“No，hedeclaredtherewasnoreason。”
“Weretheygoodfriendsatothertimes？“
“No，there！wasneveranylovebetweenthem。”
“Yetyousayheisaffectionate？“
“Neverintheworldcouldtherebesodevotedason。Mylifeis
hislife。HeisabsorbedinwhatIsayordo。”
OnceagainHolmesmadeanote。Forsometimehesatlostinthought。
“Nodoubtyouandtheboyweregreatcomradesbeforethissecond
marriage。Youwerethrownveryclosetogether，wereyounot？“
“Verymuchso。”
“Andtheboy，havingsoaffectionateanature，wasdevoted，no
doubt，tothememoryofhismother？“
“Mostdevoted。”
“Hewouldcertainlyseemtobeamostinterestinglad。Thereis
oneotherpointabouttheseassaults。Werethestrangeattacksupon
thebabyandtheassaultsuponyoursonatthesameperiod？“
“Inthefirstcaseitwasso。Itwasisifsomefrenzyhadseized
her，andshehadventedherrageuponboth。Inthesecondcaseit
wasonlyJackwhosuffered。Mrs。Masonhadnocomplainttomake
aboutthebaby。”
“Thatcertainlycomplicatesmatters。”
“Idon”tquitefollowyou，Mr。Holmes。”
“Possiblynot。Oneformsprovisionaltheoriesandwaitsfortime
orfullerknowledgetoexplodethem。Abadhabit，Mr。Ferguson，but
humannatureisweak。Ifearthatyouroldfriendherehasgivenan
exaggeratedviewofmyscientificmethods。However，Iwillonlysayat
thepresentstagethatyourproblemdoesnotappeartometobe
insoluble，andthatyoumayexpecttofindusatVictoriaattwo
o”clock。”
Itwaseveningofadull，foggyNovemberdaywhen，havingleftour
bagsattheChequers，Lamberley，wedrovethroughtheSussexclayofa
longwindinglaneandfinallyreachedtheisolatedandancient
farmhouseinwhichFergusondwelt。Itwasalarge，straggling
building，veryoldinthecentre，verynewatthewingswith
toweringTudorchimneysandalichen-spotted，high-pitchedroofof
Horshamslabs。Thedoorstepswerewornintocurves，andtheancient
tileswhichlinedtheporchweremarkedwiththerebusofacheeseand
amanaftertheoriginalbuilder。Within，theceilingswerecorrugated
withheavyoakenbeams，andtheunevenfloorssaggedintosharp
curves。Anodourofageanddecaypervadedthewholecrumbling
building。
TherewasoneverylargecentralroomintowhichFergusonledus。
Here，inahugeold-fashionedfireplacewithanironscreenbehind
itdated1670，thereblazedandsplutteredasplendidlogfire。
Theroom，asIgazedround，wasamostsingularmixtureofdatesand
ofplaces。Thehalf-panelledwallsmaywellhavebelongedtothe
originalyeomanfarmeroftheseventeenthcentury。Theywere
ornamented，however，onthelowerpartbyalineofwell-chosenmodern
water-colours；whileabove，whereyellowplastertooktheplaceof
oak，therewashungafinecollectionofSouthAmericanutensilsand
weapons，whichhadbeenbrought，nodoubt，bythePeruvianlady
upstairs。Holmesrose，withthatquickcuriositywhichsprangfromhis
eagermind，andexaminedthemwithsomecare。Hereturnedwithhis
eyesfullofthought。
“Hullo！“hecried。“Hullo！“
Aspanielhadlaininabasketinthecorner。Itcameslowlyforward
towardsitsmaster，walkingwithdifficulty。Itshindlegsmoved
irregularlyanditstailwasontheground。ItlickedFerguson”shand。
“Whatisit，Mr。Holmes？“
“Thedog。What”sthematterwithit？“
“That”swhatpuzzledthevet。Asortofparalysis。Spinal
meningitis，hethought。Butitispassing。He”llbeallrightsoon-
won”tyou，Carlo？“
Ashiverofassentpassedthroughthedroopingtail。Thedog”s
mournfuleyespassedfromoneofustotheother。Heknewthatwewere
discussinghiscase。
“Diditcomeonsuddenly？“
“Inasinglenight。”
“Howlongago？“
“Itmayhavebeenfourmonthsago。”
“Veryremarkable。Verysuggestive。”
“Whatdoyouseeinit，Mr。Holmes？“
“AconfirmationofwhatIhadalreadythought。”
“ForGod”ssake，whatdoyouthink，Mr。Holmes？Itmaybeamere
intellectualpuzzletoyou，butitislifeanddeathtome！Mywife
awould-bemurderer-mychildinconstantdanger！Don”tplaywith
me，Mr。Holmes。Itistooterriblyserious。”
ThebigRugbythree-quarterwastremblingallover。Holmesputhis
handsoothinglyuponhisarm。
“Ifearthatthereispainforyou，Mr。Ferguson，whateverthe
solutionmaybe，“saidhe。“IwouldspareyouallIcan。Icannot
saymorefortheinstant，butbeforeIleavethishouseIhopeImay
havesomethingdefinite。”
“PleaseGodyoumay！Ifyouwillexcuseme，gentlemen，Iwillgo
uptomywife”sroomandseeiftherehasbeenanychange。”
Hewasawaysomeminutes，duringwhichHolmesresumedhis
examinationofthecuriositiesuponthewall。Whenourhostreturned
itwasclearfromhisdowncastfacethathehadmadenoprogress。He
broughtwithhimatall，slim，brownfacedgirl。
“Theteaisready，Dolores，“saidFerguson。“Seethatyour
mistresshaseverythingshecanwish。”
“Sheverraill，“criedthegirl，lookingwithindignanteyesat
hermaster。“Shenoaskforfood。Sheverraill。Sheneeddoctor。I
frightenedstayalonewithherwithoutdoctor。”
Fergusonlookedatmewithaquestioninhiseyes。
“IshouldbesogladifIcouldbeofuse。”
“WouldyourmistressseeDr。Watson？“
“Itakehim。Inoaskleave。Sheneedsdoctor。”
“ThenI”llcomewithyouatonce。”
Ifollowedthegirl，whowasquiveringwithstrongemotion，upthe
staircaseanddownanancientcorridor。Attheendwasaniron-clamped
andmassivedoor。ItstruckmeasIlookedatitthatifFerguson
triedtoforcehiswaytohiswifehewouldfinditnoeasymatter。
Thegirldrewakeyfromherpocket，andtheheavyoakenplanks
creakedupontheiroldhinges。Ipassedinandsheswiftlyfollowed，
fasteningthedoorbehindher。
Onthebedawomanwaslyingwhowasclearlyinahighfever。She
wasonlyhalfconscious，ButasIenteredsheraisedapairof
frightenedbutbeautifuleyesandglaredatmeinapprehension。Seeing
astranger，sheappearedtoberelievedandsankbackwithasighupon
