveoftheavenue。Itwasasmartlittlelandauwhichrattledup
tothedoorofBrionyLodge。Asitpulledup，oneoftheloafingmen
atthecornerdashedforwardtoopenthedoorinthehopeofearninga
copper，butwaselbowedawaybyanotherloafer，whohadrushedupwith
thesameintention。Afiercequarrelbrokeout，whichwasincreasedby
thetwoguardsmen，whotooksideswithoneoftheloungers，andbythe
scissors-grinder，whowasequallyhotupontheotherside。Ablow
wasstruck，andinaninstantthelady，whohadsteppedfromher
carriage，wasthecentreofalittleknotofflushedandstruggling
men，whostrucksavagelyateachotherwiththeirfistsandsticks。
Holmesdashedintothecrowdtoprotectthelady；butjustashe
reachedherhegaveacryanddroppedtotheground，withtheblood
runningfreelydownhisface。Athisfalltheguardsmentookto
theirheelsinonedirectionandtheloungersintheother，whilea
numberofbetterdressedpeople，whohadwatchedthescufflewithout
takingpartinit，crowdedintohelptheladyandtoattendtothe
injuredman。IreneAdler，asIwillstillcallher，hadhurriedupthe
steps；butshestoodatthetopwithhersuperbfigureoutlined
againstthelightsofthehall，lookingbackintothestreet。
“Isthepoorgentlemanmuchhurt？“sheasked。
“Heisdead，“criedseveralvoices。
“No，no，there”slifeinhim！“shoutedanother。“Buthe”llbegone
beforeyoucangethimtohospital。”
“He”sabravefellow，“saidawoman。“Theywouldhavehadthelady”s
purseandwatchifithadn”tbeenforhim。Theywereagang，anda
roughone，too。Ah，he”sbreathingnow。”
“Hecan”tlieinthestreet。Maywebringhimin，marm？“
“Surely。Bringhimintothesitting-room。Thereisacomfortable
sofa。Thisway，please！“
SlowlyandsolemnlyhewashomeintoBrionyLodgeandlaidoutin
theprincipalroom，whileIstillobservedtheproceedingsfrommy
postbythewindow。Thelampshadbeenlit，buttheblindshadnot
beendrawn，sothatIcouldseeHolmesashelayuponthecouch。I
donotknowwhetherhewasseizedwithcompunctionatthatmoment
fortheparthewasplaying，butIknowthatIneverfeltmore
heartilyashamedofmyselfinmylifethanwhenIsawthebeautiful
creatureagainstwhomIwasconspiring，orthegraceandkindliness
withwhichshewaitedupontheinjuredman。Andyetitwouldbethe
blackesttreacherytoHolmestodrawbacknowfromthepartwhichhe
hadintrustedtome。Ihardenedmyheart，andtookthesmoke-rocket
fromundermyulster。Afterall，Ithoughtwearenotinjuringher。We
arebutpreventingherfrominjuringanother。
Holmeshadsatupuponthecouch，andIsawhimmotionlikeaman
whoisinneedofair。Amaidrushedacrossandthrewopenthewindow。
AtthesameinstantIsawhimraisehishand，andatthesignalI
tossedmyrocketintotheroomwithacryof`Fire！”Thewordwasno
sooneroutofmymouththanthewholecrowdofspectators，well
dressedandill-gentlemen，ostlers，andservant-maids-joinedina
generalshriekof`Fire！”Thickcloudsofsmokecurledthroughthe
roomandoutattheopenwindow。Icaughtaglimpseofrushing
figures，andamomentlaterthevoiceofHolmesfromwithinassuring
themthatitwasafalsealarm。Slippingthroughtheshoutingcrowd
Imademywaytothecornerofthestreet，andintenminuteswas
rejoicedtofindmyfriend”sarminmine，andtogetawayfromthe
sceneofuproar。Hewalkedswiftlyandinsilenceforsomefewminutes
untilwehadturneddownoneofthequietstreetswhichleadtowards
theEdgewareRoad。
“Youdiditverynicely，Doctor，“heremarked。“Nothingcouldhave
beenbetter。Itisallright。”
“Youhavethephotograph？“
“Iknowwhereitis。”
“Andhowdidyoufindout？“
“Sheshowedme，asItoldyoushewould。”
“Iamstillinthedark。”
