my position, Mr. Holmes! What was I to do?"
"Take your husband into your confidence."
"I could not, Mr. Holmes, I could not! On the one side seemed
certain ruin; on the other, terrible as it seemed to take my
husband's paper, still in a matter of politics I could not
understand the consequences, while in a matter of love and trust
they were only too clear to me. I did it, Mr. Holmes! I took an
impression of his key; this man Lucas furnished a duplicate. I
opened his despatch-box, took the paper, and conveyed it to
Godolphin Street."
"What happened there, madam?"
"I tapped at the door as agreed. Lucas opened it. I followed him
into his room, leaving the hall door ajar behind me, for I feared
to be alone with the man. I remember that there was a woman
outside as I entered. Our business was soon done. He had my
letter on his desk; I handed him the document. He gave me the
letter. At this instant there was a sound at the door. There
were steps in the passage. Lucas quickly turned back the drugget,
thrust the document into some hiding-place there, and covered it
over.
"What happened after that is like some fearful dream. I have a
vision of a dark, frantic face, of a woman's voice, which screamed
in French, 'My waiting is not in vain. At last, at last I have
found you with her!' There was a savage struggle. I saw him with
a chair in his hand, a knife gleamed in hers. I rushed from the
horrible scene, ran from the house, and only next morning in the
paper did I learn the dreadful result. That night I was happy,
for I had my letter, and I had not seen yet what the future would
bring.
"It was next morning that I realized that I had only exchanged one
trouble for another. My husband's anguish at the loss of his
paper went to my heart. I could hardly prevent myself from there
and then kneeling down at his feet and telling him what I had
done. But that again would mean a confession of the past. I came
to you that morning in order to understand the full enormity of my
offence. From the instant that I grasped it my whole mind was
turned to the one thought of getting back my husband's paper. It
must still be where Lucas had placed it, for it was concealed
before this dreadful woman entered the room. If it had not been
for her coming, I should not have known where his hiding-place
was. How was I to get into the room? For two days I watched the
place, but the door was never left open. Last night I made a last
attempt. What I did and how I succeeded, you have already
learned. I brought the paper back with me, and thought of
destroying it since I could see no way of returning it, without
confessing my guilt to my husband. Heavens, I hear his step upon
the stair!"
The European Secretary burst excitedly into the room.
"Any news, Mr. Holmes, any news?" he cried.
"I have some hopes."
"Ah, thank Heaven!" His face became radiant. "The Prime Minister
is lunching with me. May he share your hopes? He has nerves of
steel, and yet I know that he has hardly slept since this terrible
event. Jacobs, will you ask the Prime Minister to come up? As to
you, dear, I fear that this is a matter of politics. We will join
you in a few minutes in the dining-room."
The Prime Minister's manner was subdued, but I could see by the
gleam of his eyes and the twitchings of his bony hands that he
shared the excitement of his young colleague.
"I understand that you have something to report, Mr. Holmes?"
"Purely negative as yet," my friend answered. "I have inquired at
every point where it might be, and I am sure that there is no
danger to be apprehended."
"But that is not enough, Mr. Holmes. We cannot live for ever on
such a volcano. We must have something definite."
"I am in hopes of getting it. That is why I am here. The more I
think of the matter the more convinced I am that the letter has
never left this house."
"Mr. Holmes!"
"If it had it would certainly have been public by now."
"But why should anyone take it in order to keep it in this house?"
"I am not convinced that anyone did take it."
"Then how could it leave the despatch-box?"
"I am not convinced that it ever did leave the despatch-box."
"Mr. Holmes, this joking is very ill-timed. You have my assurance
that it left the box."
"Have you examined the box since Tuesday morning?"
"No; it was not necessary."
"You may conceivably have overlooked it."
"Impossible, I say."
"But I am not convinced of it; I have known such things to happen.
I presume there are other papers there. Well, it may have got
mixed with them."
"It was on the top."
"Someone may have shaken the box and displaced it."
"No, no; I had everything out."
"Surely it is easily decided, Hope," said the Premier. "Let us
have the despatch-box brought in."
The Secretary rang the bell.
"Jacobs, bring down my despatch-box. This is a farcical waste of
time, but still, if nothing else will satisfy you, it shall be
done. Thank you, Jacobs; put it here. I have always had the key
on my watch-chain. Here are the papers, you see. Letter from
Lord Merrow, report from Sir Charles Hardy, memorandum from
Belgrade, note on the Russo-German grain taxes, letter from
Madrid, note from Lord Flowers -- good heavens! what is this?
Lord Bellinger! Lord Bellinger!"
The Premier snatched the blue envelope from his hand.
"Yes, it is it -- and the letter is intact. Hope, I congratulate
you."
"Thank you! Thank you! What a weight from my heart. But this is
inconceivable -- impossible. Mr. Holmes, you are a wizard, a
sorcerer! How did you know it was there?"
"Because I knew it was nowhere else."
"I cannot believe my eyes!" He ran wildly to the door. "Where is
my wife? I must tell her that all is well. Hilda! Hilda!" we
heard his voice on the stairs.
The Premier looked at Holmes with twinkling eyes.
"Come, sir," said he. "There is more in this than meets the eye.
How came the letter back in the box?"
Holmes turned away smiling from the keen scrutiny of those
wonderful eyes.
"We also have our diplomatic secrets," said he, and picking up his
hat he turned to the door.
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{------------------- Textual Notes -----------------------------}
{1} {"manoeuvred": the o&e are ligatured}
{----------------- End Textual Notes ---------------------------}
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End of Project Gutenberg etext of "The Return of Sherlock Holmes"
[Magazine Edition]
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Arthur Conan Doyle, The Return of Sherlock Holmes
(Series: Sherlock Holmes # 6)
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