thepillow。Isteppeduptoherwithafewreassuringwords，andshe
laystillwhileItookherpulseandtemperature。Bothwerehigh，
andyetmyimpressionwasthattheconditionwasratherthatofmental
andnervousexcitementthanofanyactualseizure。
“Shelielikethatoneday，twoday。I”fraidshedie，“saidthe
girl。
Thewomanturnedherflushedandhandsomefacetowardsme。
“Whereismyhusband？“
“Heisbelowandwouldwishtoseeyou。”
“Iwillnotseehim。Iwillnotseehim。”Thensheseemedto
wanderoffintodelirium。“Afiend！Afiend！Oh，whatshallIdo
withthisdevil？“
“CanIhelpyouinanyway？“
“No。Noonecanhelp。Itisfinished。Allisdestroyed。DowhatI
will，allisdestroyed。”
Thewomanmusthavesomestrangedelusion。Icouldnotseehonest
BobFergusoninthecharacteroffiendordevil。
“Madame，“Isaid，“yourhusbandlovesyoudearly。Heisdeeply
grievedatthishappening。”
Againsheturnedonmethosegloriouseyes。
“Helovesme。Yes。ButdoInotlovehim？DoInotlovehimeven
tosacrificemyselfratherthanbreakhisdearheart？ThatishowI
lovehim。Andyethecouldthinkofme-hecouldspeakofmeso。”
“Heisfullofgrief，buthecannotunderstand。”
“No，hecannotunderstand。Butheshouldtrust。”
“Willyounotseehim？“Isuggested。
“No，no，Icannotforgetthoseterriblewordsnorthelookupon
hisface。Iwillnotseehim。Gonow。Youcandonothingforme。
Tellhimonlyonething。Iwantmychild。Ihavearighttomy
child。ThatistheonlymessageIcansendhim。”Sheturnedherface
tothewallandwouldsaynomore。
Ireturnedtotheroomdownstairs，whereFergusonandHolmesstill
satbythefire。Fergusonlistenedmoodilytomyaccountofthe
interview。
“HowcanIsendherthechild？“hesaid。“HowdoIknowwhatstrange
impulsemightcomeuponher？HowcanIeverforgethowsherosefrom
besideitwithitsblooduponherlips？“Heshudderedatthe
recollection。“ThechildissafewithMrs。Mason，andtherehemust
remain。”
Asmartmaid，theonlymodernthingwhichwehadseeninthe
house，hadbroughtinsometea。Asshewasservingitthedoor
openedandayouthenteredtheroom。Hewasaremarkablelad，
pale-facedandfair-haired，withexcitablelightblueeyeswhich
blazedintoasuddenflameofemotionandjoyastheyrestedupon
hisfather。Herushedforwardandthrewhisarmsroundhisneckwith
theabandonofalovinggirl。
“Oh，daddy，“hecried，“Ididnotknowthatyouweredueyet。I
shouldhavebeenheretomeetyou。Oh，Iamsogladtoseeyou！“
Fergusongentlydisengagedhimselffromtheembracewithsomelittle
showofembarrassment。
“Dearoldchap，“saidhe，pattingtheflaxenheadwithaverytender
hand。“Icameearlybecausemyfriends，Mr。HolmesandDr。Watson，
havebeenpersuadedtocomedownandspendaneveningwithus。”
“IsthatMr。Holmes，thedetective？“
“Yes。”
Theyouthlookedatuswithaverypenetratingand，asitseemed
tome，unfriendlygaze。
“Whataboutyourotherchild，Mr。Ferguson？“askedHolmes。“Mightwe
maketheacquaintanceofthebaby？“
“AskMrs。Masontobringbabydown，“saidFerguson。Theboywentoff
withacurious，shamblinggaitwhichtoldmysurgicaleyesthathewas
sufferingfromaweakspine。Presentlyhereturned，andbehindhim
cameatall，gauntwomanbearinginherarmsaverybeautifulchild，
dark-eyed，golden-haired，awonderfulmixtureoftheSaxonandthe
Latin。Fergusonwasevidentlydevotedtoit，forhetookitintohis
armsandfondleditmosttenderly。
Fancyanyonehavingthehearttohurthim，“hemutteredashe
glanceddownatthesmall，angryredpuckeruponthecherubthroat。
ItwasatthismomentthatIchancedtoglanceatHolmesandsawa
mostsingularintentnessinhisexpression。Hisfacewasassetas
ifithadbeencarvedoutofoldivory，andhiseyes，whichhad
glancedforamomentatfatherandchild，werenowfixedwitheager
curiosityuponsomethingattheothersideoftheroom。Following
hisgazeIcouldonlyguessthathewaslookingoutthroughthewindow
atthemelancholy，drippinggarden。Itistruethatashutterhadhalf
closedoutsideandobstructedtheview，butnonethelessitwas
certainlyatthewindowthatHolmeswasfixinghisconcentrated
attention。Thenhesmiled，andhiseyescamebacktothebaby。On
itschubbynecktherewasthissmallpuckeredmark。Without
speaking，Holmesexamineditwithcare。Finallyheshookoneofthe
dimpledfistswhichwavedinfrontofhim。
“Good-bye，littleman。Youhavemadeastrangestartinlife。Nurse，
Ishouldwishtohaveawordwithyouinprivate。”
Hetookherasideandspokeearnestlyforafewminutes。Ionly
heardthelastwords，whichwere：“Youranxietywillsoon，Ihope，
besetatrest。”Thewoman，whoseemedtobeasour，silentkindof
creature，withdrewwiththechild。
“WhatisMrs。Masonlike？“askedHolmes。
“Notveryprepossessingexternally，asyoucansee，butaheartof
gold，anddevotedtothechild。”
“Doyoulikeher，Jack？“Holmesturnedsuddenlyupontheboy。His
expressivemobilefaceshadowedover，andheshookhishead。
“Jackyhasverystronglikesanddislikes，“saidFerguson，putting
hisarmroundtheboy。“LuckilyIamoneofhislikes。”
Theboycooedandnestledhisheaduponhisfather”sbreast。
Fergusongentlydisengagedhim。
“Runaway，littleJacky，“saidhe，andhewatchedhissonwith
lovingeyesuntilhedisappeared。“Now，Mr。Holmes，“hecontinuedwhen
theboywasgone，“IreallyfeelthatIhavebroughtyouonafool”s
errand，forwhatcanyoupossiblydosavegivemeyoursympathy？It
mustbeanexceedinglydelicateandcomplexaffairfromyourpoint
ofview。”
“Itiscertainlydelicate，“saidmyfriendwithanamusedsmile，
“butIhavenotbeenstruckuptonowwithitscomplexity。Ithasbeen
acaseforintellectualdeduction，butwhenthisoriginalintellectual
deductionisconfirmedpointbypointbyquiteanumberofindependent
incidents，thenthesubjectivebecomesobjectiveandwecansay
confidentlythatwehavereachedourgoal。Ihad，infact，reached
