Sherlock Holmes and the Egyptian Hall Adventure
Page 10
He had said it all in one breath like a child delivering a compulsory recitation.
Holmes, as always, received this gratitude with grace, saying, ‘Not at all Lestrade, it was not our first collusion, nor our last I’ll be bound. But tell me, shall you have to surrender your prisoner, Kurt Schmidtt to the German authorities?’
Lestrade looked smug. He said, ‘No sir, I shall not!’ but he did not enlarge upon this.
I said, ‘But surely Lestrade, as a subject of the Kaiser, deportation is his right? He is sure to elect for that course, as I believe he might get a more lenient treatment in his own country. You know on the continent they look upon these things rather differently, especially if there is even the slightest hint of an affaire de cour involved!’
Lestrade answered, ‘That may or may not be so, and may or may not be right. Certainly the foreigners have some quaint ways of interpreting their laws. But rest assured, Kurt Schmidtt will be tried in a proper English court room, with a proper English judge and jury. Moreover, he will undoubtedly hang! Our juries take a poor view of people being choked to death, even with a horology calliper and by a three foot high man!’
Holmes was intrigued, ‘How have you managed to hold onto him Lestrade?’
‘How, ah yes. He is no more a German than I am a Dutchman. He was a German, but some months ago he put in for citizenship papers. It’s just his bad luck that his citizenship has just been granted. I say “just”, because he was not even aware that the papers had gone through until I told him!’
Holmes whistled, ‘Phew! I never thought I would live to see a day when I was sorry for a fellow for becoming British! I say though Inspector, isn’t there anything we can do for the little chap? The circumstances are rather unusual.’
Lestrade shrugged. ‘The law must be upheld Mr Holmes, the law must be upheld.’
Holmes nodded grimly, saying, ‘You are right Inspector. But I cannot help thinking that a thirty seven inch man, having avenged himself, hardly constitutes a danger to the rest of the population.’
*
Kurt Schmidtt was a remarkable man. Not only was he a mere three foot and one inch tall, but he was probably the smallest man to be tried in England for the crime of murder, and certainly the smallest to be hung.
Some weeks later a package arrived at the Baker Street rooms, addressed in perfect copperplate to ‘Sherlock Holmes, Esq.’ We did not play our usual game but rather hastily the detective removed the wrappings with an impatience that said to me, ‘Watson… no deductions… by request’ just as surely as if he had spoken. A framed print of the Egyptian Hall edifice as it had been perhaps some fifty years earlier was revealed. An enclosed card bore the penned message, ‘With the Compliments and thanks of Maskelyne and Devant.’ Holmes said, ‘From the latter rather than the former I fancy. Maskelyne is a gentleman who has strayed upon the stage and in his heart abhors sensational publicity. Devant is a theatrical who has strayed into society and adores it!’
Holmes was correct of course and not long afterwards I received a letter from the elder Maskelyne, informing me that he would deem it a personal favour if I would refrain from including the details of our Egyptian Hall adventure in my series of ‘The Strand’ magazine narratives. He wrote, ‘Of course the more sensational journalists have had a field day already. But I implore you not to bring the matter back to the public mind through one of your pieces.’
I could only agree to refrain from using that which would have made such an excellent exploit or adventure. However, now that some thirty years have passed, I see no reason to keep the facts from my readers any longer. J.N. Maskelyne died in 1917 and Devant is a helpless cripple in a bathchair. The Egyptian Hall has long been demolished and as for my friend Mr Sherlock Holmes, some time ago he exchanged his silk hat and morning-dress for a panama and an alpaca jacket, and tends his bees on the Sussex Downs.
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