Itwas，then，inayear，andeveninadecade，thatshallbe
nameless，thatupononeTuesdaymorninginautumnwefoundtwo
visitorsofEuropeanfamewithinthewallsofourhumbleroominBaker
Street。Theone，austere，high-nosed，eagle-eyed，anddominant，was
noneotherthantheillustriousLordBellinger，twicePremierof
Britain。Theother，dark，clear-cut，andelegant，hardlyyetofmiddle
age，andendowedwitheverybeautyofbodyandofmind，wasthe
RightHonourableTrelawneyHope，SecretaryforEuropeanAffairs，and
themostrisingstatesmaninthecountry。Theysatsidebysideupon
ourpaper-litteredsettee，anditwaseasytoseefromtheirworn
andanxiousfacesthatitwasbusinessofthemostpressingimportance
whichhadbroughtthem。ThePremier”sthin，blue-veinedhandswere
claspedtightlyovertheivoryheadofhisumbrella，andhisgaunt，
asceticfacelookedgloomilyfromHolmestome。TheEuropeanSecretary
pullednervouslyathismoustacheandfidgetedwiththesealsofhis
watch-chain。
“WhenIdiscoveredmyloss，Mr。Holmes，whichwasateighto”clock
thismorning，IatonceinformedthePrimeMinister。Itwasathis
suggestionthatwehavebothcometoyou。”
“Haveyouinformedthepolice？“
“No，sir，“saidthePrimeMinister，withthequick，decisive
mannerforwhichhewasfamous。“Wehavenotdoneso，norisit
possiblethatweshoulddoso。Toinformthepolicemust，inthe
longrun，meantoinformthepublic。Thisiswhatweparticularly
desiretoavoid。”
“Andwhy，sir？“
“Becausethedocumentinquestionisofsuchimmenseimportance
thatitspublicationmightveryeasily-Imightalmostsayprobably-
leadtoEuropeancomplicationsoftheutmostmoment。Itisnottoo
muchtosaythatpeaceorwarmayhangupontheissue。Unlessits
recoverycanbeattendedwiththeutmostsecrecy，thenitmayas
wellnotberecoveredatall，forallthatisaimedatbythosewho
havetakenitisthatitscontentsshouldbegenerallyknown。”
“Iunderstand。Now，Mr。TrelawneyHope，Ishouldbemuchobliged
ifyouwouldtellmeexactlythecircumstancesunderwhichthis
documentdisappeared。”
“Thatcanbedoneinaveryfewwords，Mr。Holmes。Theletter-forit
wasaletterfromaforeignpotentate-wasreceivedsixdaysago。It
wasofsuchimportancethatIhaveneverleftitinmysafe，but
havetakenitacrosseacheveningtomyhouseinWhitehallTerrace，
andkeptitinmybedroominalockeddespatch-box。Itwasthere
lastnight。OfthatIamcertain。IactuallyopenedtheboxwhileI
wasdressingfordinnerandsawthedocumentinside。Thismorningit
wasgone。Thedespatch-boxhadstoodbesidetheglassuponmy
dressing-tableallnight。Iamalightsleeper，andsoismywife。
Wearebothpreparedtoswearthatnoonecouldhaveenteredthe
roomduringthenight。AndyetIrepeatthatthepaperisgone。”
“Whattimedidyoudine？“
“Half-pastseven。”
“Howlongwasitbeforeyouwenttobed？“
“Mywifehadgonetothetheatre。Iwaitedupforher。Itwas
half-pastelevenbeforewewenttoourroom。”
“Thenforfourhoursthedespatch-boxhadlainunguarded？“
“Nooneiseverpermittedtoenterthatroomsavethehouse-maid
inthemorning，andmyvalet，ormywife”smaid，duringtherestof
theday。Theyarebothtrustyservantswhohavebeenwithusfor
sometime。Besides，neitherofthemcouldpossiblyhaveknownthat
therewasanythingmorevaluablethantheordinarydepartmentalpapers
inmydespatch-box。”
“Whodidknowoftheexistenceofthatletter？“
“Nooneinthehouse。”
“Surelyyourwifeknew？”
“No，sir。IhadsaidnothingtomywifeuntilImissedthepaper
thismorning。”
ThePremiernoddedapprovingly。
“Ihavelongknown，sir，howhighisyoursenseofpublicduty，“
saidhe。“Iamconvincedthatinthecaseofasecretofthis
importanceitwouldrisesuperiortothemostintimatedomesticties。
TheEuropeanSecretarybowed。
“Youdomenomorethanjustice，sir。UntilthismorningIhave
neverbreathedonewordtomywifeuponthismatter。”
“Couldshehaveguessed？“
“No，Mr。Holmes，shecouldnothaveguessed-norcouldanyonehave
guessed。”
“Haveyoulostanydocumentsbefore？“
“No，sir。”
“WhoisthereinEnglandwhodidknowoftheexistenceofthis
letter？“
“EachmemberoftheCabinetwasinformedofityesterday，butthe
pledgeofsecrecywhichattendseveryCabinetmeetingwasincreasedby
thesolemnwarningwhichwasgivenbythePrimeMinister。Good
heavens，tothinkthatwithinafewhoursIshouldmyselfhavelost
it！“Hishandsomefacewasdistortedwithaspasmofdespair，and
hishandstoreathishair。Foramomentwecaughtaglimpseofthe
naturalman，impulsive，ardent，keenlysensitive。Thenextthe
aristocraticmaskwasreplaced，andthegentlevoicehadreturned。
“BesidesthemembersoftheCabinettherearetwo，orpossibly
three，departmentalofficialswhoknowoftheletter。Nooneelsein
England，Mr。Holmes，Iassureyou。”
“Butabroad？“
“Ibelievethatnooneabroadhasseenitsavethemanwhowroteit。
IamwellconvincedthathisMinisters-thattheusualofficial
channelshavenotbeenemployed。”
Holmesconsideredforsomelittletime。
“Now，sir，Imustaskyoumoreparticularlywhatthisdocumentis，
andwhyitsdisappearanceshouldhavesuchmomentousconsequences？“
ThetwostatesmenexchangedaquickglanceandthePremier”s
shaggyeyebrowsgatheredinafrown。
“Mr。Holmes，theenvelopeisalong，thinoneofpalebluecolour。
Thereisasealofredwaxstampedwithacrouchinglion。Itis
addressedinlarge，boldhandwritingto-“
“Ifear，sir，“saidHolmes，“that，interestingandindeed
essentialasthesedetailsare，myinquiriesmustgomoretothe
rootofthings。Whatwastheletter？“
“ThatisaStatesecretoftheutmostimportance，andIfearthat
Icannottellyou，nordoIseethatitisnecessary。Ifbytheaidof
thepowerswhichyouaresaidtopossessyoucanfindsuchanenvelope
asIdescribewithitsenclosure，youwillhavedeservedwellof
yourcountry，andearnedanyrewardwhichitliesinourpowerto
bestow。”
SherlockHolmesrosewithasmile。
“Youaretwoofthemostbusymeninthecountry，“saidhe，“and
inmyownsmallwayIhavealsoagoodmanycallsuponme。Iregret
exceedinglythatIcannothelpyouinthismatter，andany
continuationofthisinterviewwouldbeawasteoftime。”
