by Hugh Ashton
Happily, a few shillings remained in my pockets after all the recent events, and I was able to order two glasses of ale, a pork pie, together with some bread and good English cheese, which we took to the corner of the bar and devoured hungrily, restoring our strength a little.
“ And now ? ” I asked Holmes.
“ We return to town and we confront Lady Celia.”
“ When we appear like this ? ” I asked, looking down at my appearance.
“ Indeed. I think it will lend greater force to our story. Come,” finishing his beer, “ to the station. I take it you have no objection to travelling third-class ? ”
“ I think that in this state we have little choice,” I laughed.
On our arrival at London Bridge station, it was hard for us to persuade a hansom to carry us to Amberfield House, but by dint of showing all the silver in our pockets, we were able to convince a cabbie that we were not as destitute as our appearance would suggest, and that he would receive due compensation for his labour.
On arrival at our destination, we rang the front doorbell, whereupon the butler who opened the door took one glance at us before attempting to shut the door in our faces. Holmes had foreseen this move, however, and planted his foot firmly between door and jamb, and presented a card to the butler.
“ I think you will find that if you give that card to Lady Celia, she will be anxious to see me, regardless of the current state of my person.”
“ Very good, sir,” replied the stolid servant. “ Please wait outside while I consult her Ladyship.” He returned very shortly, breathing hard and his face red. “ Her Ladyship will see you and your friend, Mr. Holmes. This way, please.”
Unhappily conscious of my dishevelled and muddy appearance, I allowed myself to be led across the hallway to the drawing-room where we were greeted by Lady Celia.
“ Where is Godfrey ? ” were her first words to us, as soon as the door had closed behind the butler, even before any words of greeting.
“ By my estimation, he is somewhere between here and Rotterdam. But whether he is currently on the surface of the North Sea, or under it, I have no way of telling.”
Her hands flew to her mouth, and she uttered a convulsive sob. “ Why are you still alive ? ” she demanded furiously of Holmes. “ It is you who is meant to be at the bottom of the ocean ! ” So saying, she flew against him, and dashed her fists against his body. Holmes grasped her wrists with a grip of iron, and held her fast while he stared down at her.
“ Your husband has done a very foolish thing,” Holmes told her. “ Not only has he broken the law, he has been cheating an extremely dangerous man, and is now facing the consequences.” He detailed the events of the day, and concluded with, “ I came here to—“
“ —to arrest me, I know. Do your worst, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. I am not frightened of the law.”
“ No, I came here to tell you that you also are in danger. Men such as Jan Besselink are vindictive, and will seek their revenge, not just on those whom they consider have done them wrong, but on those close to them.”
“ What should I do ? ”
“ You have two choices. You may either choose to leave this country and fly to another continent, where you will live the life of a fugitive for the rest of your days, never knowing whether the next man you meet in the street may be your assassin. It would be a life of fear until you die.”
Lady Celia gazed up with tears in her eyes. “ You do not make it sound appealing,” she said.
“ It is not appealing,” he answered her. “ The alternative is to throw yourself on the mercy of the justice system of this country. You may well be safer inside prison than outside it. And who knows, by the time you are released, Besselink will, I trust, be in no position to harm others.”
“ There is a third way,” cried the wretched woman. “ Besselink may attempt to kill me, but I am able to forestall him ! ”
“ I do not think you possess the courage for that course of action,” replied Sherlock Holmes. “ Oh, you might persuade others that you had attempted to make away with yourself, but you know, and I know too, that you would never be able to follow through with it.”
“ So you are telling me that I should give myself up to the police ? ”
“ I feel it would be your safest move under the circumstances.”
“ I will stay here and take my chances against the law and against Besselink. You have no real evidence against me, save the word of a man who now is probably dead, according to your account.”
“ The police would have my word and the word of those whom you duped.”
“ Your word ! ” she laughed gaily. “ And my friends’ word ? They know nothing, save the fact that they lost money at a roulette table, and were forced to sell the family treasures to settle their debts. Do you really think that they will be happy to stand in the witness box and announce that fact, even if they suspected anything underhand ? Believe me, Mr. Holmes, I am not destitute, in any event. I can afford to hire a lawyer who can tear to tiny shreds any case that you or the police may choose to bring against me.”
These were palpable hits, and Sherlock Holmes stood there, nonplussed for a short time before recovering himself. “ Very well,” he said stiffly. “ I have given you fair warning of your danger. If you choose to ignore it, that is your affair.” With that, he turned on his heel and stalked out of the room, through the front door which the butler sprang to open for him, and into the street, myself following him.
“ She is demonstrably and d___ably in the right, Watson,” he complained to me, as we walked back to Baker-street. There is no way that any charges could be successfully brought against her. I fear, though, that she fails to appreciate the extreme danger in which she lies.”