“Idonotwishtomakeamystery，“saidhe，laughing。Thematterwas
perfectlysimple。You，ofcourse，sawthateveryoneinthestreet
wasanaccomplice。Theywereallengagedfortheevening。”
“Iguessedasmuch。”
Then，whentherowbrokeout，Ihadalittlemoistredpaintin
thepalmofmyhand。Irushedforward，felldown，clappedmyhandto
myface，andbecameapiteousspectacle。Itisanoldtrick。”
“ThatalsoIcouldfathom。”
“Thentheycarriedmein。Shewasboundtohavemein。Whatelse
couldshedo？Andintohersitting-room，whichwastheveryroomwhich
Isuspected。Itlaybetweenthatandherbedroom，andIwasdetermined
toseewhich。Theylaidmeonacouch，Imotionedforair，theywere
compelledtoopenthewindow，andyouhadyourchance。”
“Howdidthathelpyou？“
“Itwasall-important。Whenawomanthinksthatherhouseison
fire，herinstinctisatoncetorushtothethingwhichshevalues
most。Itisaperfectlyoverpoweringimpulse，andIhavemorethan
oncetakenadvantageofit。InthecaseoftheDarlingtonsubstitution
scandalitwasofusetome，andalsointheArnsworthCastle
business。Amarriedwomangrabsatherbaby；anunmarriedone
reachesforherjewel-box。Nowitwascleartomethatourladyof
to-dayhadnothinginthehousemoreprecioustoherthanwhatwe
areinquestof。Shewouldrushtosecureit。Thealarmoffirewas
admirablydone。Thesmokeandshoutingwereenoughtoshakenerves
ofsteel。Sherespondedbeautifully。Thephotographisinarecess
behindaslidingpaneljustabovetherightbell-pull。Shewasthere
inaninstant，andIcaughtaglimpseofitasshehalf-drewitout。
WhenIcriedoutthatitwasafalsealarm，shereplacedit，glanced
attherocket，rushedfromtheroom，andIhavenotseenhersince。
Irose，and，makingmyexcuses，escapedfromthehouse。Ihesitated
whethertoattempttosecurethephotographatonce；butthe
coachmanhadcomein，andashewaswatchingmenarrowlyitseemed
safertowait。Alittleover-precipitancemayruinall。”
“Andnow？“Iasked。
“Ourquestispracticallyfinished。IshallcallwiththeKing
to-morrow，andwithyou，ifyoucaretocomewithus。Wewillshown
intothesitting-roomtowaitforthelady，butitisprobablethat
whenshecomesshemayfindneitherusnorthephotograph。Itmightbe
asatisfactiontohisMajestytoregainitwithhisownhands。”
“Andwhenwillyoucall？“
“Ateightinthemorning。Shewillnotbeup，sothatweshall
haveaclearfield。Besides，wemustbeprompt，forthismarriage
maymeanacompletechangeinherlifeandhabits。Imustwireto
theKingwithoutdelay。”
WehadreachedBakerStreetandhadstoppedatthedoor。Hewas
searchinghispocketsforthekeywhensomeonepassingsaid：
“Good-night，MisterSherlockHolmes。”
Therewereseveralpeopleonthepavementatthetime，butthe
greetingappearedtocomefromaslimyouthinanulsterwhohad
hurriedby。
“I”veheardthatvoicebefore，“saidHolmes，staringdownthe
dimlylitstreet。
“Now，Iwonderwhothedeucethatcouldhavebeen。”
3
IsleptatBakerStreetthatnight，andwewereengageduponour
toastandcoffeeinthemorningwhentheKingofBohemiarushedinto
theroom。
“Youhavereallygotit！“hecried，graspingSherlockHolmesby
eithershoulderandlookingeagerlyintohisface。
“Notyet。”
“Butyouhavehopes？“
“Ihavehopes。”
“Then，come。Iamallimpatiencetobegone。”
“Wemusthaveacab。”
“No，mybroughamiswaiting。”
“Thenthatwillsimplifymatters。”Wedescendedandstartedoffonce
moreforBrionyLodge。
“IreneAdlerismarried，“remarkedHolmes。
“Married！When？“
“Yesterday。”
“Buttowhom？“
“ToanEnglishlawyernamedNorton。”
“Butshecouldnotlovehim。”
“Iaminhopesthatshedoes。”
“Andwhyinhopes？“