ThePremiersprangtohisfeetwiththatquick，fiercegleamof
hisdeep-seteyesbeforewhichaCabinethascowered。“Iamnot
accustomed，sir，“hebegan，butmasteredhisangerandresumedhis
seat。Foraminuteormoreweallsatinsilence。Thentheold
statesmanshruggedhisshoulders。
“Wemustacceptyourterms，Mr。Holmes。Nodoubtyouareright，
anditisunreasonableforustoexpectyoutoactunlesswegive
youourentireconfidence。”
“Iagreewithyou，“saidtheyoungerstatesman。
“ThenIwilltellyou，relyingentirelyuponyourhonourandthatof
yourcolleague，Dr。Watson。Imayappealtoyourpatriotismalso，
forIcouldnotimagineagreatermisfortuneforthecountrythanthat
thisaffairshouldcomeout。”
“Youmaysafelytrustus。”
“Theletter，then，isfromacertainforeignpotentatewhobas
beenruffledbysomerecentColonialdevelopmentsofthiscountry。
Ithasbeenwrittenhurriedlyanduponhisownresponsibility
entirely。InquirieshaveshownthathisMinistersknownothingof
thematter。Atthesametimeitiscouchedinsounfortunateamanner，
andcertainphrasesinitareofsoprovocativeacharacter，that
itspublicationwouldundoubtedlyleadtoamostdangerousstateof
feelinginthiscountry。Therewouldbesuchaferment，sir，thatIdo
nothesitatetosaythatwithinaweekofthepublicationofthat
letterthiscountrywouldbeinvolvedinagreatwar。”
Holmeswroteanameuponaslipofpaperandhandedittothe
Premier。
“Exactly。Itwashe。Anditisthisletter-thisletterwhichmay
wellmeantheexpenditureofathousandmillionsandthelivesofa
hundredthousandmen-whichhasbecomelostinthisunaccountable
fashion。”
“Haveyouinformedthesender？“
“Yes，sir，aciphertelegramhasbeendespatched。”
“Perhapshedesiresthepublicationoftheletter。”
“No，sir，wehavestrongreasontobelievethathealready
understandsthathehasactedinanindiscreetandhot-headed
manner。Itwouldbeagreaterblowtohimandtohiscountrythanto
usifthisletterweretocomeout。”
“Ifthisisso，whoseinterestisitthat，thelettershouldcome
out？Whyshouldanyonedesiretostealitortopublishit？“
“There，Mr。Holmes，youtakemeintoregionsofhighinternational
politics。ButifyouconsidertheEuropeansituationyouwillhave
nodifficultyinperceivingthemotive。ThewholeofEuropeisan
armedcamp。Thereisadoubleleaguewhichmakesafairbalanceof
militarypower。GreatBritainholdsthescales。IfBritainweredriven
intowarwithoneconfederacy，itwouldassurethesupremacyofthe
otherconfederacy，whethertheyjoinedinthewarornot。Doyou
follow？“
“Veryclearly。Itisthentheinterestoftheenemiesofthis
potentatetosecureandpublishthisletter，soastomakeabreach
betweenhiscountryandours？“
“Yes，sir。”
“Andtowhomwouldthisdocumentbesentifitfellintothehands
ofanenemy？“
“ToanyofthegreatChancelleriesofEurope。Itisprobably
speedingonitswaythitheratthepresentinstantasfastassteam
cantakeit。”
Mr。TrelawneyHopedroppedhisheadonhischestandgroaned
aloud。ThePremierplacedhishandkindlyuponhisshoulder。
“Itisyourmisfortune，mydearfellow。Noonecanblameyou。
Thereisnoprecautionwhichyouhaveneglected。Now，Mr。Holmes，
youareinfullpossessionofthefacts。Whatcoursedoyou
recommend？“
Holmesshookhisheadmournfully。
“Youthink，sir，thatunlessthisdocumentisrecoveredtherewill
bewar？“
“Ithinkitisveryprobable。”
“Then，sir，prepareforwar。”
“Thatisahardsaying，Mr。Holmes。”
“Considerthefacts，sir。Itisinconceivablethatitwastaken
aftereleven-thirtyatnight，sinceIunderstandthatMr。Hopeandhis
wifewerebothintheroomfromthathouruntilthelosswasfound
out。Itwastaken，then，yesterdayeveningbetweenseven-thirtyand
eleven-thirty，probablyneartheearlierhour，sincewhoevertookit
evidentlyknewthatitwasthereandwouldnaturallysecureitas
earlyaspossible。Now，sir，ifadocumentofthisimportancewere
takenatthathour，wherecanitbenow？Noonehasanyreasonto
retainit。Ithasbeenpassedrapidlyontothosewhoneedit。What
chancehavewenowtoovertakeoreventotraceit？Itisbeyondour
reach。”
ThePrimeMinisterrosefromthesettee。
“Whatyousayisperfectlylogical，Mr。Holmes。Ifeelthatthe
matterisindeedoutofourhands。”
“Letuspresume，forargument”ssake，thatthedocumentwastakenby
themaidorbythevalet-“
“Theyarebotholdandtriedservants。”
“Iunderstandyoutosaythatyourroomisonthesecondfloor，that
thereisnoentrancefromwithout，andthatfromwithinnoonecould
goupunobserved。Itmust，then，besomebodyinthehousewhohas
takenit。Towhomwouldthethieftakeit？Tooneofseveral
internationalspiesandsecretagents，whosenamesaretolerably
familiartome。Therearethreewhomaybesaidtobetheheadsof
theirprofession。Iwillbeginmyresearchbygoingroundand
findingifeachofthemisathispost。Ifoneismissing-
especiallyifhehasdisappearedsincelastnight-wewillhavesome
indicationastowherethedocumenthasgone。”
“Whyshouldhebemissing？“askedtheEuropeanSecretary。“He
wouldtakethelettertoanEmbassyinLondon，aslikelyasnot。”
“Ifancynot。Theseagentsworkindependently，andtheirrelations
withtheEmbassiesareoftenstrained。”
ThePrimeMinisternoddedhisacquiescence。
“Ibelieveyouareright，Mr。Holmes。Hewouldtakesovaluablea
prizetoheadquarterswithhisownhands。Ithinkthatyourcourse
ofactionisanexcellentone。Meanwhile，Hope，wecannotneglect
allourotherdutiesonaccountofthisonemisfortune。Shouldthere
beanyfreshdevelopmentsduringthedayweshallcommunicatewith
you，andyouwillnodoubtletusknowtheresultsofyourown
inquiries。”
Thetwostatesmenbowedandwalkedgravelyfromtheroom。
WhenourillustriousvisitorshaddepartedHolmeslithispipein
silenceandsatforsometimelostinthedeepestthought。Ihad
openedthemorningpaperandwasimmersedinasensationalcrimewhich
hadoccurredinLondonthenightbefore，whenmyfriendgavean
exclamation，sprangtohisfeet，andlaidhispipedownuponthe
mantelpiece。
“Yes，“saidhe，“thereisnobetterwayofapproachingit。The
