Without My Boswell: Five Early Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (From the Dispatch Box of John H Watson, MD)

by Hugh Ashton

  “ I found lodgings in a small pension close to the Parc Monceau, from where it was easy for me to reach the area in Montmartre where the wine merchant’s premises were located. Before I visited there, however, I sent a note to François Le Villard, a detective in the Parisian service, with whom I had a friendship. I believe that I once showed you a letter of his when you and I first became acquainted

  ‡ , in which he expounded his gratitude to me in overly fulsome Gallic terms.”

  ‡ Editor’s note : This is recorded in the first chapter of A Study in Scarlet

  “ How did you first come to meet him ? ” I asked.

  “ I think I explained earlier that I had spent many summers of my youth in France,” replied Sherlock Holmes. “ Le Villard was the child of a neighbour, and even as boys we discovered a common love of solving the problems encountered in detective work. After he had joined the Paris police and I had gone up to University, we maintained our contact with each other. As you know, I have been able to do him a good turn once in a while, and the reverse also held true on occasion, such as now.

  “ We met in a small restaurant, not far from the firm of Vanbeur, and talked over old times. I enquired if by chance he knew Duclasse, the French representative in London. It was hardly a bow drawn at a venture – the detective branch of the Paris police is relatively small – and he was able to inform me that Duclasse was highly regarded and his words were not to be ignored.

  “ I then told him, in the strictest confidence, which I had no doubt at all that he would keep, about the mission with which I had been entrusted by Duclasse. He expressed some surprise that Duclasse had selected me, rather than the Paris police force, to carry out this task, but seemed ready enough to assist me where possible.

  “ My next question was regarding the ease of entry into the Élysée Palace, since I knew that my friend had spent some time as part of the guard there. I was informed that, in a system that is typical of Gallic bureaucracy, every worker at the Palace is furnished with a kind of passport, containing their name and physical description, and countersigned by the Prefect of Police. This paper must be shown every time the worker enters or leaves the Palace. For visitors other than members of the Cabinet, a similar document is prepared and must be shown, and their names are entered into a register which is countersigned when they leave the premises.”

  “ Then much of your work was done for you,” I exclaimed. “ Since you knew that the brandy had been stolen within the previous six months, all the names were in front of you.”

  “ My dear Watson,” Holmes answered me, shaking his head, “ you can have no idea how many people pass in and out of that building every day. It would have been the work of years to examine those registers and to eliminate those who were there on their lawful occasions. In any event, the registers would not be made available to me, even if I were to produce a written order from Duclasse himself. It was obvious that a little more of an indirect approach was called for.

  “ The next day, I stationed myself outside the door of Vanbeur’s establishment, dressed in the fashion of a typical Parisian flâneur. Indeed, so successful was my disguise that it attracted the attention of the gendarmes, who asked me to move on and stop loitering. Naturally, I complied with these requests, and then returned a little later.

  “ As I watched the comings and goings, there was one young man in particular who attracted my attention. He was dressed elegantly, almost dandyish in his appearance, and strolled in and out of the building several times during the course of the morning, for no apparent purpose other than to drink a cup of coffee in a neighbouring café or to purchase cigarettes from the tabac. From the deference with which he was greeted by the porter every time he passed that worthy’s position, I deduced that he must be the Fils of Vanbeur et Fils.

  “ On his fourth exit from the building that morning, he vanished around the corner of the street. My guess was that he was bound for a restaurant for his lunch, and I decided, since I too was feeling the pangs of hunger, that I would follow him there. Once around the corner, he took a cab, and I likewise hired one, instructing it to follow the other. To my astonishment, his cab drew up outside the Élysée Palace.

  “ I paid off my jarvey, and watched him as he stood out- side the gates of the building, making no attempt to enter. After about five minutes, his patience (and mine) were rewarded, when a fashionably dressed young demoiselle came out of the gate, showing a paper to the guard on duty as she did so.