“BecauseitwouldspareyourMajestyallfearoffutureannoyance。
Iftheladylovesherhusband，shedoesnotloveyourMajesty。If
shedoesnotloveyourMajesty，thereisnoreasonwhysheshould
interferewithyourMajesty”splan。”
“Itistrue。Andyet-Well！Iwishshehadbeenofmyownstation！
Whataqueenshewouldhavemade！“Herelapsedintoamoodysilence，
whichwasnotbrokenuntilwedrewupinSerpentineAvenue。
ThedoorofBrionyLodgewasopen，andanelderlywomanstoodupon
thesteps。Shewatcheduswithasardoniceyeaswesteppedfromthe
brougham。
“Mr。SherlockHolmes，Ibelieve？“saidshe。
“IamMr。Holmes，“answeredmycompanion，lookingatherwitha
questioningandratherstartledgaze。
“Indeed！Mymistresstoldmethatyouwerelikelytocall。She
leftthismorningwithherhusbandbythe5：15trainfromCharing
CrossfortheContinent。”
“What！“SherlockHolmesstaggeredback，whitewithchagrinand
surprise。“DoyoumeanthatshehasleftEngland？“
“Nevertoreturn。”
“Andthepapers？“askedtheKinghoarsely。“Allislost。”
“Weshallsee。”Hepushedpasttheservantandrushedintothe
drawing-room，followedbytheKingandmyself。Thefurniturewas
scatteredaboutineverydirection，withdismantledshelvesandopen
drawers，asiftheladyhadhurriedlyransackedthembeforeher
flight。Holmesrushedatthebell-pull，torebackasmallsliding
shutter，and，plunginginhishand，pulledoutaphotographanda
letter。ThephotographwasofIreneAdlerherselfineveningdress，
theletterwassuperscribedto“SherlockHolmes，Esq。Tobeleft
tillcalledfor。”Myfriendtoreitopen，andweallthreereadit
together。Itwasdatedatmidnightoftheprecedingnightandranin
thisway：
MyDearMr。SherlockHolmes：
Youreallydiditverywell。Youtookmeincompletely。Until
afterthealarmoffire，Ihadnotasuspicion。Butthen，whenIfound
howIhadbetrayedmyself，Ibegantothink。Ihadbeenwarnedagainst
youmonthsago。IhadbeentoldthatiftheKingemployedanagent
itwouldcertainlybeyou。Andyouraddresshadbeengivenme。Yet，
withallthis，youmademerevealwhatyouwantedtoknow。Even
afterIbecamesuspicious，Ifoundithardtothinkevilofsucha
dear，kindoldclergyman。But，youknow，Ihavebeentrainedasan
actressmyself。Malecostumeisnothingnewtome。Ioftentake
advantageofthefreedomwhichitgives。IsentJohn，thecoachman，to
watchyou，ranupstairs，gotintomywalking-clothes，asIcanthem，
andcamedownjustasyoudeparted。
Well，Ifollowedyoutoyourdoor，andsomadesurethatIwas
reallyanobjectofinteresttothecelebratedMr。SherlockHolmes。
ThenI，ratherimprudently，wishedyougood-night，andstartedforthe
Templetoseemyhusband。
Weboththoughtthebestresourcewasflight，whenpursuedbyso
formidableanantagonist，soyouwillfindthenestemptywhenyou
callto-morrow。Astothephotograph，yourclientmayrestinpeace。I
loveandamlovedbyabettermanthanhe。TheKingmaydowhathe
willwithouthindrancefromonewhomhehascruellywronged。Ikeepit
onlytosafeguardmyself，andtopreserveaweaponwhichwillalways
securemefromanystepswhichhemighttakeinthefuture。Ileave
aphotographwhichhemightcaretopossess；andIremain，dearMr。
SherlockHolmes，
Verytrulyyours，
IreneNorton，neeAdler。
“Whatawoman-oh，whatawoman！“criedtheKingofBohemia，whenwe
hadallthreereadthisepistle。“DidInottellyouhowquickand
resoluteshewas？Wouldshenothavemadeanadmirablequeen？Isit
notapitythatshewasnotonmylevel？“
“FromwhatIhaveseenoftheladysheseemsindeedtobeona
verydifferentleveltoyourMajesty，“saidHolmescoldly。“Iamsorry
thatIhavenotbeenabletobringyourMajesty”sbusinesstoamore