situationisdesperate，butnothopeless。Evennow，ifwecouldbe
surewhichofthemhastakenit，itisjustpossiblethatithasnot
yetpassedoutofhishands。Afterall，itisaquestionofmoneywith
thesefellows，andIhavetheBritishtreasurybehindme。Ifit”son
themarketI”llbuyit-ifitmeansanotherpennyontheincome-tax。
Itisconceivablethatthefellowmightholditbacktoseewhat
bidscomefromthissidebeforehetrieshisluckontheother。
Thereareonlythosethreecapableofplayingsoboldagame-there
areOberstein，LaRothiere，andEduardoLucas。Iwillseeeachof
them。”
Iglancedatmymorningpaper。
“IsthatEduardoLucasofGodolphinStreet？“
“Yes。”
“Youwillnotseehim。”
“Whynot？“
“Hewasmurderedinhishouselastnight。”
Myfriendhassooftenastonishedmeinthecourseofouradventures
thatitwaswithasenseofexultationthatIrealizedhow
completelyIhadastonishedhim。Hestaredinamazement，andthen
snatchedthepaperfrommyhands。ThiswastheparagraphwhichIhad
beenengagedinreadingwhenherosefromhischair。MURDERINWESTMINSTER
Acrimeofmysteriouscharacterwascommittedlastnightat16
GodolphinStreet，oneoftheold-fashionedandsecludedrowsof
eighteenthcenturyhouseswhichliebetweentheriverandtheAbbey，
almostintheshadowofthegreatToweroftheHousesofParliament。
ThissmallbutselectmansionhasbeeninhabitedforsomeyearsbyMr。
EduardoLucas，wellknowninsocietycirclesbothonaccountofhis
charmingpersonalityandbecausehehasthewell-deservedreputation
ofbeingoneofthebestamateurtenorsinthecountry。Mr。Lucasis
anunmarriedman，thirty-fouryearsofage，andhisestablishment
consistsofMrs。Pringle，anelderlyhousekeeper，andofMitton，his
valet。Theformerretiresearlyandsleepsatthetopofthehouse。
Thevaletwasoutfortheevening，visitingafriendatHammersmith。
Fromteno”clockonwardMr。Lucashadthehousetohimself。What
occurredduringthattimehasnotyettranspired，butataquarter
totwelvePolice-constableBarrett，passingalongGodolphinStreet
observedthatthedoorofNo。16wasajar。Heknocked，butreceivedno
answer。Perceivingalightinthefrontroom，headvancedintothe
passageandagainknocked，butwithoutreply。Hethenpushedopen
thedoorandentered。Theroomwasinastateofwilddisorder，the
furniturebeingallswepttooneside，andonechairlyingonitsback
inthecentre。Besidethischair，andstillgraspingoneofits
legs，laytheunfortunatetenantofthehouse。Hehadbeenstabbed
totheheartandmusthavediedinstantly。Theknifewithwhichthe
crimehadbeencommittedwasacurvedIndiandagger，pluckeddownfrom
atrophyofOrientalarmswhichadornedoneofthewalls。Robberydoes
notappeartohavebeenthemotiveofthecrime，fortherehadbeenno
attempttoremovethevaluablecontentsoftheroom。Mr。EduardoLucas
wassowellknownandpopularthathisviolentandmysteriousfate
willarousepainfulinterestandintensesympathyinawidespread
circleoffriends。
“Well，Watson，whatdoyoumakeofthis？“askedHolmes，afteralong
pause。
“Itisanamazingcoincidence。”
“Acoincidence！Hereisoneofthethreemenwhomwehadnamedas
possibleactorsinthisdrama，andhemeetsaviolentdeathduringthe
veryhourswhenweknowthatthatdramawasbeingenacted。Theodds
areenormousagainstitsbeingcoincidence。Nofigurescouldexpress
them。No，mydearWatson，thetwoeventsareconnected-mustbe
connected。Itisforustofindtheconnection。”
“Butnowtheofficialpolicemustknowall。”
“Notatall。TheyknowalltheyseeatGodolphinStreet。They
know-andshallknow-nothingofWhitehallTerrace。Onlyweknowof
bothevents，andcantracetherelationbetweenthem。Thereisone
obviouspointwhichwould，inanycase，haveturnedmysuspicions
againstLucas。GodolphinStreet，Westminster，isonlyafewminutes”
walkfromWhitehallTerrace。TheothersecretagentswhomIhavenamed
liveintheextremeWestEnd。Itwaseasier，therefore，forLucasthan
fortheotherstoestablishaconnectionorreceiveamessagefromthe
EuropeanSecretary”shousehold-asmallthing，andyetwhereevents
arecompressedintoafewhoursitmayproveessential。Halloa！what
havewehere？“
Mrs。Hudsonhadappearedwithalady”scarduponhersalver。
Holmesglancedatit，raisedhiseyebrows，andhandeditovertome。
“AskLadyHildaTrelawneyHopeifshewillbekindenoughtostep
up，“saidhe。
Amomentlaterourmodestapartment，alreadysodistinguishedthat
morning，wasfurtherhonouredbytheentranceofthemostlovelywoman
inLondon。Ihadoftenheardofthebeautyoftheyoungestdaughterof
theDukeofBelminster，butnodescriptionofit，andnocontemplation
ofcolourlessphotographs，hadpreparedmeforthesubtle，delicate
charmandthebeautifulcolouringofthatexquisitehead。Andyetas
wesawitthatautumnmorning，itwasnotitsbeautywhichwouldbe
thefirstthingtoimpresstheobserver。Thecheekwaslovelybutit
waspaledwithemotion，theeyeswerebrightbutitwasthebrightness
offever，thesensitivemouthwastightanddrawninaneffortafter
self-command。Terror-notbeauty-waswhatsprangfirsttotheeye
asourfairvisitorstoodframedforaninstantintheopendoor。
“Hasmyhusbandbeenhere，Mr。Holmes？“
“Yes，madam。hehasbeenhere。”
“Mr。Holmes。IimploreyounottotellhimthatIcamehere。”Holmes
bowedcoldly，andmotionedtheladytoachair。
“Yourladyshipplacesmeinaverydelicateposition。Ibegthatyou
willsitdownandtellmewhatyoudesire，butIfearthatIcannot
makeanyunconditionalpromise。”
Shesweptacrosstheroomandseatedherselfwithherbacktothe
window。Itwasaqueenlypresence-tall，graceful，andintensely
womanly。
“Mr。Holmes，“shesaid-andherwhite-glovedhandsclaspedand
unclaspedasshespoke-“Iwillspeakfranklytoyouinthehopesthat
itmayinduceyoutospeakfranklyinreturn。Thereiscomplete
confidencebetweenmyhusbandandmeonallmatterssaveone。Thatone
ispolitics。Onthishislipsaresealed。Hetellsmenothing。Now，
Iamawarethattherewasamostdeplorableoccurrenceinourhouse
lastnight。Iknowthatapaperhasdisappeared。Butbecausethe
matterispoliticalmyhusbandrefusestotakemeintohiscomplete