itbeforeweleftBakerStreet，andtheresthasmerelybeen
observationandconfirmation。”
Fergusonputhisbighandtohisfurrowedforehead。
“Forheaven”ssake，Holmes，“hesaidhoarsely；“ifyoucanseethe
truthinthismatter，donotkeepmeinsuspense。HowdoIstand？What
shallIdo？Icarenothingastohowyouhavefoundyourfactssolong
asyouhavereallygotthem。”
“CertainlyIoweyouanexplanation，andyoushallhaveit。But
youwillpermitmetohandlethematterinmyownway？Isthelady
capableofseeingus，Watson？“
“Sheisill，butsheisquiterational。”
“Verygood。Itisonlyinherpresencethatwecanclearthe
matterup。Letusgouptoher。”
“Shewillnotseeme，“criedFerguson。
“Oh，yes，shewill，“saidHolmes。Hescribbledafewlinesupona
sheetofpaper。“Youatleasthavetheentree，Watson。Willyouhave
thegoodnesstogivetheladythisnote？“
IascendedagainandhandedthenotetoDolores，whocautiously
openedthedoor。AminutelaterIheardacryfromwithin，acryin
whichjoyandsurpriseseemedtobeblended。Doloreslookedout。
“Shewillseethem。Shewillleesten，“saidshe。
AtmysummonsFergusonandHolmescameup。Asweenteredtheroom
Fergusontookasteportwotowardshiswife，whohadraisedherself
inthebed，butsheheldoutherhandtorepulsehim。Hesankinto
anarmchair，whileHolmesseatedhimselfbesidehim，afterbowingto
thelady，wholookedathimwithwide-eyedamazement。
“IthinkwecandispensewithDolores，“saidHolmes。“Oh，verywell，
madame，ifyouwouldrathershestayedIcanseenoobjection。Now，
Mr。Ferguson，Iamabusymanwithmanycalls，andmymethodshave
tobeshortanddirect。Theswiftestsurgeryistheleastpainful。Let
mefirstsaywhatwilleaseyourmind。Yourwifeisaverygood，a
veryloving，andaveryill-usedwoman。”
Fergusonsatupwithacryofjoy。
“Provethat，Mr。Holmes，andIamyourdebtorforever。”
“Iwilldoso，butindoingsoImustwoundyoudeeplyinanother
direction。”
“Icarenothingsolongasyouclearmywife。Everythingonearthis
insignificantcomparedtothat。”
“Letmetellyou，then，thetrainofreasoningwhichpassed
throughmymindinBakerStreet。Theideaofavampirewastome
absurd。SuchthingsdonothappenincriminalpracticeinEngland。And
yetyourobservationwasprecise。Youhadseentheladyrisefrom
besidethechild”scotwiththeblooduponherlips。”
“Idid。”
“Diditnotoccurtoyouthatableedingwoundmaybesuckedfor
someotherpurposethantodrawthebloodfromit？Wastherenota
queeninEnglishhistorywhosuckedsuchawoundtodrawpoisonfrom
it？“
“Poison！“
“ASouthAmericanhousehold。Myinstinctfeltthepresenceof
thoseweaponsuponthewallbefore，myeyeseversawthem。Itmight
havebeenotherpoison，butthatwaswhatoccurredtome。WhenIsaw
thatlittleemptyquiverbesidethesmallbird-bow，itwasjustwhatI
expectedtosee。Ifthechildwereprickedwithoneofthosearrows
dippedincurareorsomeotherdevilishdrug，itwouldmeandeathif
thevenomwerenotsuckedout。
“Andthedog！Ifoneweretousesuchapoison，wouldonenottryit
firstinordertoseethatithadnotlostitspower？Ididnot
foreseethedog，butatleastIunderstandhimandhefittedintomy
reconstruction。
“Nowdoyouunderstand？Yourwifefearedsuchallattack。Shesawit
madeandsavedthechild”slife，andyetsheshrankfromtellingyou
allthetruth，forsheknewhowyoulovedtheboyandfearedlestit
breakyourheart。”
“Jacky！“
“Iwatchedhimasyoufondledthechildjustnow。Hisfacewas
clearlyreflectedintheglassofthewindowwheretheshutter
formedabackground。Isawsuchjealousy，suchcruelhatred，asIhave
seldomseeninahumanface。”
“MyJacky！“
“Youhavetofaceit，Mr。Ferguson。Itisthemorepainfulbecause
itisadistortedlove，amaniacalexaggeratedloveforyou，and
possiblyforhisdeadmother，whichhaspromptedhisaction。His
verysoulisconsumedwithhatredforthissplendidchild，whose
healthandbeautyareacontrasttohisownweakness。”
“GoodGod！Itisincredible！“
“HaveIspokenthetruth，madame？“
Theladywassobbing，withherfaceburiedinthepillows。Nowshe
turnedtoherhusband。
“HowcouldItellyou，Bob？Ifelttheblowitwouldbetoyou。It
wasbetterthatIshouldwaitandthatitshouldcomefromsome
otherlipsthanmine。Whenthisgentleman，whoseemstohavepowersof
magic，wrotethatheknewall，Iwasglad。”
“IthinkayearatseawouldbemyprescriptionforMasterJacky，“
saidHolmes，risingfromhischair。“Onlyonethingisstill
clouded，madame。WecanquiteunderstandyourattacksuponMaster
Jacky。Thereisalimittoamother”spatience。Buthowdidyoudare
toleavethechildtheselasttwodays？“
“IhadtoldMrs。Mason。Sheknew。”
“Exactly。SoIimagined。”
Fergusonwasstandingbythebed，choking，hishandsoutstretched
andquivering。
“This，Ifancy，isthetimeforourexit，Watson，“saidHolmesin
awhisper。“IfyouwilltakeoneelbowofthetoofaithfulDolores，
Iwilltaketheother。There，now，“headdedasheclosedthedoor
behindhim，“Ithinkwemayleavethemtosettletherestamong
themselves。”
Ihaveonlyonefurthernoteofthiscase。Itistheletterwhich
Holmeswroteinfinalanswertothatwithwhichthenarrative
begins。Itranthus：
BAKERSTREET，
Nov。21st。
ReVampires
SIR：
Referringtoyourletterofthe19th，IbegtostatethatIhave
lookedintotheinquiryofyourclient，Mr。RobertFerguson，of
FergusonandMuirhead，teabrokers，ofMincingLane，andthatthe
matterhasbeenbroughttoasatisfactoryconclusion。Withthanks
foryourrecommendation，Iam，sir，
Faithfullyyours，
SHERLOCKHOLMES-
THEEND。
1926
SHERLOCKHOLMES
THEADVENTUREOFTHETHREEGABLES
bySirArthurConanDoyle
Idon”tthinkthatanyofmyadventureswithMr。SherlockHolmes
openedquitesoabruptly，orsodramatically，asthatwhichI
associatewithTheThreeGables。IhadnotseenHolmesforsomedays