successfulconclusion。”
“Onthecontrary，mydearsir，“criedtheKing，“nothingcouldbe
moresuccessful。Iknowthatherwordisinviolate。Thephotograph
isnowassafeasifitwereinthefire。”
“IamgladtohearyourMajestysayso。”
“Iamimmenselyindebtedtoyou。PraytellmeinwhatwayIcan
rewardyou。Thisring-“Heslippedanemeraldsnakeringfromhis
fingerandhelditoutuponthepalmofhishand。
“YourMajestyhassomethingwhichIshouldvalueevenmore
highly，“saidHolmes。
“Youhavebuttonameit。”
“Thisphotograph！“
TheKingstaredathiminamazement。
“Irene”sphotograph！“hecried。“Certainly，ifyouwishit。”
“IthankyourMajesty。Thenthereisnomoretobedoneinthe
matter。Ihavethehonourtowishyouaverygood-morning。”He
bowed，and，turningawaywithoutobservingthehandwhichtheKinghad
stretchedouttohim，hesetoffinmycompanyforhischambers。
Andthatwashowagreatscandalthreatenedtoaffectthekingdomof
Bohemia，andhowthebestplansofMr。SherlockHolmeswerebeaten
byawoman”swit。Heusedtomakemerryovertheclevernessof
women，butIhavenotheardhimdoitoflate。Andwhenhespeaksof
IreneAdler，orwhenhereferstoherphotograph，itisalwaysunder
thehonourabletitleofthewoman-
THEEND。
1917
SHERLOCKHOLMES
HISLASTBOW
bySirArthurConanDoyle
AnEpilogueofSherlockHolmes
Itwasnineo”clockatnightuponthesecondofAugust-themost
terribleAugustinthehistoryoftheworld。Onemighthavethought
alreadythatGod”scursehungheavyoveradegenerateworld，forthere
wasanawesomehushandafeelingofvagueexpectationinthesultry
andstagnantair。Thesunhadlongset，butoneblood-redgashlikean
openwoundlaylowinthedistantwest。Above，thestarswere
shiningbrightly，andbelow，thelightsoftheshippingglimmeredin
thebay。ThetwofamousGermansstoodbesidethestoneparapetof
thegardenwalk，withthelong，low，heavilygabledhousebehindthem，
andtheylookeddownuponthebroadsweepofthebeachatthefoot
ofthegreatchalkcliffonwhichVonBork，likesomewanderingeagle，
hadperchedhimselffouryearsbefore。Theystoodwiththeirheads
closetogether，talkinginlow，confidentialtones。Frombelowthetwo
glowingendsoftheircigarsmighthavebeenthesmoulderingeyesof
somemalignantfiendlookingdowninthedarkness。
AremarkablemanthisVonBork-amanwhocouldhardlybematched
amongallthedevotedagentsoftheKaiser。Itwashistalentswhich
hadfirstrecommendedhimfortheEnglishmission，themost
importantmissionofall，butsincehehadtakenitoverthosetalents
hadbecomemoreandmoremanifesttothehalf-dozenpeopleinthe
worldwhowerereallyintouchwiththetruth。Oneofthesewashis
presentcompanion，BaronVonHerling，thechiefsecretaryofthe
legation，whosehuge100-horse-powerBenzcarwasblockingthecountry
laneasitwaitedtowaftitsownerbacktoLondon。
“SofarasIcanjudgethetrendofevents，youwillprobablybe
backinBerlinwithintheweek，“thesecretarywassaying。“Whenyou
getthere，mydearVonBork，Ithinkyouwillbesurprisedatthe
welcomeyouwillreceive。Ihappentoknowwhatisthoughtinthe
highestquartersofyourworkinthiscountry。”Hewasahugeman，the
secretary，deep，broad，andtall，withaslow，heavyfashionofspeech
whichhadbeenhismainassetinhispoliticalcareer。
VonBorklaughed。
“Theyarenotveryhardtodeceive，“heremarked。“Amoredocile，
simplefolkcouldnotbeimagined。”
“Idon”tknowaboutthat，“saidtheotherthoughtfully。“Theyhave
strangelimitsandonemustlearntoobservethem。Itisthat
surfacesimplicityoftheirswhichmakesatrapforthestranger。
One”sfirstimpressionisthattheyareentirelysoft。Thenone