confidence。Nowitisessential-essential，Isay-thatIshould
thoroughlyunderstandit。Youaretheonlyotherperson，saveonly
thesepoliticians，whoknowsthetruefacts。Ibegyouthen，Mr。
Holmes，totellmeexactlywhathashappenedandwhatitwillleadto。
Tellmeall，Mr。Holmes。Letnoregardforyourclient”sinterests
keepyousilent，forIassureyouthathisinterests，ifhewouldonly
seeit，wouldbebestservedbytakingmeintohiscomplete
confidence。Whatwasthispaperwhichwasstolen？“
“Madam，whatyouaskmeisreallyimpossible。”
Shegroanedandsankherfaceinherhands。
“Youmustseethatthisisso，madam。Ifyourhusbandthinksfit
tokeepyouinthedarkoverthismatter，isitforme，whohasonly
learnedthetruefactsunderthepledgeofprofessionalsecrecy，to
tellwhathehaswithheld？Itisnotfairtoaskit。Itishimwhom
youmustask。”
“Ihaveaskedhim。Icometoyouasalastresource。Butwithout
yourtellingmeanythingdefinite，Mr。Holmes，youmaydoagreat
serviceifyouwouldenlightenmeononepoint。”
“Whatisit，madam？“
“Ismyhusband”spoliticalcareerlikelytosufferthroughthis
incident？“
“Well，madam，unlessitissetrightitmaycertainlyhaveavery
unfortunateeffect。”
“Ah！“Shedrewinherbreathsharplyasonewhosedoubtsare
resolved。
“Onemorequestion，Mr。Holmes。Fromanexpressionwhichmy
husbanddroppedinthefirstshockofthisdisasterIunderstood
thatterriblepublicconsequencesmightarisefromthelossofthis
document。”
“Ifhesaidso，Icertainlycannotdenyit。”
“Ofwhatnaturearethey？“
“Nay，madam，thereagainyouaskmemorethanIcanpossibly
answer。”
“ThenIwilltakeupnomoreofyourtime。Icannotblameyou，Mr。
Holmes，forhavingrefusedtospeakmorefreely，andyouonyour
sidewillnot，Iamsure，thinktheworseofmebecauseIdesire，even
againsthiswill，tosharemyhusband”sanxieties。OncemoreIbeg
thatyouwillsaynothingofmyvisit。”
Shelookedbackatusfromthedoor，andIhadalastimpression
ofthatbeautifulhauntedface，thestartledeyes，andthedrawn
mouth。Thenshewasgone。
“Now，Watson，thefairsexisyourdepartment，“saidHolmes，with
asmile，whenthedwindlingfrou-frouofskirtshadendedinthe
slamofthefrontdoor。“Whatwasthefairlady”sgame？Whatdidshe
reallywant？“
“Surelyherownstatementisclearandheranxietyverynatural。”
“Hum！Thinkofherappearance，Watson-hermanner，hersuppressed
excitement，herrestlessness，hertenacityinaskingquestions。
Rememberthatshecomesofacastewhodonotlightlyshowemotion。”
“Shewascertainlymuchmoved。”
“Rememberalsothecuriousearnestnesswithwhichsheassuredus
thatitwasbestforherhusbandthatsheshouldknowall。Whatdid
shemeanbythat？Andyoumusthaveobserved，Watson，howshe
manoeuvredtohavethelightatherback。Shedidnotwishusto
readherexpression。”
“Yes，shechosetheonechairintheroom。”
“Andyetthemotivesofwomenaresoinscrutable。Yourememberthe
womanatMargatewhomIsuspectedforthesamereason。Nopowderon
hernose-thatprovedtobethecorrectsolution。Howcanyoubuildon
suchaquicksand？Theirmosttrivialactionmaymeanvolumes，ortheir
mostextraordinaryconductmaydependuponahairpinoracurling
tongs。Good-morning，Watson。”
“Youareoff？“
“Yes，IwillwhileawaythemorningatGodolphinStreetwithour
friendsoftheregularestablishment。WithEduardoLucasliesthe
solutionofourproblem，thoughImustadmitthatIhavenotan
inklingastowhatformitmaytake。Itisacapitalmistaketo
theorizeinadvanceofthefacts。Doyoustayonguard，mygood
Watson，andreceiveanyfreshvisitors。I”lljoinyouatlunchifIam
able。”
AllthatdayandthenextandthenextHolmeswasinamoodwhich
hisfriendswouldcantaciturn，andothersmorose。Heranoutand
ranin，smokedincessantly，playedsnatchesonhisviolin，sankinto
reveries，devouredsandwichesatirregularhours，andhardly
answeredthecasualquestionswhichIputtohim。Itwasevidenttome
thatthingswerenotgoingwellwithhimorhisquest。Hewouldsay
nothingofthecase，anditwasfromthepapersthatIlearnedthe
particularsoftheinquest，andthearrestwiththesubsequentrelease
ofJohnMitton，thevaletofthedeceased。Thecoroner”sjury
broughtintheobviousWilfulMurder，butthe，partiesremainedas
unknownasever。Nomotivewassuggested。Theroomwasfullof
articlesofvalue，butnonehadbeentaken。Thedeadman”spapers
hadnotbeentamperedwith。Theywerecarefullyexamined，andshowed
thathewasakeenstudentofinternationalpolitics，anindefatigable
gossip，aremarkablelinguist，andanuntiringletterwriter。Hehad
beenonintimatetermswiththeleadingpoliticiansofseveral
countries。Butnothingsensationalwasdiscoveredamongthe
documentswhichfilledhisdrawers。Astohisrelationswithwomen，
theyappearedtohavebeenpromiscuousbutsuperficial。Hehadmany
acquaintancesamongthem，butfewfriends，andnoonewhomheloved。
Hishabitswereregular，hisconductinoffensive。Hisdeathwasan
absolutemysteryandlikelytoremainso。
AstothearrestofJohnMitton，thevalet，itwasacouncilof
despairasanalternativetoabsoluteinaction。Butnocasecouldbe
sustainedagainsthim。HehadvisitedfriendsinHammersmiththat
night。Thealibiwascomplete。Itistruethathestartedhomeatan
hourwhichshouldhavebroughthimtoWestminsterbeforethetimewhen
thecrimewasdiscovered，buthisownexplanationthathehadwalked
partofthewayseemedprobableenoughinviewofthefinenessof
thenight。Hehadactuallyarrivedattwelveo”clock，andappeared
tobeoverwhelmedbytheunexpectedtragedy。Hehadalwaysbeenon
goodtermswithhismaster。Severalofthedeadman”spossessions-
notablyasmallcaseofrazors-hadbeenfoundinthevalet”sboxes，
butheexplainedthattheyhadbeenpresentsfromthedeceased，and
thehousekeeperwasabletocorroboratethestory。Mittonhadbeen
inLucas”semploymentforthreeyears。ItwasnoticeablethatLucas
didnottakeMittonontheContinentwithhim。Sometimeshevisited
Parisforthreemonthsonend，butMittonwasleftinchargeofthe
GodolphinStreethouse。Astothehousekeeper，shehadheardnothing