andhadnoideaofthenewchannelintowhichhisactivitieshad
beendirected。Hewasinachattymoodthatmorning，however，and
hadjustsettledmeintothewell-wornlowarmchairononesideofthe
fire，whilehehadcurleddownwithhispipeinhismouthuponthe
oppositechair，whenourvisitorarrived。IfIhadsaidthatamad
bullhadarriveditwouldgiveaclearerimpressionofwhatoccurred。
Thedoorhadflownopenandahugenegrohadburstintotheroom。He
wouldhavebeenacomicfigureifhehadnotbeenterrific，forhewas
dressedinaveryloudgraychecksuitwithaflowing
salmon-colouredtie。Hisbroadfaceandflattenednosewerethrust
forward，ashissullendarkeyes，withasmoulderinggleamofmalice
inthem，turnedfromoneofustotheother。
“WhichofyougentlemenisMasserHolmes？“heasked。
Holmesraisedhispipewithalanguidsmile。
“Oh！it”syou，isit？“saidourvisitor，comingwithan
unpleasant，stealthysteproundtheangleofthetable。“Seehere，
MasserHolmes，youkeepyourhandsoutofotherfolks”business。Leave
folkstomanagetheirownaffairs。Gotthat，MasserHolmes？“
“Keepontalking，“saidHolmes。“It”sfine。”
“Oh！it”sfine，isit？“growledthesavage。“Itwon”tbesodamn
fineifIhavetotrimyouupabit。I”vehandledyourkindbefore
now，andtheydidn”tlookfinewhenIwasthroughwiththem。Lookat
that，MasserHolmes！“
Heswungahugeknottedlumpofafistundermyfriend”snose。
Holmesexamineditcloselywithanairofgreatinterest。“Wereyou
bornso？“heasked。“Ordiditcomebydegrees？“
Itmayhavebeentheicycoolnessofmyfriend，oritmayhave
beentheslightclatterwhichImadeasIpickedupthepoker。In
anycase，ourvisitor”smannerbecamelessflamboyant。
“Well，I”vegivenyoufairwarnin”，“saidhe。“I”veafriend
that”sinterestedoutHarrowway-youknowwhatI”mmeaning-andhe
don”tintendtohavenobuttin”inbyyou。Gotthat？Youain”tthe
law，andIain”tthelaweither，andifyoucomeinI”llbeonhand
also。Don”tyouforgetit。”
“I”vewantedtomeetyouforsometime，“saidHolmes。“Iwon”task
youtositdown，forIdon”tlikethesmellofyou，butaren”tyou
SteveDixie，thebruiser？“
“That”smyname，MasserHolmes，andyou”llgetputthroughitfor
sureifyougivemeanylip。”
“Itiscertainlythelastthingyouneed，“saidHolmes，staringat
ourvisitor”shideousmouth。“Butitwasthekillingofyoung
PerkinsoutsidetheHolbornBar-What！you”renotgoing？“
Thenegrohadsprungback，andhisfacewasleaden。“Iwon”t
listentonosuchtalk，“saidhe。“WhathaveItodowiththis”ere
Perkins，MasserHolmes？Iwastrainin”attheBullRingin
Birminghamwhenthisboydonegonegetintotrouble。”
“Yes，you”lltellthemagistrateaboutit，Steve，“saidHolmes。
“I”vebeenwatchingyouandBarneyStockdale-“
“SohelpmetheLord！MasserHolmes-“
“That”senough。Getoutofit。I”llpickyouupwhenIwantyou。”
“Good-mornin”，MasserHolmes。Ihopethereain”tnohardfeelin”s
aboutthis”erevisit？“
“Therewillbeunlessyoutellmewhosentyou。”
“Why，thereain”tnosecretaboutthat，MasserHolmes。Itwasthat
samegen”l”manthatyouhavejustdonegonemention。”
“Andwhosethimontoit？“
“S”elpme。Idon”tknow，MasserHolmes。Hejustsay，”Steve，you
goseeMr。Holmes，andtellhimhislifeain”tsafeifhegodown
Harrowway。”That”sthewholetruth。”Withoutwaitingforany
furtherquestioning，ourvisitorboltedoutoftheroomalmostas
precipitatelyashehadentered。Holmesknockedouttheashesofhis
pipewithaquietchuckle。
“Iamgladyouwerenotforcedtobreakhiswoollyhead，Watson。I
observedyourmanoeuvreswiththepoker。Butheisreallyrathera
harmlessfellow，agreatmuscular，foolish，blusteringbaby，and
easilycowed，asyouhaveseen。HeisoneoftheSpencerJohngangand
hastakenpartinsomedirtyworkoflatewhichImayclearupwhen
Ihavetime。Hisimmediateprincipal，Barney，isamoreastuteperson。
Theyspecializeinassaults，intimidation，andthelike。WhatIwant
toknowis，whoisatthebackofthemonthisparticularoccasion？“
“Butwhydotheywanttointimidateyou？“
“ItisthisHarrowWealdcase。Itdecidesmetolookintothe
matter，forifitisworthanyone”swhiletotakesomuchtrouble，
theremustbesomethinginit。”
“Butwhatisit？“
“Iwasgoingtotellyouwhenwehadthiscomicinterlude。Hereis
Mrs。Maberley”snote。Ifyoucaretocomewithmewewillwireherand
gooutatonce。”
DEARMR。SHERLOCKHOLMES[Iread]：
Ihavehadasuccessionofstrangeincidentsoccurtomein
connectionwiththishouse，andIshouldmuchvalueyouradvice。You
wouldfindmeathomeanytimeto-morrow。Thehouseiswithina
shortwalkoftheWealdStation。Ibelievethatmylatehusband，
MortimerMaberley，wasoneofyourearlyclients。
Yoursfaithfully，
MARYMABERLEY。
Theaddresswas“TheThreeGables，HarrowWeald。”
“Sothat”sthat！“saidHolmes。“Andnow，ifyoucansparethe
time，Watson，wewillgetuponourway。”
Ashortrailwayjourney，andashorterdrive，broughtustothe
house，abrickandtimbervilla，standinginitsownacreof
undevelopedgrassland。Threesmallprojectionsabovetheupperwindows
madeafeebleattempttojustifyitsname。Behindwasagroveof
melancholy，half-grownpines，andthewholeaspectoftheplacewas
pooranddepressing。Nonetheless，wefoundthehousetobewell
furnished，andtheladywhoreceiveduswasamostengagingelderly
person，whoboreeverymarkofrefinementandculture。
“Irememberyourhusbandwell，madam，“saidHolmes，“thoughitis
someyearssinceheusedmyservicesinsometriflingmatter。”
“Probablyyouwouldbemorefamiliarwiththenameofmyson
Douglas。”
Holmeslookedatherwithgreatinterest。
“Dearme！AreyouthemotherofDouglasMaberley？Iknewhim
slightly。ButofcourseallLondonknewhim。Whatamagnificent
creaturehewas！Whereishenow？“
“Dead，Mr。Holmes，dead！HewasattacheatRome，andhediedthere
ofpneumonialastmonth。”