comessuddenlyuponsomethingveryhard，andyouknowthatyouhave
reachedthelimitandmustadaptyourselftothefact。Theyhave，
forexample，theirinsularconventionswhichsimplymustbeobserved。”
“Meaning，”goodform”andthatsortofthing？“VonBorksighedas
onewhohadsufferedmuch。
“MeaningBritishprejudiceinallitsqueermanifestations。Asan
exampleImayquoteoneofmyownworstblunders-Icanaffordtotalk
ofmyblunders，foryouknowmyworkwellenoughtobeawareofmy
successes。Itwasonmyfirstarrival。Iwasinvitedtoaweek-end
gatheringatthecountryhouseofacabinetminister。Theconversation
wasamazinglyindiscreet。”
VonBorknodded。“I”vebeenthere，“saidhedryly。
“Exactly。Well，Inaturallysentaresumeoftheinformationto
Berlin。Unfortunatelyourgoodchancellorisalittleheavy-handed
inthesematters，andhetransmittedaremarkwhichshowedthathewas
awareofwhathadbeensaid。This，ofcourse，tookthetrail
straightuptome。You”venoideatheharmthatitdidme。Therewas
nothingsoftaboutourBritishhostsonthatoccasion，Icanassure
you。Iwastwoyearslivingitdown。Nowyou，withthissporting
poseofyours-“
“No，no，don”tcallitapose。Aposeisanartificialthing。This
isquitenatural。Iamabornsportsman。Ienjoyit。”
“Well，thatmakesitthemoreeffective。Youyachtagainstthem，you
huntwiththem，youplaypolo，youmatchthemineverygame，your
four-in-handtakestheprizeatOlympia。Ihaveevenheardthatyougo
thelengthofboxingwiththeyoungofficers。Whatistheresult？
Nobodytakesyouseriously。Youarea”goodoldsport””quitea
decentfellowforaGerman”ahard-drinking，night-club，
knock-about-town，devil-may-careyoungfellow。Andallthetimethis
quietcountryhouseofyoursisthecentreofhalfthemischiefin
England，andthesportingsquirethemostastutesecret-servicemanin
Europe。Genius，mydearVonBork-genius！“
“Youflatterme，Baron。ButcertainlyImayclaimthatmyfouryears
inthiscountryhavenotbeenunproductive。I”venevershownyoumy
littlestore。Wouldyoumindsteppinginforamoment？“
Thedoorofthestudyopenedstraightontotheterrace。VonBork
pusheditback，and，leadingtheway，heclickedtheswitchofthe
electriclight。Hethenclosedthedoorbehindthebulkyformwhich
followedhimandcarefullyadjustedtheheavycurtainoverthe
latticedwindow。Onlywhenalltheseprecautionshadbeentakenand
testeddidheturnhissunburnedaquilinefacetohisguest。
“Someofmypapershavegone，“saidhe。“Whenmywifeandthe
householdleftyesterdayforFlushingtheytookthelessimportant
withthem。Imust，ofcourse，claimtheprotectionoftheembassy
fortheothers。”
“Yournamehasalreadybeenfiledasoneofthepersonalsuite。
Therewillbenodifficultiesforyouoryourbaggage。Ofcourse，it
isjustpossiblethatwemaynothavetogo。Englandmayleave
Francetoherfate。Wearesurethatthereisnobindingtreaty
betweenthem。”
“AndBelgium？“
“Yes，andBelgium，too。”
VonBorkshookhishead。“Idon”tseehowthatcouldbe。Thereis
adefinitetreatythere。Shecouldneverrecoverfromsucha
humiliation。”
“Shewouldatleasthavepeaceforthemoment。”
“Butherhonour？“
“Tut，mydearsir，weliveinautilitarianage。Honourisa
mediaevalconception。BesidesEnglandisnotready。Itisan
inconceivablething，butevenourspecialwartaxoffiftymillion，
whichonewouldthinkmadeourpurposeasclearasifwehad
advertiseditonthefrontpageoftheTimes，hasnotrousedthese
peoplefromtheirslumbers。Hereandthereonehearsaquestion。Itis
mybusinesstofindananswer。Hereandtherealsothereisan
irritation。Itismybusinesstosootheit。ButIcanassureyou