onthenightofthecrime。Ifhermasterhadavisitorhehad
himselfadmittedhim。
Soforthreemorningsthemysteryremained，sofarasIcouldfollow
itinthepapers。IfHolmesknewmore，hekepthisowncounsel，but，
ashetoldmethatInspectorLestradehadtakenhimintohiminto
hisconfidenceinthecase，Iknewthathewasinclosetouchwith
everydevelopment。Uponthefourthdaythereappearedalong
telegramfromPariswhichseemedtosolvethewholequestion。
AdiscoveryhasjustbeenmadebytheParisianpolice[saidthe
DailyTelegraph]whichraisestheveilwhichhungroundthetragic
fateofMr。EduardoLucas，whomethisdeathbyviolencelastMonday
nightatGodolphinStreet，Westminster。Ourreaderswillrememberthat
thedeceasedgentlemanwasfoundstabbedinhisroom，andthatsome
suspicionattachedtohisvalet，butthatthecasebrokedownonan
alibi。Yesterdayalady，whohasbeenknownasMme。HenriFournaye，
occupyingasmallvillaintheRueAusterlitz，wasreportedtothe
authoritiesbyherservantsasbeinginsane。Anexaminationshowedshe
hadindeeddevelopedmaniaofadangerousandpermanentform。On
inquiry，thepolicehavediscoveredthatMme。HenriFournayeonly
returnedfromajourneytoLondononTuesdaylast，andthereis
evidencetoconnectherwiththecrimeatWestminster。Acomparisonof
photographshasprovedconclusivelythatM。HenriFournayeandEduardo
Lucaswerereallyoneandthesameperson，andthatthedeceasedhad
forsomereasonlivedadoublelifeinLondonandParis。Mme。
Fournaye，whoisofCreoleorigin，isofanextremelyexcitable
nature，andhassufferedinthepastfromattacksofjealousywhich
haveamountedtofrenzy。Itisconjecturedthatitwasinoneofthese
thatshecommittedtheterriblecrimewhichhascausedsucha
sensationinLondon。HermovementsupontheMondaynighthavenot
yetbeentraced，butitisundoubtedthatawomanansweringtoher
descriptionattractedmuchattentionatCharingCrossStationon
Tuesdaymorningbythewildnessofherappearanceandtheviolence
ofhergestures。Itisprobable，therefore，thatthecrimewas
eithercommittedwheninsane，orthatitsimmediateeffectwasto
drivetheunhappywomanoutofhermind。Atpresentsheisunableto
giveanycoherentaccountofthepast，andthedoctorsholdoutno
hopesofthereestablishmentofherreason。Thereisevidencethata
woman，whomighthavebeenMme。Fournaye，wasseenforsomehoursupon
MondaynightwatchingthehouseinGodolphinStreet。
“Whatdoyouthinkofthat，Holmes？“Ihadreadtheaccountaloudto
him，whilehefinishedhisbreakfast。
“MydearWatson，“saidhe，asherosefromthetableandpacedup
anddowntheroom，“Youaremostlong-suffering，butifIhavetold
younothinginthelastthreedays，itisbecausethereisnothing
totell。EvennowthisreportfromParisdoesnothelpusmuch。”
“Surelyitisfinalasregardstheman”sdeath。”
“Theman”sdeathisamereincident-atrivialepisode-in
comparisonwithourrealtask，whichistotracethisdocumentand
saveaEuropeancatastrophe。Onlyoneimportantthinghashappened
inthelastthreedays，andthatisthatnothinghashappened。Iget
reportsalmosthourlyfromthegovernment，anditiscertainthat
nowhereinEuropeisthereanysignoftrouble。Now，ifthisletter
wereloose-no，itcan”tbeloose-butifitisn”tloose，wherecanit
be？Whohasit？Whyisitheldback？That”sthequestionthatbeatsin
mybrainlikeahammer。Wasit，indeed，acoincidencethatLucas
shouldmeethisdeathonthenightwhentheletterdisappeared？Did
thelettereverreachhim？Ifso，whyisitnotamonghispapers？
Didthismadwifeofhiscarryitoffwithher？Ifso，isitinher
houseinParis？HowcouldIsearchforitwithouttheFrenchpolice
havingtheirsuspicionsaroused？Itisacase，mydearWatson，where
thelawisasdangeroustousasthecriminalsare。Everyman”shand
isagainstus，andyettheinterestsatstakearecolossal。ShouldI
bringittoasuccessfulconclusion，itwillcertainlyrepresentthe
crowninggloryofmycareer。Ah，hereismylatestfromthefront！“He
glancedhurriedlyatthenotewhichhadbeenhandedin。“Halloa！
Lestradeseemstohaveobservedsomethingofinterest。Putonyour
hat，Watson，andwewillstrolldowntogethertoWestminster。”
Itwasmyfirstvisittothesceneofthecrime-ahigh，dingy，
narrow-chestedhouse，prim，formal，andsolid，likethecentury
whichgaveitbirth。Lestrade”sbulldogfeaturesgazedoutatus
fromthefrontwindow，andhegreeteduswarmlywhenabigconstable
hadopenedthedoorandletusin。Theroomintowhichwewereshown
wasthatinwhichthecrimehadbeencommitted，butnotraceofitnow
remainedsaveanugly，irregularstainuponthecarpet。Thiscarpet
wasasmallsquaredruggetinthecentreoftheroom，surroundedby
abroadexpanseofbeautiful，old-fashionedwood-flooringinsquare
blocks，highlypolished。Overthefireplacewasamagnificenttrophy
ofweapons，oneofwhichhadbeenusedonthattragicnight。Inthe
windowwasasumptuouswriting-desk，andeverydetailofthe
apartment，thepictures，therugs，andthehangings，allpointedto
atastewhichwasluxurioustothevergeofeffeminacy。
“SeentheParisnews？”askedLestrade。
Holmesnodded。
“OurFrenchfriendsseemtohavetouchedthespotthistime。No
doubtit”sjustastheysay。Sheknockedatthedoor-surprise
visit，Iguess，forhekepthislifeinwater-tightcompartments-he
letherin，couldn”tkeepherinthestreet。Shetoldhimhowshe
hadtracedhim，reproachedhim。Onethingledtoanother，andthen
withthatdaggersohandytheendsooncame。Itwasn”talldonein
aninstant，though，forthesechairswereallsweptoveryonder，and
hehadoneinhishandasifhehadtriedtoholdheroffwithit。
We”vegotitallclearasifwehadseenit。”
Holmesraisedhiseyebrows。
“Andyetyouhavesentforme？“
“Ah，yes，that”sanothermatter-ameretrifle，butthesortof
thingyoutakeaninterestin-queer，youknow，andwhatyoumight
callfreakish。Ithasnothingtodowiththemainfact-can”thave，on
thefaceofit。”
“Whatisit，then？“
“Well，youknow，afteracrimeofthissortweareverycarefulto
keepthingsintheirposition。Nothinghasbeenmoved。Officerin
chargeheredayandnight。Thismorning，asthemanwasburiedandthe