“Iamsorry。Onecouldnotconnectdeathwithsuchaman。Ihave
neverknownanyonesovitallyalive，Helivedintensely-everyfibre
ofhim！“
“Toointensely，Mr。Holmes。Thatwastheruinofhim。Youremember
himashewas-debonairandsplendid。Youdidnotseethemoody，
morose，broodingcreatureintowhichhedeveloped。Hisheartwas
broken。InasinglemonthIseemedtoseemygallantboyturnintoa
worn-outcynicalman。”
“Aloveaffair-awoman？“
“Orafiend。Well，itwasnottotalkofmypoorladthatIasked
youtocome，Mr。Holmes。”
“Dr。WatsonandIareatyourservice。”
“”Therehavebeensomeverystrangehappenings。Ihavebeenin
thishousemorethanayearnow，andasIwishedtoleadaretired
lifeIhaveseenlittleofmyneighbours。ThreedaysagoIhada
callfromamanwhosaidthathewasahouseagent。Hesaidthat
thishousewouldexactlysuitaclientofhis，andthatifIwould
partwithitmoneywouldbenoobject。Itseemedtomeverystrangeas
thereareseveralemptyhousesonthemarketwhichappeartobe
equallyeligible，butnaturallyIwasinterestedinwhathesaid。I
thereforenamedapricewhichwasfivehundredpoundsmorethanI
gave。Heatonceclosedwiththeoffer，butaddedthathisclient
desiredtobuythefurnitureaswellandwouldIputapriceupon
it。Someofthisfurnitureisfrommyoldhome，anditis，asyousee，
verygood，sothatInamedagoodroundsum。Tothisalsoheatonce
agreed。Ihadalwayswantedtotravel，andthebargainwassogooda
onethatitreallyseemedthatIshouldbemyownmistressforthe
restofmylife。
“Yesterdaythemanarrivedwiththeagreementalldrawnout。Luckily
IshowedittoMr。Sutro，mylawyer，wholivesinHarrow。Hesaidto
me，”Thisisaverystrangedocument。Areyouawarethatifyousign
ityoucouldnotlegallytakeanythingoutofthehouse-notevenyour
ownprivatepossessions？”WhenthemancameagainintheeveningI
pointedthisout，andIsaidthatImeantonlytosellthefurniture。
“”No，no，everything”saidhe。
“”Butmyclothes？Myjewels？”
“”Well，well，someconcessionmightbemadeforyourpersonal
effects。Butnothingshallgooutofthehouseunchecked。Myclientis
averyliberalman，buthehashisfadsandhisownwayofdoing
things。Itiseverythingornothingwithhim。”
“”Thenitmustbenothing”saidI。Andtherethematterwasleft，
butthewholethingseemedtometobesounusualthatIthought-“
Herewehadaveryextraordinaryinterruption。
Holmesraisedhishandforsilence。Thenhestrodeacrossthe
room，flungopenthedoor，anddraggedinagreatgauntwomanwhom
hehadseizedbytheshoulder。Sheenteredwithungainlystrugglelike
somehugeawkwardchicken，torn，squawking，outofitscoop。
“Leavemealone！Whatareyoua-doin”of？“shescreeched。
“Why，Susan，whatisthis？“
“Well，ma”am，Iwascomin”intoaskifthevisitorswasstayin”for
lunchwhenthismanjumpedoutatme。”
“Ihavebeenlisteningtoherforthelastfiveminutes，butdidnot
wishtointerruptyourmostinterestingnarrative。Justalittle
wheezy，Susan，areyounot？Youbreathetooheavilyforthatkindof
work。”
Susanturnedasulkybutamazedfaceuponhercaptor。“Whobeyou，
anyhow，andwhatrighthaveyoua-pullin”meaboutlikethis？“
“ItwasmerelythatIwishedtoaskaquestioninyourpresence。Did
you，Mrs。Maberley，mentiontoanyonethatyouweregoingtowrite
tomeandconsultme？“
“No，Mr。Holmes，Ididnot。”
“Whopostedyourletter？“
“Susandid。”
“Exactly。Now，Susan，towhomwasitthatyouwroteorsenta
messagetosaythatyourmistresswasaskingadvicefromme？“
“It”salie。Isentnomessage。”
“Now，Susan，wheezypeoplemaynotlivelong，youknow。It”sa
wickedthingtotellfibs。Whomdidyoutell？“
“Susan！“criedhermistress，“Ibelieveyouareabad，treacherous
woman。IremembernowthatIsawyouspeakingtosomeoneoverthe
hedge。”
“Thatwasmyownbusiness，“saidthewomansullenly。
“SupposeItellyouthatitwasBarneyStockdaletowhomyouspoke？“
saidHolmes。
“Well，ifyouknow，whatdoyouwanttoaskfor？“
“Iwasnotsure，butIknownow。Wellnow，Susan，itwillbeworth
tenpoundstoyouifyouwilltellmewhoisatthebackofBarney。”
“Someonethatcouldlaydownathousandpoundsforeverytenyou
haveintheworld。”
“So，arichman？No；yousmiled-arichwoman。Nowwehavegotso
far，youmayaswellgivethenameandearnthetenner。”
“I”llseeyouinhellfirst。”
“Oh，Susan！Language！“
“Iamclearingoutofhere。I”vehadenoughofyouall。I”llsend
formyboxto-morrow。”Sheflouncedforthedoor。
“Good-bye，Susan。Paregoricisthestuff……Now，“hecontinued，
turningsuddenlyfromlivelytoseverewhenthedoorhadclosedbehind
theflushedandangrywoman，“thisgangmeansbusiness。Lookhowclose
theyplaythegame。Yourlettertomehadthe10P。M。postmark。And
yetSusanpassesthewordtoBarney。Barneyhastimetogotohis
employerandgetinstructions；heorshe-Iinclinetothelatterfrom
Susan”sgrinwhenshethoughtIhadblundered-formsaplan。Black
Steveiscalledin，andIamwarnedoffbyeleveno”clocknext
morning。That”squickwork，youknow。”
“Butwhatdotheywant？“
“Yes，that”sthequestion。Whohadthehousebeforeyou？“
“AretiredseacaptaincalledFerguson。”
“Anythingremarkableabouthim？“
“NotthateverIheardof。”
“Iwaswonderingwhetherhecouldhaveburiedsomething。Of
course，whenpeopleburytreasurenowadaystheydoitinthe
Post-Officebank。Buttherearealwayssomelunaticsabout。Itwould
beadullworldwithoutthem。AtfirstIthoughtofsomeburied
valuable。Butwhy，inthatcase，shouldtheywantyourfurniture？
Youdon”thappentohaveaRaphaelorafirstfolioShakespeare
withoutknowingit？“
“No，Idon”tthinkIhaveanythingrarerthanaCrownDerby
tea-set。”
“Thatwouldhardlyjustifyallthismystery。Besides，whyshould
theynotopenlystatewhattheywant？Iftheycovetyourtea-set，they
cansurelyofferapriceforitwithoutbuyingyouout，lock，stock，