thatsofarastheessentialsgo-thestorageofmunitions，the
preparationforsubmarineattack，thearrangementsformakinghigh
explosives-nothingisprepared。How，then，canEnglandcomein，
especiallywhenwehavestirredherupsuchadevil”sbrewofIrish
civilwar，window-breakingFuries，andGodknowswhattokeepher
thoughtsathome。”
“Shemustthinkofherfuture。”
“Ah，thatisanothermatter。Ifancythatinthefuturewehave
ourownverydefiniteplansaboutEngland，andthatyourinformation
willbeveryvitaltous。Itisto-dayorto-morrowwithMr。John
Bull。Ifheprefersto-dayweareperfectlyready。Ifitis
to-morrowweshallbemorereadystill。Ishouldthinktheywouldbe
wisertofightwithalliesthanwithoutthem，butthatistheirown
affair。Thisweekistheirweekofdestiny。Butyouwerespeakingof
yourpapers。”Hesatinthearmchairwiththelightshininguponhis
broadbaldhead，whilehepuffedsedatelyathiscigar。
Thelargeoak-panelled，book-linedroomhadacurtainhunginthe
furthercorner。Whenthiswasdrawnitdisclosedalarge，
brass-boundsafe。VonBorkdetachedasmallkeyfromhiswatch
chain，andaftersomeconsiderablemanipulationofthelockheswung
opentheheavydoor。
“Look！“saidhe，standingclear，withawaveofhishand。
Thelightshonevividlyintotheopenedsafe，andthesecretaryof
theembassygazedwithanabsorbedinterestattherowsofstuffed
pigeon-holeswithwhichitwasfurnished。Eachpigeon-holehadits
label，andhiseyesasheglancedalongthemreadalongseriesof
suchtitlesas“Fords，““Harbour-defences，““Aeroplanes，““Ireland，“
“Egypt，““Portsmouthforts，““TheChannel，““Rosythe，“andascore
ofothers。Eachcompartmentwasbristlingwithpapersandplans。
“Colossal！“saidthesecretary。Puttingdownhiscigarhesoftly
clappedhisfathands。
“Andallinfouryears，Baron。Notsuchabadshowforthe
hard-drinking，hard-ridingcountrysquire。Butthegemofmy
collectioniscomingandthereisthesettingallreadyforit。”He
pointedtoaspaceoverwhich“NavalSignals“wasprinted。
“Butyouhaveagooddossiertherealready。”
“Outofdateandwastepaper。TheAdmiraltyinsomewaygotthe
alarmandeverycodehasbeenchanged。Itwasablow，Baron-theworst
setbackinmywholecampaign。Butthankstomycheck-bookandthegood
Altamontallwillbewellto-night。”
TheBaronlookedathiswatchandgaveagutturalexclamationof
disappointment。
“Well，Ireallycanwaitnolonger。Youcanimaginethatthings
aremovingatpresentinCarltonTerraceandthatwehavealltobeat
ourposts。Ihadhopedtobeabletobringnewsofyourgreatcoup。
DidAltamontnamenohour？“
VonBorkpushedoveratelegram。
Willcomewithoutfailto-nightandbringnewsparkingplugs。
ALTAMONT。
“Sparkingplugs，eh？“
“YouseeheposesasamotorexpertandIkeepafullgarage。Inour
codeeverythinglikelytocomeupisnamedaftersomesparepart。If
hetalksofaradiatoritisabattleship，ofanoilpumpacruiser，
andsoon。Sparkingplugsarenavalsignals。”
“FromPortsmouthatmidday，“saidthesecretary，examiningthe
superscription。“Bytheway，whatdoyougivehim？“
“Fivehundredpoundsforthisparticularjob。Ofcoursehehasa
salaryaswell。”
“Thegreedyrogue。Theyareuseful，thesetraitors，butIgrudge
themtheirbloodmoney。”
“IgrudgeAltamontnothing。Heisawonderfulworker。IfIpayhim
well，atleasthedeliversthegoods，tousehisownphrase。Besides
heisnotatraitor。Iassureyouthatourmostpan-GermanicJunkeris
asuckingdoveinhisfeelingstowardsEnglandascomparedwithareal
bitterIrish-American。”
“Oh，anIrish-American？“
“Ifyouheardhimtalkyouwouldnotdoubtit。SometimesIassure