investigationover-sofarasthisroomisconcerned-wethoughtwe
couldtidyupabit。Thiscarpet。Yousee，itisnotfasteneddown，
onlyjustlaidthere。Wehadoccasiontoraiseit。Wefound-“
“Yes？Youfound-“
Holmes”sfacegrewtensewithanxiety。
“Well，I”msureyouwouldneverguessinahundredyearswhatwedid
find。Youseethatstainonthecarpet？Well，agreatdealmusthave
soakedthrough，mustitnot？“
“Undoubtedlyitmust。”
“Well，youwillbesurprisedtohearthatthereisnostainonthe
whitewoodworktocorrespond。”
“Nostain！Buttheremust-“
“Yes，soyouwouldsay。Butthefactremainsthatthereisn”t。”
Hetookthecornerofthecarpetinhishandand，turningitover，
heshowedthatitwasindeedashesaid。
“Buttheundersideisasstainedastheupper。Itmusthaveleft
amark。”
Lestradechuckledwithdelightathavingpuzzledthefamousexpert。
“Now，I”llshowyoutheexplanation。Thereisasecondstain，butit
doesnotcorrespondwiththeother。Seeforyourself。”Ashespoke
heturnedoveranotherportionofthecarpet，andthere，sure
enough，wasagreatcrimsonspilluponthesquarewhitefacingof
theold-fashionedfloor。“Whatdoyoumakeofthat，Mr。Holmes？“
“Why，itissimpleenough。Thetwostainsdidcorrespond，butthe
carpethasbeenturnedround。Asitwassquareandunfasteneditwas
easilydone。”
Theofficialpolicedon”tneedyou，Mr。Holmes，totellthemthat
thecarpetmusthavebeenturnedround。That”sclearenough，forthe
stainslieaboveeachother-ifyoulayitoverthisway。ButwhatI
wanttoknowis，whoshiftedthecarpet，andwhy？“
IcouldseefromHolmes”srigidfacethathewasvibratingwith
inwardexcitement。
“Lookhere，Lestrade，“saidhe，“hasthatconstableinthepassage
beeninchargeoftheplaceallthetime？“
“Yes，hehas。”
“Well，takemyadvice。Examinehimcarefully。Don”tdoitbeforeus。
Wellwaithere。Youtakehimintothebackroom。You”llbemorelikely
togetaconfessionoutofhimalone。Askhimhowhedaredtoadmit
peopleandleavethemaloneinthisroom。Don”taskhimifhehasdone
it。Takeitforgranted。Tellhimyouknowsomeonehasbeenhere。
Presshim。Tellhimthatafullconfessionishisonlychanceof
forgiveness。DoexactlywhatItellyou！“
“ByGeorge，ifheknowsI”llhaveitoutofhim！“criedLestrade。He
dartedintothehall，andafewmomentslaterhisbullyingvoice
soundedfromthebackroom。
“Now，Watson，now！“criedHolmeswithfrenziedeagerness。Allthe
demoniacalforceofthemanmaskedbehindthatlistlessmannerburst
outinaparoxysmofenergy。Hetorethedruggetfromthefloor，and
inaninstantwasdownonhishandsandkneesclawingateachofthe
squaresofwoodbeneathit。Oneturnedsidewaysashedughisnails
intotheedgeofit。Ithingedbacklikethelidofabox。Asmall
blackcavityopenedbeneathit。Holmesplungedhiseagerhandinto
itanddrewitoutwithabittersnarlofangeranddisappointment。It
wasempty。
“Quick，Watson，quick！Getitbackagain！“Thewoodenlidwas
replaced，andthedruggethadonlyjustbeendrawnstraightwhen
Lestrade”svoicewasheardinthepassage。HefoundHolmesleaning
languidlyagainstthemantelpiece，resignedandpatient，
endeavouringtoconcealhisirrepressibleyawns。
“Sorrytokeepyouwaiting，Mr。Holmes。Icanseethatyouarebored
todeathwiththewholeaffair。Well，hehasconfessed，allright。
Comeinhere，MacPherson。Letthesegentlemenhearofyourmost
inexcusableconduct。”
Thebigconstable，veryhotandpenitent，sidledintotheroom。
“Imeantnoharm，sir，I”msure。Theyoungwomancametothedoor
lastevening-mistookthehouse，shedid。Andthenwegottalking。
It”slonesome，whenyou”reondutyhereallday。”
“Well，whathappenedthen？“
“Shewantedtoseewherethecrimewasdone-hadreadaboutitin
thepapers，shesaid。Shewasaveryrespectable，well-spokenyoung
woman，sir，andIsawnoharminlettingherhaveapeep。Whenshesaw
thatmarkonthecarpet，downshedroppedonthefloor，andlayas
ifsheweredead。Irantothebackandgotsomewater，butIcould
notbringherto。ThenIwentroundthecornertotheIvyPlantfor
somebrandy，andbythetimeIhadbroughtitbacktheyoungwomanhad
recoveredandwasoff-ashamedofherself，Idaresay，anddarednot
faceme。”
“Howaboutmovingthatdrugget？“
“Well，sir，itwasabitrumpled，certainly，whenIcameback。You
see，shefellonitanditliesonapolishedfloorwithnothingto
keepitinplace。Istraighteneditoutafterwards。”
“It”salessontoyouthatyoucan”tdeceiveme，Constable
MacPherson，“saidLestrade，withdignity。“Nodoubtyouthoughtthat
yourbreachofdutycouldneverbediscovered，andyetamereglance
atthatdruggetwasenoughtoconvincemethatsomeonehadbeen
admittedtotheroom。It”sluckyforyou，myman，thatnothingis
missing，oryouwouldfindyourselfinQueerStreet。I”msorrytohave
calledyoudownoversuchapettybusiness，Mr。Holmes，butI
thoughtthepointofthesecondstainnotcorrespondingwiththefirst
wouldinterestyou。”
“Certainly，itwasmostinteresting。Hasthiswomanonlybeenhere
once，constable？“
“Yes，sir，onlyonce。”
“Whowasshe？“
“Don”tknowthename，sir。Wasansweringanadvertisementabout
typewritingandcametothewrongnumber-verypleasant，genteelyoung
woman，sir。”
“Tall？Handsome？“
“Yes，sir，shewasawell-grownyoungwoman。Isupposeyoumightsay
shewashandsome。Perhapssomewouldsayshewasveryhandsome。”Oh，
officer，doletmehaveapeep！”saysshe。Shehadpretty，coaxing
ways，asyoumightsay，andIthoughttherewasnoharminlettingher
justputherheadthroughthedoor。”
“Howwasshedressed？“
“Quiet，sir-alongmantledowntoherfeet。”
“Whattimewasit？“
“Itwasjustgrowingduskatthetime。Theywerelightingthe
lampsasIcamebackwiththebrandy。”
“Verygood，“saidHolmes。“Come，Watson，Ithinkthatwehavemore
importantworkelsewhere。”
AsweleftthehouseLestraderemainedinthefrontroom，while
therepentantconstableopenedthedoortoletusout。Holmesturned
onthestepandheldupsomethinginhishand。Theconstablestared
intently。
“GoodLord，sir！“hecried，withamazementonhisface。Holmesput
hisfingeronhislips，replacedhishandinhisbreastpocket，and