andbarrel。No，asIreadit，thereissomethingwhichyoudonotknow
thatyouhave，andwhichyouwouldnotgiveupifyoudidknow。”
“ThatishowIreadit，“saidI。
“Dr。Watsonagrees，sothatsettlesit。”
“Well，Mr。Holmes，whatcanitbe？“
“Letusseewhetherbythispurelymentalanalysiswecangetit
toafinerpoint。Youhavebeeninthishouseayear。”
“Nearlytwo。”
“Allthebetter。Duringthislongperiodnoonewantsanything
fromyou。Nowsuddenlywithinthreeorfourdaysyouhaveurgent
demands。Whatwouldyougatherfromthat？“
“Itcanonlymean，“saidI，“thattheobject，whateveritmaybe，
hasonlyjustcomeintothehouse。”
“Settledonceagain，“saidHolmes。“Now，Mrs。Maberley，hasany
objectjustarrived？“
“No，Ihaveboughtnothingnewthisyear。”
“Indeed！Thatisveryremarkable。Well，Ithinkwehadbestlet
mattersdevelopalittlefurtheruntilwehaveclearerdata。Isthat
lawyerofyoursacapableman？“
“Mr。Sutroismostcapable。”
“Haveyouanothermaid，orwasthefairSusan，whohasjustbanged
yourfrontdoor，alone？“
“Ihaveayounggirl。”
“TryandgetSutrotospendanightortwointhehouse。Youmight
possiblywantprotection。”
“Againstwhom？“
“Whoknows？Thematteriscertainlyobscure。IfIcan”tfindwhat
theyareafter，Imustapproachthematterfromtheotherendand
trytogetattheprincipal。Didthishouse-agentmangiveany
address？“
“Simplyhiscardandoccupation。Haines-Johnson，Auctioneerand
Valuer。”
“Idon”tthinkweshallfindhiminthedirectory。Honestbusiness
mendon”tconcealtheirplaceofbusiness。Well，youwillletme
knowanyfreshdevelopment。Ihavetakenupyourcase，andyoumay
relyuponitthatIshallseeitthrough。”
AswepassedthroughthehallHolmes”seyes，whichmissednothing，
lighteduponseveraltrunksandcaseswhichwerepiledinacorner。
Thelabelsshoneoutuponthem。
“”Milano。””Lucerne。”ThesearefromItaly。”
“TheyarepoorDouglas”sthings。”
“Youhavenotunbackedthem？Howlonghaveyouhadthem？“
“Theyarrivedlastweek。”
“Butyousaid-why，surelythismightbethemissinglink。Howdowe
knowthatthereisnotsomethingofvaluethere？“
“Therecouldnotpossiblybe，Mr。Holmes。PoorDouglashadonly
hispayandasmallannuity。Whatcouldhehaveofvalue？“
Holmeswaslostinthought。
“Delaynolonger，Mrs。Maberley，“hesaidatlast。“Havethese
thingstakenupstairstoyourbedroom。Examinethemassoonas
possibleandseewhattheycontain。Iwillcometo-morrowandhear
yourreport。”
ItwasquiteevidentthatTheThreeGableswasunderveryclose
surveillance，foraswecameroundthehighhedgeattheendofthe
lanetherewasthenegroprize-fighterstandingintheshadow。Wecame
onhimquitesuddenly，andagrimandmenacingfigurehelookedin
thatlonelyplace。Holmesclappedhishandtohispocket。
“Lookin”foryourgun，MasserHolmes？“
“No，formyscent-bottle，Steve。”
“Youarefunny，MasserHolmes，ain”tyou？“
“Itwon”tbefunnyforyou，Steve，ifIgetafteryou。Igaveyou
fairwarningthismorning。”
“Well，MasserHolmes，Idonegonethinkoverwhatyousaid，andI
don”twantnomoretalkaboutthataffairofMasserPerkins。S”pose
Icanhelpyou，MasserHolmes，Iwill。”
“Well，then，tellmewhoisbehindyouonthisjob。”
“SohelpmetheLord！MasserHolmes，Itoldyouthetruthbefore。
Idon”tknow。MybossBarneygivesmeordersandthat”sall。”
“Well，justbearinmind，Steve，thattheladyinthathouse，and
everythingunderthatroof，isundermyprotection。Don”tforgetit。”
“Allright，MasserHolmes。I”llremember。”
“I”vegothimthoroughlyfrightenedforhisownskin，Watson，“
Holmesremarkedaswewalkedon。“Ithinkhewoulddouble-crosshis
employerifheknewwhohewas。ItwasluckyIhadsomeknowledgeof
theSpencerJohncrowd，andthatStevewasoneofthem。Now，Watson，
thisisacaseforLangdalePike，andIamgoingtoseehimnow。
WhenIgetbackImaybeclearerinthematter。”
IsawnomoreofHolmesduringtheday，butIcouldwellimaginehow
hespentit，forLangdalePikewashishumanbookofreferenceupon
allmattersofsocialscandal。Thisstrange，languidcreaturespent
hiswakinghoursinthebowwindowofaSt。James”sStreetcluband
wasthereceiving-stationaswellasthetransmitterforallthe
gossipofthemetropolis。Hemade，itwassaid，afour-figureincome
bytheparagraphswhichhecontributedeveryweektothegarbage
paperswhichcatertoaninquisitivepublic。Ifever，fardownin
theturbiddepthsofLondonlife，therewassomestrangeswirlor
eddy，itwasmarkedwithautomaticexactnessbythishumandialupon
thesurface。HolmesdiscreetlyhelpedLangdaletoknowledge，andon
occasionwashelpedinturn。
WhenImetmyfriendinhisroomearlynextmorning，Iwasconscious
fromhisbearingthatallwaswell，butnonethelessamost
unpleasantsurprisewasawaitingus。Ittooktheshapeofthe
followingtelegram：
Pleasecomeoutatonce。Client”shouseburgledinthenight。Police
inpossession。
SUTRO。
Holmeswhistled。“Thedramahascometoacrisis，andquickerthanI
hadexpected。Thereisagreatdriving-poweratthebackofthis
business，Watson，whichdoesnotsurprisemeafterwhatIhave
heard。ThisSutro，ofcourse，isherlawyer。Imadeamistake，Ifear，
innotaskingyoutospendthenightonguard。Thisfellowhasclearly
provedabrokenreed。Well，thereisnothingforitbutanother
journeytoHarrowWeald。”
WefoundTheThreeGablesaverydifferentestablishmenttothe
orderlyhouseholdofthepreviousday。Asmallgroupofidlershad
assembledatthegardengate，whileacoupleofconstableswere
examiningthewindowsandthegeraniumbeds。Withinwemetagray
oldgentleman，whointroducedhimselfasthelawyer，togetherwitha
bustling，rubicundinspector，whogreetedHolmesasanoldfriend。
“Well，Mr。Holmes，nochanceforyouinthiscase，I”mafraid。
Justacommon，ordinaryburglary，andwellwithinthecapacityof
thepooroldpolice。Noexpertsneedapply。”