youIcanhardlyunderstandhim。Heseemstohavedeclaredwaron
theKing”sEnglishaswellasontheEnglishking。Mustyoureallygo？
Hemaybehereanymoment。”
“No。I”msorry，butIhavealreadyoverstayedmytime。Weshall
expectyouearlyto-morrow，andwhenyougetthatsignalbook
throughthelittledoorontheDukeofYork”sstepsyoucanputa
triumphantfinistoyourrecordinEngland。What！Tokay！“heindicated
aheavilysealeddust-coveredbottlewhichstoodwithtwohighglasses
uponasalver。
“MayIofferyouaglassbeforeyourjourney？“
“No，thanks。Butitlookslikerevelry。
“Altamonthasanicetasteinwines，andhetookafancytomy
Tokay。Heisatouchyfellowandneedshumouringinsmallthings。I
havetostudyhim，Iassureyou。”Theyhadstrolledoutontothe
terraceagain，andalongittothefurtherendwhereatatouchfrom
theBaron”schauffeurthegreatcarshiveredandchuckled。“Those
arethelightsofHarwich，Isuppose，“saidthesecretary，pulling
onhisdustcoat。“Howstillandpeacefulitallseems。Theremaybe
otherlightswithintheweek，andtheEnglishcoastalesstranquil
place！Theheavens，too，maynotbequitesopeacefulifallthat
thegoodZeppelinpromisesuscomestrue。Bytheway，whoisthat？“
Onlyonewindowshowedalightbehindthem；inittherestooda
lamp，andbesideit，seatedatatable，wasadearoldruddy-faced
womaninacountrycap。Shewasbendingoverherknittingandstopping
occasionallytostrokealargeblackcatuponastoolbesideher。
“ThatisMartha，theonlyservantIhaveleft。”
Thesecretarychuckled。
“ShemightalmostpersonifyBritannia，“saidhe，“withher
completeself-absorptionandgeneralairofcomfortablesomnolence。
Well，aurevoir，VonBork！“Withafinalwaveofhishandhesprang
intothecar，andamomentlaterthetwogoldenconesfromthe
headlightsshotforwardthroughthedarkness。Thesecretarylayback
inthecushionsoftheluxuriouslimousine，withhisthoughtsso
fulloftheimpendingEuropeantragedythathehardlyobservedthatas
hiscarswungroundthevillagestreetitnearlypassedovera
littleFordcomingintheoppositedirection。
VonBorkwalkedslowlybacktothestudywhenthelastgleamsofthe
motorlampshadfadedintothedistance。Ashepassedheobservedthat
hisoldhousekeeperhadputoutherlampandretired。Itwasanew
experiencetohim，thesilenceanddarknessofhiswidespreadhouse
forhisfamilyandhouseholdhadbeenalargeone。Itwasarelief
tohim，however，tothinkthattheywereallinsafetyandthat，but
forthatoneoldwomanwhohadlingeredinthekitchen，hehadthe
wholeplacetohimself。Therewasagooddealoftidyinguptodo
insidehisstudyandhesethimselftodoituntilhiskeen，
handsomefacewasflushedwiththeheatoftheburningpapers。A
leathervalisestoodbesidehistable，andintothishebeganto
packveryneatlyandsystematicallythepreciouscontentsofhissafe。
Hehadhardlygotstartedwiththework，however，whenhisquick
earscaughtthesoundofadistantcar。Instantlyhegavean
exclamationofsatisfaction，strappedupthevalise，shutthesafe，
lockedit，andhurriedoutontotheterrace。Hewasjustintimeto
seethelightsofasmallcarcometoahaltatthegate。A
passengersprangoutofitandadvancedswiftlytowardshim，whilethe
chauffeur，aheavilybuilt，elderlymanwithagraymoustache，settled
downlikeonewhoresignshimselftoalongvigil。
“Well？“askedVonBorkeagerly，runningforwardtomeethisvisitor。
Foranswerthemanwavedasmallbrown-paperparceltriumphantly
abovehishead。
“Youcangivemethegladhandto-night，mister，“hecried。“I”m
bringinghomethebaconatlast。”
“Thesignals？“
“SameasIsaidinmycable。Everylastoneofthem，semaphore，lamp