burstoutlaughingasweturneddownthestreet。“Excellent！“saidhe。
“Come，friendWatson，thecurtainringsupforthelastact。You
willberelievedtohearthattherewillbenowar，thattheRight
HonourableTrelawneyHopewillsuffernosetbackinhisbrilliant
career，thattheindiscreetSovereignwillreceivenopunishmentfor
hisindiscretion，thatthePrimeMinisterwillhavenoEuropean
complicationtodealwith，andthatwithalittletactand
managementuponourpartnobodywillbeapennytheworseforwhat
mighthavebeenaveryuglyincident。”
Mymindfilledwithadmirationforthisextraordinaryman。
“Youhavesolvedit！“Icried。
“Hardlythat，Watson。Therearesomepointswhichareasdarkas
ever。Butwehavesomuchthatitwillbeourownfaultifwecannot
gettherest。WewillgostraighttoWhitehallTerraceandbringthe
mattertoahead。”
WhenwearrivedattheresidenceoftheEuropeanSecretaryitwas
forLadyHildaTrelawneyHopethatSherlockHolmesinquired。Wewere
shownintothemorning-room。
“Mr。Holmes！“saidthelady，andherfacewaspinkwithher
indignation。“Thisissurelymostunfairandungenerousuponyour
part。Idesired，asIhaveexplained，tokeepmyvisittoyoua
secret，lestmyhusbandshouldthinkthatIwasintrudingintohis
affairs。Andyetyoucompromisemebycominghereandsoshowing
thattherearebusinessrelationsbetweenus。”
“Unfortunately，madam，Ihadnopossiblealternative。Ihavebeen
commissionedtorecoverthisimmenselyimportantpaper。Imust
thereforeaskyou，madam，tobekindenoughtoplaceitinmyhands。”
Theladysprangtoherfeet，withthecolouralldashedinan
instantfromherbeautifulface。Hereyesglazed-shetottered-I
thoughtthatshewouldfaint。Thenwithagrandeffortsherallied
fromtheshock，andasupremeastonishmentandindignationchased
everyotherexpressionfromherfeatures。
“You-youinsultme，Mr。Holmes。”
“Come，come，madam，itisuseless。Giveuptheletter。”
Shedartedtothebell。
“Thebutlershallshowyouout。”
“Donotring，LadyHilda。Ifyoudo，thenallmyearnestefforts
toavoidascandalwillbefrustrated。Giveuptheletterandallwill
besetright。IfyouwillworkwithmeIcanarrangeeverything。If
youworkagainstmeImustexposeyou。”
Shestoodgrandlydefiant，aqueenlyfigure，hereyesfixeduponhis
asifshewouldreadhisverysoul。Herhandwasonthebell，but
shehadforbornetoringit。
“Youaretryingtofrightenme。Itisnotaverymanlything，Mr。
Holmes，tocomehereandbrowbeatawoman。Yousaythatyouknow
something。Whatisitthatyouknow？“
“Praysitdown，madam。Youwillhurtyourselfthereifyoufall。I
willnotspeakuntilyousitdown。Thankyou。”
“Igiveyoufiveminutes，Mr。Holmes。”
“Oneisenough，LadyHilda。IknowofyourvisittoEduardoLucas，
ofyourgivinghimthisdocument，ofyouringeniousreturntotheroom
lastnight，andofthemannerinwhichyoutooktheletterfromthe
hiding-placeunderthecarpet。”
Shestaredathimwithanashenfaceandgulpedtwicebeforeshe
couldspeak。
“Youaremad，Mr。Holmes-youaremad！“shecried，atlast。
Hedrewasmallpieceofcardboardfromhispocket。Itwasthe
faceofawomancutoutofaportrait。
“IhavecarriedthisbecauseIthoughtitmightbeuseful，“saidhe。
“Thepolicemanhasrecognizedit。”
Shegaveagasp，andherheaddroppedbackinthechair。
“Come，LadyHilda。Youhavetheletter。Themattermaystillbe
adjusted。Ihavenodesiretobringtroubletoyou。Mydutyends
whenIhavereturnedthelostlettertoyourhusband。Takemyadvice
andbefrankwithme。Itisyouronlychance。”
Hercouragewasadmirable。Evennowshewouldnotowndefeat。
“Itellyouagain，Mr。Holmes，thatyouareundersomeabsurd
illusion。”
Holmesrosefromhischair。
“Iamsorryforyou，LadyHilda。Ihavedonemybestforyou。I
canseethatitisallinvain。”
Herangthebell。Thebutlerentered。
“IsMr。TrelawneyHopeathome？“
“Hewillbehome，sir，ataquartertoone。”
Holmesglancedathiswatch。
“Stillaquarterofanhour，“saidhe。“Verygood，Ishallwait。”
ThebutlerhadhardlyclosedthedoorbehindhimwhenLadyHildawas
downonherkneesatHolmes”sfeet，herhandsoutstretched，her
beautifulfaceupturnedandwetwithhertears。
“Oh，spareme，Mr。Holmes！Spareme！“shepleaded，inafrenzyof
supplication。“Forheaven”ssake，don”ttellhim！Ilovehimso！I
wouldnotbringoneshadowonhislife，andthisIknowwouldbreak
hisnobleheart。”
Holmesraisedthelady。“Iamthankful，madam，thatyouhavecometo
yoursensesevenatthislastmoment！Thereisnotaninstanttolose。
Whereistheletter？“
Shedartedacrosstoawriting-desk，unlockedit，anddrewouta
longblueenvelope。
“Hereitis，Mr。Holmes。WouldtoheavenIhadneverseenit！“
“Howcanwereturnit？“Holmesmuttered。“Quick，quick，wemust
thinkofsomeway！Whereisthedespatch-box？“
“Stillinhisbedroom。”
“Whatastrokeofluck！Quick，madam，bringithere！“Amomentlater
shehadappearedwitharedflatboxinherhand。
“Howdidyouopenitbefore？Youhaveaduplicatekey？Yes，of
courseyouhave。Openit！“
FromoutofherbosomLadyHildahaddrawnasmallkey。Theboxflew
open。Itwasstuffedwithpapers。Holmesthrusttheblueenvelopedeep
downintotheheartofthem，betweentheleavesofsomeother
document。Theboxwasshut，locked，andreturnedtothebedroom。
“Nowwearereadyforhim，“saidHolmes。“Wehavestilltenminutes。
Iamgoingfartoscreenyou，LadyHilda。Inreturnyouwillspendthe
timeintellingmefranklytherealmeaningofthisextraordinary
affair。”
“Mr。Holmes，Iwilltellyoueverything，“criedthelady。“Oh，Mr。
Holmes，IwouldcutoffmyrighthandbeforeIgavehimamomentof
sorrow！ThereisnowomaninallLondonwholovesherhusbandasIdo，
andyetifheknewhowIhaveacted-howIhavebeencompelledtoact-
hewouldneverforgiveme。Forhisownhonourstandssohighthathe
couldnotforgetorpardonalapseinanother。Helpme，Mr。Holmes！My
happiness，hishappiness，ourverylivesareatstake！“
“Quick，madam，thetimegrowsshort！“
“Itwasaletterofmine，Mr。Holmes，anindiscreetletterwritten
beforemymarriage-afoolishletter，aletterofanimpulsive，loving
girl。Imeantnoharm，andyethewouldhavethoughtitcriminal。
Hadhereadthatletterhisconfidencewouldhavebeenforever