“Iamsurethecaseisinverygoodhands，“saidHolmes。“Merely
burglary，yousay？“
“Quiteso。Weknowprettywellwhothemenareandwheretofind
thatgangofBarneyStockdale，withthebigniggerinit-they”vebeen
seenabouthere。”
“Excellent！Whatdidtheyget？“
“Well，theydon”tseemtohavegotmuch。Mrs。Maberleywas
chloroformedandthehousewas-Ah！hereistheladyherself。”
Ourfriendofyesterday，lookingverypaleandill，hadentered
theroom，leaninguponalittlemaidservant。
“Yougavemegoodadvice，Mr。Holmes，“saidshe，smilingruefully。
“Alas，Ididnottakeit！IdidnotwishtotroubleMr。Sutro，and
soIwasunprotected。”
“Ionlyheardofitthismorning，“thelawyerexplained。
“Mr。Holmesadvisedmetohavesomefriendinthehouse。Ineglected
hisadvice，andIhavepaidforit。”
“Youlookwretchedlyill，“saidHolmes。“Perhapsyouarehardly
equaltotellingmewhatoccurred。”
“Itisallhere，“saidtheinspector，tappingabulkynotebook。
“Still，iftheladyisnottooexhausted-“
“Thereisreallysolittletotell。Ihavenodoubtthatwicked
Susanhadplannedanentranceforthem。Theymusthaveknownthehouse
toaninch。Iwasconsciousforamomentofthechloroformragwhich
wasthrustovermymouth，butIhavenonotionhowlongImayhave
beensenseless。WhenIwoke，onemanwasatthebedsideandanother
wasrisingwithabundleinhishandfromamongmyson”sbaggage，
whichwaspartiallyopenedandlitteredoverthefloor。Beforehe
couldgetawayIsprangupandseizedhim。”
“Youtookabigrisk，“saidtheinspector。
“Iclungtohim，butheshookmeoff，andtheothermayhave
struckme，forIcanremembernomore。Marythemaidheardthenoise
andbeganscreamingoutofthewindow。Thatbroughtthepolice，but
therascalshadgotaway。”
“Whatdidtheytake？“
“Well，Idon”tthinkthereisanythingofvaluemissing，Iamsure
therewasnothinginmyson”strunks。”
“Didthemenleavenoclue？“
“TherewasonesheetofpaperwhichImayhavetornfromtheman
thatIgrasped。Itwaslyingallcrumpledonthefloor。Itisinmy
son”shandwriting。”
“Whichmeansthatitisnotofmuchuse，“saidtheinspector。“Now
ifithadbeenintheburglar”s-“
“Exactly，“saidHolmes。“Whatruggedcommonsense！Nonetheless，
Ishouldbecurioustoseeit。”
Theinspectordrewafoldedsheetoffoolscapfromhispocketbook。
“Ineverpassanything，howevertrifling，“saidhewithsome
pomposity。“Thatismyadvicetoyou，Mr。Holmes。Intwenty-five
years”experienceIhavelearnedmylesson。Thereisalwaysthechance
offinger-marksorsomething。”
Holmesinspectedthesheetofpaper。
“Whatdoyoumakeofit，Inspector？“
“Seemstobetheendofsomequeernovel，sofarasIcansee。”
“Itmaycertainlyprovetobetheendofaqueertale，“saidHolmes。
“Youhavenoticedthenumberonthetopofthepage。Itistwohundred
andforty-five。Wherearetheoddtwohundredandforty-fourpages？“
“Well，Isupposetheburglarsgotthose。Muchgoodmayitdothem！“
“Itseemsaqueerthingtobreakintoahouseinordertostealsuch
papersasthat。Doesitsuggestanythingtoyou，Inspector？“
“Yes，sir，itsuggeststhatintheirhurrytherascalsjust
grabbedatwhatcamefirsttohand。Iwishthemjoyofwhattheygot。”
“Whyshouldtheygotomyson”sthings“”askedMrs。Maberley。
“Well，theyfoundnothingvaluabledownstairs，sotheytriedtheir
luckupstairs。ThatishowIreadit。Whatdoyoumakeofit，Mr。
Holmes？“
“Imustthinkitover，Inspector。Cometothewindow，Watson。”Then，
aswestoodtogether，hereadoverthefragmentofpaper。Itbegan
inthemiddleofasentenceandranlikethis：
“……facebledconsiderablyfromthecutsandblows，Butitwas
nothingtothebleedingofhisheartashesawthatlovelyface，the
faceforwhichhehadbeenpreparedtosacrificehisverylife，
lookingoutathisagonyandhumiliation，Shesmiled-yes，by
Heaven！shesmiled，liketheheartlessfiendshewas，ashelooked
upather。Itwasatthatmomentthatlovediedandhatewasborn。Man
mustliveforsomething。Ifitisnotforyourembrace，mylady，
thenitshallsurelybeforyourundoingandmycompleterevenge。”
“Queergrammar！“saidHolmeswithasmileashehandedthepaper
backtotheinspector。“Didyounoticehowthe”he”suddenlychanged
to”my”？Thewriterwassocarriedawaybyhisownstorythathe
imaginedhimselfatthesuprememomenttobethehero。
“Itseemedmightypoorstuff，“saidtheinspectorashereplaced
itinhisbook。“What！areyouoff，Mr。Holmes？“
“Idon”tthinkthereisanythingmoreformetodonowthatthecase
isinsuchcapablehands。Bytheway，Mrs。Maberley，didyousayyou
wishedtotravel？“
“Ithasalwaysbeenmydream，Mr。Holmes。”
“Wherewouldyouliketogo-Cairo，Madeira，theRiviera？“
“Oh，ifIhadthemoneyIwouldgoroundtheworld。”
“Quiteso。Roundtheworld。Well，good-morning。Imaydropyoua
lineintheevening。”AswepassedthewindowIcaughtaglimpseof
theinspector”ssmileandshakeofthehead。“Thesecleverfellows
havealwaysatouchofmadness。”ThatwaswhatIreadinthe
inspector”ssmile。
“Now，Watson，weareatthelastlapofourlittlejourney，“said
HolmeswhenwewerebackintheroarofcentralLondononcemore。“I
thinkwehadbestclearthematterupatonce，anditwouldbewell
thatyoushouldcomewithme，foritissafertohaveawitnesswhen
youaredealingwithsuchaladyasIsadoraKlein。”
WehadtakenacabandwerespeedingtosomeaddressinGrosvenor
Square。Holmeshadbeensunkinthought，butherousedhimself
suddenly。
“Bytheway，Watson，Isupposeyouseeitallclearly？“
“No，Ican”tsaythatIdo。Ionlygatherthatwearegoingtosee
theladywhoisbehindallthismischief。”
“Exactly！ButdoesthenameIsadoraKleinconveynothingtoyou？She
was，ofcourse，thecelebratedbeauty。Therewasneverawomanto
touchher。SheispureSpanish，therealbloodofthemasterful
Conquistadors，andherpeoplehavebeenleadersinPernambucofor