code，Marconi-acopy，mindyou，nottheoriginal。Thatwastoo
dangerous。Butit”stherealgoods，andyoucanlaytothat。”He
slappedtheGermanupontheshoulderwitharoughfamiliarityfrom
whichtheotherwinced。
“Comein，“hesaid。“I”mallaloneinthehouse。Iwasonly
waitingforthis。Ofcourseacopyisbetterthantheoriginal。If
anoriginalweremissingtheywouldchangethewholething。You
thinkit”sallsafeaboutthecopy？“
TheIrish-Americanhadenteredthestudyandstretchedhislong
limbsfromthearmchair。Hewasatall，gauntmanofsixty，with
clear-cutfeaturesandasmallgoateebeardwhichgavehimageneral
resemblancetothecaricaturesofUncleSam。Ahalf-smoked，sodden
cigarhungfromthecornerofhismouth，andashesatdownhe
struckamatchandrelitit。“Makingreadyforamove？“heremarkedas
helookedroundhim。“Say，mister，“headded，ashiseyesfellupon
thesafefromwhichthecurtainwasnowremoved，“youdon”ttellme
youkeepyourpapersinthat？“
“Whynot？“
“Gosh，inawide-opencontraptionlikethat！Andtheyreckonyou
tobesomespy。Why，aYankeecrookwouldbeintothatwitha
can-opener。IfI”dknownthatanyletterofminewasgoin”tolie
looseinathinglikethatI”dhavebeenamugtowritetoyouat
all。”
“Itwouldpuzzleanycrooktoforcethatsafe，“VonBorkanswered。
“Youwon”tcutthatmetalwithanytool。”
“Butthelock？“
“No，it”sadoublecombinationlock。Youknowwhatthatis？“
“Searchme，“saidtheAmerican。
“Well，youneedawordaswellasasetoffiguresbeforeyoucan
getthelocktowork。”Heroseandshowedadouble-radiatingdisc
roundthekeyhole。“Thisotheroneisfortheletters，theinnerone
forthefigures。”
“Well，well，that”sfine。”
“Soit”snotquiteassimpleasyouthought。Itwasfouryearsago
thatIhaditmade，andwhatdoyouthinkIchoseforthewordand
figures？“
“It”sbeyondme。”
“Well，IchoseAugustfortheword，and1914forthefigures，and
hereweare。”
TheAmerican”sfaceshowedhissurpriseandadmiration。
“My，butthatwassmart！Youhaditdowntoafinething。”
“Yes，afewofuseventhencouldhaveguessedthedate。Hereitis，
andI”mshuttingdownto-morrowmorning。”
“Well，Iguessyou”llhavetofixmeupalso。I”mnotstayingin
thisgol-darnedcountryallonmylonesome。Inaweekorless，from
whatIsee，JohnBullwillbeonhishindlegsandfairramping。I”d
ratherwatchhimfromoverthewater。”
“Butyou”reanAmericancitizen？“
“Well，sowasJackJamesanAmericancitizen，buthe”sdoingtimein
Portlandallthesame。ItcutsnoicewithaBritishcoppertotell
himyou”reanAmericancitizen。”It”sBritishlawandorderover
here”sayshe。Bytheway，mister，talkingofJackJames，itseemsto
meyoudon”tdomuchtocoveryourmen。”
“Whatdoyoumean？“VonBorkaskedsharply。
“Well，youaretheiremployer，ain”tyou？It”suptoyoutoseethat
theydon”tfalldown。Buttheydofalldown，andwhendidyouever
pickthemup？There”sJames-“
“ItwasJames”sownfault。Youknowthatyourself。Hewastoo
self-willedforthejob。”
“Jameswasabonehead-Igiveyouthat。ThentherewasHollis。”
“Themanwasmad。”
“Well，hewentabitwoozytowardstheend。It”senoughtomakea
manbughousewhenhehastoplayapartfrommorningtonightwitha
hundredguysallreadytosetthecopperswisetohim。Butnowthere
isSteiner-“
VonBorkstartedviolently，andhisruddyfaceturnedashadepaler。
“WhataboutSteiner？“
“Well，they”vegothim，that”sall。Theyraidedhisstorelast
night，andheandhispapersareallinPortsmouthjail。You”llgooff
andhe，poordevil，willhavetostandtheracket，andluckyifhe
getsoffwithhislife。That”swhyIwanttogetoverthewateras
soonasyoudo。”
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