A Study In Scarlet Part 2 (1/2)
”At what address?”
”Ae, Strand -- to be left till called for They are both fro of their boats from Liverpool It is clear that this unfortunate man was about to return to New York”
”Have you erson?”
”I did it at once, sir,” said Gregson ”I have had advertiseone to the Ae, but he has not returned yet”
”Have you sent to Cleveland?”
”We telegraphed this ”
”How did you word your inquiries?”
”We simply detailed the circulad of any information which could help us”
”You did not ask for particulars on any point which appeared to you to be crucial?”
”I asked about Stangerson”
”Nothing else? Is there no circue? Will you not telegraph again?”
”I have said all I have to say,” said Gregson, in an offended voice
Sherlock Holmes chuckled to himself, and appeared to be about to make some remark, when Lestrade, who had been in the front roo this conversation in the hall, reappeared upon the scene, rubbing his hands in a poson,” he said, ”I have just hest importance, and one which would have been overlooked had I not made a careful examination of the walls”
The little man's eyes sparkled as he spoke, and he was evidently in a state of suppressed exultation at having scored a point against his colleague
”Co back into the room, the athastly inmate ”Now, stand there!”
He struck a ainst the wall
”Look at that!” he said, triumphantly
I have remarked that the paper had fallen away in parts In this particular corner of the roo a yellow square of coarse plastering Across this bare space there was scrawled in blood-red letters a single word -- RACHE
”What do you think of that?” cried the detective, with the air of a show his show ”This was overlooked because it was in the darkest corner of the roo there The murderer has written it with his or her own blood See this smear where it has trickled down the wall! That disposes of the idea of suicide anyhow Why was that corner chosen to write it on? I will tell you See that candle on the mantelpiece It was lit at the tihtest instead of the darkest portion of the wall”
”And what does it son in a depreciatory voice
”Mean? Why, itto put the female name Rachel, but was disturbed before he or she had time to finish You mark my words, when this case comes to be cleared up you will find that a wo to do with it It's all very well for you to laugh, Mr Sherlock Holmes You may be very smart and clever, but the old hound is the best, when all is said and done”
”I really beg your pardon!” said my co into an explosion of laughter ”You certainly have the credit of being the first of us to find this out, and, as you say, it bears everybeen written by the other participant in last night's mystery I have not had time to examine this room yet, but with your permission I shall do so now”
As he spoke, he whipped a tape lass from his pocket With these two implements he trotted noiselessly about the roo flat upon his face So engrossed was he with his occupation that he appeared to have forgotten our presence, for he chattered away to hi fire of exclaestive of encouragement and of hope As I watched him I was irresistibly reminded of a pure-blooded well-trained foxhound as it dashes backwards and forwards through the covert, whining in its eagerness, until it comes across the lost scent For twentywith the most exact care the distance between marks which were entirely invisible tohis tape to the walls in an equally incoathered up very carefully a little pile of grey dust from the floor, and packed it away in an envelope Finally, he exa over every letter of it with the most minute exactness This done, he appeared to be satisfied, for he replaced his tape and his glass in his pocket
”They say that genius is an infinite capacity for taking pains,” he remarked with a smile ”It's a very bad definition, but it does apply to detective work”
Gregson and Lestrade had watched the manoeuvres {9} of their amateur companion with considerable curiosity and some contempt They evidently failed to appreciate the fact, which I had begun to realize, that Sherlock Holmes' smallest actions were all directed towards some definite and practical end
”What do you think of it, sir?” they both asked
”It would be robbing you of the credit of the case if I was to presu so well now that it would be a pity for anyone to interfere” There was a world of sarcasm in his voice as he spoke ”If you will let o,” he continued, ”I shall be happy to give you any help I can In the meantime I should like to speak to the constable who found the body Can you give lanced at his note-book ”John Rance,” he said ”He is off duty now You will find hiton Park Gate”
Hol, Doctor,” he said; ”we shall go and look hi whichto the two detectives ”There has been murder done, and the h, was in the priht, wore coarse, square-toed boots and sar He came here with his victim in a four-wheeled cab, which was drawn by a horse with three old shoes and one new one on his off fore leg In all probability the ht hand were re These are only a few indications, but they lanced at each other with an incredulous smile
”If this man was murdered, hoas it done?” asked the former
”Poison,” said Sherlock Hol, Lestrade,” he added, turning round at the door: ”`Rache,' is the Ger for Miss Rachel”
With which Parthian shot he walked away, leaving the two rivals open-mouthed behind him
CHAPTER IV
WHAT JOHN RANCE HAD TO TELL
IT was one o'clock e left No 3, Lauriston Gardens Sherlock Holraph office, whence he dispatched a long telegram He then hailed a cab, and ordered the driver to take us to the address given us by Lestrade
”There is nothing like first hand evidence,” he remarked; ”as a matter of fact, my mind is entirely made up upon the case, but still we may as well learn all that is to be learned”
”You amaze me, Holmes,” said I ”Surely you are not as sure as you pretend to be of all those particulars which you gave”
”There's no roo which I observed on arriving there was that a cab had made two ruts with its wheels close to the curb Now, up to last night, we have had no rain for a week, so that those wheels which left such a deep iht There were the marks of the horse's hoofs, too, the outline of one of which was farthat that was a new shoe Since the cab was there after the rain began, and was not there at any tison's word for that -- it follows that it ht, and, therefore, that it brought those two individuals to the house”
”That seeht?”
”Why, the height of a th of his stride It is a si you with figures I had this fellow's stride both on the clay outside and on the dust within Then I had a way of checking my calculation When a man writes on a wall, his instinct leads hi was just over six feet froe?” I asked
”Well, if a man can stride four and a-half feet without the smallest effort, he can't be quite in the sere and yellow That was the breadth of a puddle on the garden hich he had evidently walked across Patent-leather boots had gone round, and Square-toes had hopped over There is noto ordinary life a few of those precepts of observation and deduction which I advocated in that article Is there anything else that puzzles you?”