  “ From what I had been told by Le Villard, this signified that she was employed within the palace, since she did not need to countersign a register. French fashions and modes of dress and so on differ from those in England, and I was unable to place her profession exactly, but it seemed to me that she was more than a domestic servant, and probably held some sort of clerical position, possibly operating a typewriting machine.

  “ The man whom I had cast as the son of the enterprise greeted this young person with some signs of affection, and they strolled arm in arm along the street for some two hundred yards before disappearing into a small bistro. It was difficult for me to judge from my position, but it seemed to me that her affection towards him was more strongly demonstrated than his towards her. I felt it inadvisable to enter the same restaurant that they had entered, but refreshed myself with a small glass of wine in the café opposite.

  “ As you probably are aware, the French enjoy extended meals, and it was a full ninety minutes before the couple emerged. I was happy to leave my position, and follow them back to the Élysée, walking this time, and watching them bid farewell to each other as she re-entered the building.”

  I chuckled. “ I have little sympathy for you, and I think that most would agree with me. Few would pity your having to sit in a Parisian café, drinking wine.”

  “ I agree with you that there might be a slightly idyllic construction placed on the circumstances, but I can assure you that there really is very little pleasurable about such an occupation,” Holmes smiled. “ But I now had a very definite chain of events mapped out in my mind. The English wine merchant who supplied the brandy to his Lordship was undoubtedly connected to the one in Paris who had supplied to the President’s household. And quite apart from the professional connection, it seemed that there was also a personal link to the Presidential household, in the form of the young man and the young lady. However, I was as yet unsure as to what that link actually might be.

  “ It seemed that my best line of attack, if I may phrase it that way, would be to find out more about the girl. Accordingly I stationed myself outside the Palace that evening, waiting for her to come out of the building. The somewhat distinctive red shawl that I had remarked her as wearing earlier in the day made her easy to pick out from the crowd, and I soon found an opportunity to collide with her, and to knock her reticule to the ground.

  “ I apologised in English, which she appeared to under- stand, and added some comments in a broken French. I insisted strongly that she take a glass of wine or some such with me, as I was concerned for her health, and she, seemingly nothing loth, accepted my invitation.

  “ As I had hoped, I was able to obtain some more information about her. She did indeed operate a typewriter in the Palace, in the department of the commissary, responsible for the food and drink consumed in there. Not only did she work in that department, it seemed that a large part of her job was the keeping of the records of the cellar’s contents. It seemed to me to be a somewhat unusual responsibility for a young girl, but then I remembered that I was in France, and things are done differently there.”

  “ So now you had all the pieces of the puzzle ? ” I hazarded.

  “ Indeed. That is the way it seemed to me. Given her position, it would be possible for her to remove anything from the cellars and pass it to her lover without anyone’s being the wiser. The link between Paris and London I had already established to my satisfaction, as I said. When I had made my farewells to Mlle. Grangier, the name of my new acquaintance,
I walked back to my lodgings, pondering how I could best prove beyond all doubt that which I knew to be true. It is one thing to have suspicions bordering on certainty, and quite another to have proof that will stand as evidence in a court of law.”

  “ It was necessary for me to set a trap, and for that I required the assistance of Duclasse in London and my friend Le Villard in Paris. It would, naturally, be against all the established rules for them to act as agents provocateurs, but as one who works outside the official organisations, it seemed to me to be perfectly in order for me to do so.

  “ First, I went to Le Villard, and asked him whether there was a cypher which could be used to send messages to Duclasse in London. Naturally, I explained, it was not my intention to use the cypher myself, but I would be grateful if Le Villard could act on my behalf in this matter. He was to keep the contents of the cypher I sent and any that might be received in reply a secret from his colleagues. He made me swear on my honour that I was not engaged in any activity contrary to the interests of the Republic, but once I had done this, he was the very soul of cooperation.