generations。ShemarriedtheagedGermansugarking，Klein，and
presentlyfoundherselftherichestaswellasthemostlovelywidow
uponearth。Thentherewasanintervalofadventurewhenshepleased
herowntastes。Shehadseverallovers，andDouglasMaberley，oneof
themoststrikingmeninLondon，wasoneofthem。Itwasbyall
accountsmorethananadventurewithhim。Hewasnotasociety
butterflybutastrong，proudmanwhogaveandexpectedall。Butshe
isthe”belledamesansmerci”offiction。Whenhercapriceis
satisfiedthematterisended，andiftheotherpartyinthematter
can”ttakeherwordforitsheknowshowtobringithometohim。”
“Thenthatwashisownstory-“
“Ah！youarepiecingittogethernow。Ihearthatsheisaboutto
marrytheyoungDukeofLomond，whomightalmostbeherson。His
Grace”smamightoverlooktheage，butabigscandalwouldbea
differentmatter，soitisimperative-Ah！hereweare。”
Itwasoneofthefinestcorner-housesoftheWestEnd。A
machine-likefootmantookupourcardsandreturnedwithwordthatthe
ladywasnotathome。“Thenweshallwaituntilsheis，“saidHolmes
cheerfully。
Themachinebrokedown。
“Notathomemeansnotathometoyou，“saidthefootman。
“Good，“Holmesanswered。“Thatmeansthatweshallnothavetowait。
Kindlygivethisnotetoyourmistress。”
Hescribbledthreeorfourwordsuponasheetofhisnotebook，
foldedit，andhandedittotheman。
“Whatdidyousay，Holmes？“Iasked。
“Isimplywrote：”Shallitbethepolice，then？”Ithinkthatshould
passusin。”
Itdid-withamazingcelerity。Aminutelaterwewereinan
ArabianNightsdrawing-room，vastandwonderful，inahalfgloom，
pickedoutwithanoccasionalpinkelectriclight。Theladyhad
come，Ifelt，tothattimeoflifewheneventheproudestbeautyfinds
thehalflightmorewelcome。Sherosefromasetteeasweentered：
tall，queenly，aperfectfigure，alovelymask-likeface，withtwo
wonderfulSpanisheyeswhichlookedmurderatusboth。
“Whatisthisintrusion-andthisinsultingmessage？“sheasked，
holdinguptheslipofpaper。
“Ineednotexplain，madame。Ihavetoomuchrespectforyour
intelligencetodoso-thoughIconfessthatintelligencehasbeen
surprisinglyatfaultoflate。”
“Howso，sir？“
“Bysupposingthatyourhiredbulliescouldfrightenmefrommy
work。Surelynomanwouldtakeupmyprofessionifitwerenotthat
dangerattractshim。Itwasyou，then，whoforcedmetoexaminethe
caseofyoungMaberley。”
“Ihavenoideawhatyouaretalkingabout。WhathaveItodowith
hiredbullies？“
Holmesturnedawaywearily。
“Yes，Ihaveunderratedyourintelligence。Well，good-afternoon！“
“Stop！Whereareyougoing？“
“ToScotlandYard。”
Wehadnotgothalfwaytothedoorbeforeshehadovertakenusand
washoldinghisarm。Shehadturnedinamomentfromsteeltovelvet。
“Comeandsitdown，gentlemen。Letustalkthismatterover。I
feelthatImaybefrankwithyou，Mr。Holmes。Youhavethefeelings
ofagentleman。Howquickawoman”sinstinctistofinditout。Iwill
treatyouasafriend。”
“Icannotpromisetoreciprocate，madame。Iamnotthelaw，butI
representjusticesofarasmyfeeblepowersgo。Iamreadytolisten，
andthenIwilltellyouhowIwillact。”
“Nodoubtitwasfoolishofmetothreatenabravemanlike
yourself。”
“Whatwasreallyfoolish，madame，isthatyouhaveplacedyourself
inthepowerofabandofrascalswhomayblackmailorgiveyouaway。”
“No，no！Iamnotsosimple。SinceIhavepromisedtobefrank，I
maysaythatnoone，saveBarneyStockdaleandSusan，hiswife，have
theleastideawhotheiremployeris。Astothem，well，itisnot
thefirst-“Shesmiledandnoddedwithacharmingcoquettishintimacy。
“Isee。You”vetestedthembefore。”
“Theyaregoodhoundswhorunsilent。”
“Suchhoundshaveawaysoonerorlaterofbitingthehandthat
feedsthem。Theywillbearrestedforthisburglary。Thepoliceare
alreadyafterthem。”
“Theywilltakewhatcomestothem。Thatiswhattheyarepaid
for。Ishallnotappearinthematter。”
“UnlessIbringyouintoit。”
“No，no，youwouldnot。Youareagentleman。Itisawoman”s
secret。”
“Inthefirstplace，youmustgivebackthismanuscript。”
Shebrokeintoarippleoflaughterandwalkedtothefireplace。
Therewasacalcinedmasswhichshebrokeupwiththepoker。“Shall
Igivethisback？“sheasked。Soroguishandexquisitedidshelookas
shestoodbeforeuswithachallengingsmile，thatIfeltofall
Holmes”scriminalsthiswastheonewhomhewouldfindithardestto
face。However，hewasimmunefromsentiment。
“Thatsealsyourfate，“hesaidcoldly。“Youareverypromptinyour
actions，madame，butyouhaveoverdoneitonthisoccasion。”
Shethrewthepokerdownwithaclatter。
“Howhardyouare！“shecried。“MayItellyouthewholestory？“
“IfancyIcouldtellittoyou。”
“Butyoumustlookatitwithmyeyes，Mr。Holmes。Youmust
realizeitfromthepointofviewofawomanwhoseesallherlife”s
ambitionabouttoberuinedatthelastmoment。Issuchawomanto
beblamedifsheprotectsherself？“
“Theoriginalsinwasyours。”
“Yes，yes！Iadmitit。Hewasadearboy，Douglas，butitsochanced
thathecouldnotfitintomyplans。Hewantedmarriage-marriage，
MrHolmes-withapennilesscommoner。Nothinglesswouldservehim。
Thenhebecamepertinacious。BecauseIhadgivenheseemedtothink
thatIstillmustgive，andtohimonly。Itwasintolerable。AtlastI
hadtomakehimrealizeit。”
“Byhiringruffianstobeathimunderyourownwindow。”
“Youdoindeedseemtoknoweverything。Well，itistrue。Barneyand
theboysdrovehimaway，andwere，Iadmit，alittleroughindoing
so。Butwhatdidhedothen？CouldIhavebelievedthatagentleman
woulddosuchanact？Hewroteabookinwhichhedescribedhisown
story。I，ofcourse，wasthewolf；hethelamb。Itwasallthere，
underdifferentnames，ofcourse；butwhoinallLondonwouldhave
failedtorecognizeit？Whatdoyousaytothat，Mr。Holmes？“
“Well，hewaswithinhisrights。”