destroyed。ItisyearssinceIwroteit。Ihadthoughtthatthe
wholematterwasforgotten。ThenatlastIheardfromthisman，Lucas，
thatithadpassedintohishands，andthathewouldlayitbefore
myhusband。Iimploredhismercy。Hesaidthathewouldreturnmy
letterifIwouldbringhimacertaindocumentwhichhedescribedin
myhusband”sdespatch-box。Hehadsomespyintheofficewhohad
toldhimofitsexistence。Heassuredmethatnoharmcouldcometomy
husband。Putyourselfinmyposition，Mr。Holmes！WhatwasItodo？“
“Takeyourhusbandintoyourconfidence。”
“Icouldnot，Mr。Holmes，Icouldnot！Ontheonesideseemed
certainruin，ontheother，terribleasitseemedtotakemyhusband”s
paper，stillinamatterofpoliticsIcouldnotunderstandthe
consequences，whileinamatterofloveandtrusttheywereonlytoo
cleartome。Ididit，Mr。Holmes！Itookanimpressionofhiskey。
Thisman，Lucas，furnishedaduplicate。Iopenedhisdespatch-box，
tookthepaper，andconveyedittoGodolphinStreet。”
“Whathappenedthere，madam？“
“Itappedatthedoorasagreed。Lucasopenedit。Ifollowedhim
intohisroom，leavingthehalldoorajarbehindme，forIfearedto
bealonewiththeman。Irememberthattherewasawomanoutsideas
Ientered。Ourbusinesswassoondone。Hehadmyletteronhisdesk，I
handedhimthedocument。Hegavemetheletter。Atthisinstant
therewasasoundatthedoor。Therewerestepsinthepassage。
Lucasquicklyturnedbackthedrugget，thrustthedocumentintosome
hiding-placethere，andcovereditover。
“Whathappenedafterthatislikesomefearfuldream。Ihavea
visionofadark，franticface，ofawoman”svoice，whichscreamed
inFrench，”Mywaitingisnotinvain。Atlast，atlastIhavefound
youwithher！”Therewasasavagestruggle。Isawhimwithachair
inhishand，aknifegleamedinhers。Irushedfromthehorrible
scene，ranfromthehouse，andonlynextmorninginthepaperdidI
learnthedreadfulresult。ThatnightIwashappy，forIhadmy
letter，andIhadnotseenyetwhatthefuturewouldbring。
“ItwasthenextmorningthatIrealizedthatIhadonlyexchanged
onetroubleforanother。Myhusband”sanguishatthelossofhispaper
wenttomyheart。Icouldhardlypreventmyselffromthereandthen
kneelingdownathisfeetandtellinghimwhatIhaddone。Butthat
againwouldmeanaconfessionofthepast。Icametoyouthat
morninginordertounderstandthefullenormityofmyoffence。From
theinstantthatIgraspeditmywholemindwasturnedtotheone
thoughtofgettingbackmyhusband”spaper。Itmuststillbewhere
Lucashadplacedit，foritwasconcealedbeforethisdreadfulwoman
enteredtheroom。Ifithadnotbeenforhercoming，Ishouldnothave
knownwherehisbiding-placewas。HowwasItogetintotheroom？
FortwodaysIwatchedtheplace，butthedoorwasneverleftopen。
LastnightImadealastattempt。WhatIdidandhowIsucceeded，
youhavealreadylearned。Ibroughtthepaperbackwithme，and
thoughtofdestroyingit，sinceIcouldseenowayofreturningit
withoutconfessingmyguilttomyhusband。Heavens，Ihearhisstep
uponthestair！“
TheEuropeanSecretaryburstexcitedlyintotheroom。
“Anynews，Mr。Holmes，anynews？“hecried。
“Ihavesomehopes。”
“Ah，thankheaven！“Hisfacebecameradiant。“ThePrimeMinister
islunchingwithme。Mayheshareyourhopes？Hehasnervesof
steel，andyetIknowthathehashardlysleptsincethisterrible
event。Jacobs，willyouaskthePrimeMinistertocomeup？Asto
you，dear，Ifearthatthisisamatterofpolitics。Wewilljoin
youinafewminutesinthedining-room。”
ThePrimeMinister”smannerwassubdued，butIcouldseebythe
gleamofhiseyesandthetwitchingsofhisbonyhandsthathe
sharedtheexcitementofhisyoungcolleague。
“Iunderstandthatyouhavesomethingtoreport，Mr。Holmes？“
“Purelynegativeasyet，“myfriendanswered。“Ihaveinquiredat
everypointwhereitmightbe，andIamsurethatthereisnodanger
tobeapprehended。”
“Butthatisnotenough，Mr。Holmes。Wecannotliveforeveron
suchavolcano。Wemusthavesomethingdefinite。”
“Iaminhopesofgettingit。ThatiswhyIamhere。ThemoreI
thinkofthematterthemoreconvincedIamthattheletterhas
neverleftthishouse。”
“Mr。Holmes！“
“Ifithaditwouldcertainlyhavebeenpublicbynow。”
“Butwhyshouldanyonetakeitinordertokeepitinhishouse？“
“Iamnotconvincedthatanyonedidtakeit。”
“Thenhowcoulditleavethedespatch-box？“
“Iamnotconvincedthatiteverdidleavethedespatch-box。”
“Mr。Holmes，thisjokingisveryill-timed。Youhavemyassurance
thatitleftthebox。”
“HaveyouexaminedtheboxsinceTuesdaymorning？“
“No。Itwasnotnecessary。”
“Youmayconceivablyhaveoverlookedit。”
“Impossible，Isay。”
“ButIamnotconvincedofit。Ihaveknownsuchthingstohappen。I
presumethereareotherpapersthere。Well，itmayhavegotmixedwith
them。”
“Itwasonthetop。”
“Someonemayhaveshakentheboxanddisplacedit。”
“No，no，Ihadeverythingout。”
“Surelyitiseasily，decided，Hope，“saidthePremier。“Letushave
thedespatch-boxbroughtin。”
TheSecretaryrangthebell。
“Jacobs，bringdownmydespatch-box。Thisisafarcicalwasteof
time，butstill，ifnothingelsewillsatisfyyou，itshallbedone。
Thankyou，Jacobs，putithere。Ihavealwayshadthekeyonmy
watch-chain。Herearethepapers，yousee。LetterfromLordMerrow，
reportfromSirCharlesHardy，memorandumfromBelgrade，noteonthe
Russo-Germangraintaxes，letterfromMadrid，notefromLord
Flowers-Goodheavens！whatisthis？LordBellinger！LordBellinger！“
ThePremiersnatchedtheblueenvelopefromhishand。
“Yes，itisit-andtheletterisintact。Hope，Icongratulateyou。”
“Thankyou！Thankyou！Whataweightfrommyheart。Butthisis
inconceivable-impossible。Mr。Holmes，youareawizard，asorcerer！
Howdidyouknowitwasthere？“
“BecauseIknewitwasnowhereelse。”
“Icannotbelievemyeyes！“Heranwildlytothedoor。“Whereis
mywife？Imusttellherthatalliswell。Hilda！Hilda！“weheardhis
voiceonthestairs。
ThePremierlookedatHolmeswithtwinklingeyes。
“Come，sir，“saidhe。“Thereismoreinthisthanmeetstheeye。How
cametheletterbackinthebox？“
Holmesturnedawaysmilingfromthekeenscrutinyofthosewonderful
eyes。