“ I do not see how you could possibly have made the matter any clearer to her,” I assured him. “ But I am puzzled. How did you come to suspect Sir Godfrey of being de Vries ? ”
“ I knew it as soon as we first caught sight of de Vries,” he answered. “ If you remember, I said to you regarding the gamblers at the house that a person’s figure and gait were sometimes as distinctive as his or her face, if not more so ? Maybe you remarked that slight inward twist of the left foot when Sir Godfrey walked ? No ? I am surprised, as it was most distinctive, and unique, when coupled with that forward cast of the shoulders. When I observed the figure known as de Vries to exhibit the same characteristics, it became clear to me that de Vries and Sir Godfrey were one and the same person. When you likewise consider that it was only when Sir Godfrey was absent from London that de Vries was active, and vice versa, it was clear that the two personages were indeed one and the same man.”
“ And Lady Celia ? ”
“ It was inconceivable to me that she could visit such an establishment frequently and regularly and fail to recognise her husband, even masked and disguised. It was clear, therefore, that she was party to the deception, and was almost certainly playing an active role in guiding her friends there.”
“ Did you suspect that there was a trap set for us ? ”
“ I feared that might be the case, and accordingly I had prepared my trump card.”
“ The list of transactions you obtained from Abrahams ? ”
“ The same. I had trusted to the vanity common to many criminals which would cause our captor to speak. Once he had opened his mouth, he would allow me to open mine, and play my ace.”
“ Then we were never in any real danger ? ”
“ On the contrary, my dear fellow, we were in very palpable danger at many times in the past days. I attempted to warn you of it, but like the brave British bulldog that you are, you stuck by me faithfully, for which I am most grateful. I apologise once again most profoundly for having placed you in the situation in which we found ourselves.”
“ When did you first suspect the trap ? ”
“ I knew something was amiss when I was handed the brooch. The stones were obviously false, and did not require my expertise to discover
the fact. Furthermore, they were clumsily set, leading me to believe that they were temporary, and would be replaced, probably by the real stones, at some time in the near future. At that moment, I knew that whatever was happening was almost certainly of a more complex nature than it first appeared. But it was the link between Sir Godfrey and de Vries that made me certain of the true state of affairs.
Ah, here we are at 221B. I suggest we make our way upstairs quietly, so as not to alarm Mrs. Hudson with our appearance, and after we have made ourselves a little more presentable, and restored our outer appearance, we take care of the inner man with a visit to Alberti’s and a spot of dinner ? ”
-oOo-
THIS ADVENTURE had an unhappy ending. Some ten days after the events described above, it was reported in the newspaper that Lady Celia Leighbury, the wife of the missing baronet Sir Godfrey Leighbury, had been run down and killed while walking along Regent-street by a carriage whose horses had unaccountably started and bolted, and crushed her under the carriage wheels.
“ It was to be expected,” said Holmes. “ But never fear, I will see Besselink in the dock before long,” but it was a promise it nevertheless took him two years to fulfil, with the aid of the police agents of four countries.
-oOo-
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND
THE CURIOUS AFFAIR OF THE ARCHDEACON
EDITOR’S NOTE
A story of a very different aspect to other adventures. Written on foolscap sheets, pinned together, with several corrections and crossings-out; this was presumably a foul copy, and one which Watson did not feel it was worth his while continuing, possibly considering it too slight for publication. However, I found this to be a different side to the great detective. Incidentally, this case is mentioned in passing at the beginning of The Red Circle.
The city of Larrowby is mentioned here, but since there is no city in England by that name, it is obvious that Watson was using this as a pseudonym for some other northern city, such as Lincoln or York.
-oOo-
OF ALL THE ADVENTURES that I shared with the consulting detective, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, I do not believe that any presented as amusing an aspect as the one I relate here.
It was late November, and the previous night’s thick fog still enveloped London on the morning that Mr. Fairdale Hobbs came to visit us with his concerns. A young man of about twenty-five, his rather delicate features and weak chin were somewhat offset by a slightly incongruous bristling moustache, whose sandy colour matched his lank hair, worn slightly long. He had the air of a gentleman, and was dressed in the conventional style of a young man who works in an office, but his garments appeared to be a little out of the current fashion, and had seen better days.
“ It may seem trivial to you, Mr. Holmes, but it is a worry to me, and I would be obliged if you would take this case on my behalf,” were his first words to us, following his self-introduction.
“ I cannot possibly tell you if I will take the case or not,” answered my friend, smiling, “ until you present me with some of the relevant facts.”
“ Of course,” replied our visitor. “ First, maybe I should explain something about myself—“
“ Please proceed. Other than the facts that you are a bachelor, you reside in a lodging-house in Great Orme-street, you are employed as a clerk in the City, and though this employment is not generously rewarded, you have occasionally received gifts in kind from your relatives who live outside London in the North of the country, I know nothing about you.”
The other appeared startled. “ How do you know these things about me ? ” he demanded, in some consternation.
“ The fact that you are a bachelor is, I fear, obvious from the state of your coat, which has not been brushed for some time, and from which a button is hanging by a thread. No wife would permit her husband to be seen in such a state. I deduce Great Orme-street from the leaf of a species of Japanese maple adhering to one shoe. This particular species of tree is, to the best of my knowledge, only to be found in Russell-square by the side of that street which contains so many lodging-houses, and also in Kew Gardens. Since I do not believe you reside in Kew Gardens...”