  “ By the by, I happened to catch sight of the methods of encypherment used by the police departments of France. It is of a delightful and somewhat unexpected simplicity, and I had great pleasure in presenting it to Mycroft as a souvenir of my sojourn across the Channel. I do not feel that I broke my oath to Le Villard by so doing.

  “ I requested Duclasse to furnish me with the details of a wine that was known to be in the Élysée cellars, and not otherwise obtainable, if such a thing existed. He was able to cable back the details of a claret which had been laid down some forty-five years earlier, and of which vintage a mere couple of dozen remained. All of these, to the best of his knowledge, were to be found in the cellars of the Élysée. I now had the bait for my trap, and the next day I made my way to Vanbeur et Fils, in my guise of an over- rich and somewhat gullible Englishman.

  “ I demanded, in bad French, to see the proprietor, and after a short while was shown into the sanctum of M. Vanbeur. The family resemblance to Vamberry in London was remarkable.

  “ Still using my deliberately poor French, which he interpolated with equally broken and accented English, we discussed the matter at hand. I told him that I had heard, in great confidence, that his company was a specialist in procuring rare vintages for connoisseurs. At this, he expressed great surprise, and assured me with what appeared to be the utmost sincerity that this was not the case at all. Even when I played my trump card, and mentioned the brandy at Lord ’s, it seemed to produce no visible results, and his face showed no sign of recognition.

  “ ‘ I am sorry to be unable to assist you,’ he said at length, ‘ but whoever gave you that information was sadly misinformed. We are a respectable house here, with a fine selection of wines available, but we are not, and we never have pretended to be, a specialist in the kind of rare brandy that you describe, though it may be that we have handled such matters once or twice in the past on a basis of strict confidence as regards the seller and the purchaser. If you are truly interested in obtaining this kind of thing, I can give you the addresses of several merchants who claim to specialise in the supply of rare wines. I cannot of course,’ and here he shrugged, ‘ guarantee that what they supply is the genuine article. There are many rogues in this business.’

  “ I thanked him, and accepted the list that he gave me. I left his office and made my way towards the entrance of the building, feeling that in this case I was mistaken and I had probably set myself on a wild goose chase. However, before I reached the door, I was intercepted by the young man whom I had seen earlier with the young woman working at the Palace. He caught at my sleeve and spoke to me in English, without a trace of a French accent.

  “ ‘ I heard you speaking to my uncle just now,’ he said to me in a low voice. ‘ I apologise if this may seem impertinent to you, but my office is next to that of my uncle, and I cannot help overhearing some of the things that pass in there. If you would do me the honour of taking a cup of coffee with me, or perhaps something a little stronger, in the café across the road, I believe I may be able to help you in your search.’

  “ As you may imagine, I heard this speech with some relief that my deductions so far appeared to be correct. I naturally accepted the invitation, but refused his proffered arm as we strolled to the nearest cafe and ordered our refreshments – coffee for me, and absinthe for my new friend. “ ‘ My name is Vamberry,’ he began. ‘ The gentleman you have just seen, the owner of the establishment, is my father’s brother. My father, do you see, operates the same kind of business as his brother, in London rather than Paris. I am expected to succeed my father in the London business, and accordingly he has sent me to Paris to learn the trade at this end for a few years.’

  “ ‘ And what sort of business do you yourself do ? ’ I asked him.

  “ He looked at me sharply. ‘ I do not take your meaning,’ he said to me.

  “ ‘ I took the impression from your words just now that you were engaged in a somewhat different line to that of your uncle and your father,’ I said. ‘ You say that you heard my conversation with your uncle ? ’ He nodded. ‘ Then you are aware of my search for this wine, of which I have heard so much, and which appears to be unobtainable at any price.’

  “ He dropped his voice to a low volume, so that even I with my acute hearing had to strain to catch his words. ‘ The wine you are seeking is almost unobtainable,’ he informed me. ‘ I happen to know, however, where it may be possible to lay hands on a dozen. But you are mistaken when you say that it is unobtainable at any price. There is indeed a price.’