“ Yes, yes, and the rest ? ”
“ As to the lodging-house, permit me to say that you have the lean and hungry look of a man who has breakfasted, and that not too well, on lodging-house fare. A man who prepares his own breakfast, or who has his breakfast prepared for him by a loving spouse, has a different outlook on the world from one who is forced to subsist on the matutinal offerings of a London landlady. Always excepting our own Mrs. Hudson, of course, do you not agree, Watson ?
“ It is obvious from the style of your hat and your boots that you are employed in the City, and the crease on your sleeve, not to mention the peculiar callouses on your hand developed by those who make their living pushing a pen across the page, show me the nature of your employment. The hat is of the finest quality, but I notice the label of a provincial hatter in the Northern city of Larrowby, and it is of a style of some two years ago, from which I may deduce that you were presented it at that time by a relative who lives in that city, since it is not the kind of gift I would expect to be presented by a mere friend.”
“ You are correct in every detail,” cried the young man. “ And indeed, it is regarding my uncle, Archdeacon James Harper-Barrington, who has been remarkably generous to me, that I wish to consult you.
You may be aware that my uncle, my mother’s brother, is the Archdeacon in one of our dioceses, indeed that of Larrowby, the city to which you have just referred. He has held the post for about fifteen years, and though there was talk at one time of his being elevated to a bishopric, this now appears to be unlikely. He has expressed little interest in such a promotion, but continues his calling, by all accounts efficiently. He is a well-liked figure within the diocese, as far as I can tell, and his generosity has not merely been confined to me.
“ My parents are both deceased, with the Archdeacon being my closest relative, and I his. Accordingly, I have fallen into the habit of travelling to Larrowby for my holidays and spending my time with him. Though there is a considerable difference in our ages, I find the time I spend with him to be congenial, and I believe the feeling is reciprocated. He and I share an interest in several different matters, one of which is the art and architecture of the Middle Ages, and we have spent many happy days together exploring the riches of the diocese. Indeed, you may even have heard of him in connection with the monographs he has published on the development of the Perpendicular style of architecture. He is seen by many as the definitive authority on the subject.
“ As you correctly stated, he has been generous towards me and towards others. Indeed, one might almost say that he has been too generous.”
“ On what grounds could that accusation of over-generosity be levelled ? ”
“ It appears to me that his charitable outgoings are more than could be explained by his earnings as the Archdeacon, the amount of which is known to me.”
“ He has private means ? ”
“ He is my late mother’s brother. The family, although one of the oldest in England, is by no means wealthy. I am somewhat at a loss to account for his generosity.”
“ Perhaps you can give instances ? ”
“ Despite my rather shabby appearance,” and here our visitor smiled a little shamefacedly, “ I never come away from a visit to my uncle without at least fifty pounds to my name, and this occurs several times each year.”
“ A goodly sum,” I commented.
“ Indeed it is. It represents a significant part of his income as a clergyman. And I may add that he spares no expense to entertain me when I visit. If that were all, it would be understandable, but to my certain knowledge he has given to charitable objects many times the amount he gives to me. It is incomprehensible to me how he can lay his hands on these sums.”
“ May I be impertinent,” said Holmes, “ and enquire how you spend the money that you receive from your uncle ? ”
The other flushed slightly. “ I present it to worthy causes—societies dedicated to conversion of the heathen, for example—and so on. In my younger days I also felt that I might also take Holy Orders, but I was never fully persuaded of the sincerity of my calling. However, the wish to do good for others has never left me. My salary with Connington’s is not excessive, but it is sufficient for my needs. Sometimes, though, my uncle presents me with a gift which is not money—this hat, for example.”
“ You have worries about your uncle’s money ? ”
“ Indeed. I cannot make out its source.”
“ And you are concerned that the source may prove to be—how shall I say this ? Not in your uncle’s best interests were it to be made public ? ”
“ You have it in a nutshell, Mr. Holmes.”
“ Have you any reason to believe this ? ”
“ I regret to say that I have. I have recently returned from a visit to my uncle, and it was what I saw there that has in part prompted my visit to you. The other portion I will relate in due course and occurred only yesterday evening.
“ While I was last staying at my uncle’s house, he was, as always, the very soul of hospitality. He entertained me splendidly, and he and I visited many old parish churches in the region, and in the evenings worked together on the preparation of his forthcoming volume on the carvings to be found on some of the west doorways.
“ One morning, I came downstairs before my uncle. We had been working late the previous evening on the book I have just mentioned, and to my mind, there were several questions that remained unanswered which I wished to verify. It may sound trivial to you, Mr. Holmes, but I had actually lain awake in the night, concerned as to which of two medieval masons might have been responsible for the carving of a group of devils over the door of a church. It was a topic that had vexed my uncle and myself the previous evening, and I had taken myself off to bed, leaving him poring over the subject.”