  “ ‘ Name it,’ I commanded him. He did so, and even though I had previously heard of the large sums of money commanded by such vintages, I was somewhat taken aback by the amount, and I fear that my surprise showed somewhat in my face. He noticed this, and laughed. ‘ More than you are prepared to pay ? ’ His tone was mocking, and I must confess, Watson, that this irked me.

  “ ‘ I am well prepared, and well able, to afford such sums,’ I told him stiffly. ‘ However, you should be aware that I am not in the habit of paying out such large amounts without having first seen and examined the merchandise for which I am paying.’

  “ His face fell a little at this, but he rallied. ‘ There may be some expenses involved in procuring the wine,’ he informed me.

  “ ‘ Quite possibly there will be,’ I said. ‘ Without wishing to know the details, I can guess that certain parties will have to be compensated for their activities.’

  “ He nodded in agreement. ‘ I am glad to see that you understand the situation.’

  “ ‘ If I am understanding the nature of your business correctly, though, this is not the first time that you have performed such service for a special customer. I would therefore expect you to have some money saved from such previous transactions, which you may use for these purposes. I must reiterate that under no circumstances will I pay money without having seen and thoroughly inspected the goods for myself. It is a matter of principle with me. If it will make you feel any happier, I will repay those expenses, provided always that I am furnished with a properly itemised statement of your outgoings. This would, of course, be in addition to the price that we have already agreed for the wine.’

  “ As I had imagined, his face brightened a little at this suggestion. ‘ Very well, then,’ he agreed. ‘ You require a full dozen ? ’ I told him that a half-dozen would be sufficient, at the price he was naming. ‘ I must warn you that it will take at least one week, possibly two, before I can make the delivery to you,’ he said.

  “ ‘ That is perfectly acceptable to me, and I am content to wait. You may contact me by leaving a message at my pension,’ and I wrote the name and address of my lodgings on a blank card and handed it to him.

  “ ‘ And your name ? ’

  “ I gave the name I was using at the pension, which happened to be the name of a University acquaintance of mine. I further informed him that
I proposed to be absent from Paris for a week, and there would be little point in his attempting to contact me before my return. In actual fact, I had no intention of leaving the city, but proposed to use the time in observing this young man and his accomplice, or accomplices.”

  “ You must have sorely missed your Baker-street Irregulars,” I remarked. “ I cannot imagine that now you would be content to spend several days in that fashion.”

  Holmes smiled. “ You seem to forget, Watson, that I was them at the start of my career, and I had no organisation such as that available to me in London, let alone in Paris. It occurred to me that I could involve the police at this early stage, but despite my high opinion of their abilities, especially when compared with those of the London police at that time – I do not make comparisons with today’s force, which has improved considerably, and I may say, without appearing to be boasting, at least partly as a result of my efforts – I was concerned lest they act prematurely and prevent the capture of those behind this scheme. I was convinced, do you see, that the idea and the execution of these thefts and subsequent resale was not the work of the young dandy who now sat before me.

  “ As it happened, I was completely wrong in this last assumption. The somewhat foppish exterior of the young man apparently concealed a criminal mind which, had it survived, could possibly have equalled that of Professor James Moriarty in its capacity for mischief and villainy. But I am leaping ahead of myself in the recounting of this story. The next chapter, or act in this drama if you will, is, I suppose, of some interest, though my part in it was almost entirely a passive one.

  “ The next week that I passed in Paris was one of the most physically demanding that I had ever spent in my life. I had determined to see the whole business through on my own, up until the final curtain, to revert to our theatrical metaphor. This meant keeping watch on the Vanbeur establishment, and particularly on the younger member of that family, for anything up to fourteen hours in any one day. I was on my feet in the street for the vast majority of that time, and it was one of those wet springs for which Paris is infamous. I had visited the old clothes market and provided myself with a variety of outfits, and I could change my appearance with the help of some theatrical make-up. I was reasonably certain that my constant vigils would repay the considerable discomfort in which I often found myself.