A Study In Scarlet Part 4 (1/2)
”Smart -- very smart!” murmured Sherlock Holmes
”I next called upon Madame Charpentier,” continued the detective ”I found her very pale and distressed Her daughter was in the roo red about the eyes and her lips trean to s, Mr Sherlock Holht scent -- a kind of thrill in your nerves `Have you heard of the mysterious death of your late boarder Mr Enoch J Drebber, of Cleveland?' I asked
”The et out a word The daughter burst into tears I feltof the matter
”`At what o'clock did Mr Drebber leave your house for the train?' I asked
”`At eight o'clock,' she said, gulping in her throat to keep down her agitation `His secretary, Mr Stangerson, said that there were two trains -- one at 915 and one at 11 He was to catch the first {14} ”`And was that the last which you saw of hie came over the woman's face as I asked the question Her features turned perfectly livid It was sole word `Yes' -- and when it did come it was in a husky unnatural tone
”There was silence for a hter spoke in a calood can ever come of falsehood, entleive you!' cried Mada back in her chair `You have murdered your brother'
”`Arthur would rather that we spoke the truth,' the girl answered firmly
”`You had best tell me all about it now,' I said `Half-confidences are worse than none Besides, you do not kno much we know of it'
”`On your head be it, Alice!' cried herto itation on behalf of my son arises from any fear lest he should have had a hand in this terrible affair He is utterly innocent of it My dread is, however, that in your eyes and in the eyes of others he may appear to be coh character, his profession, his antecedents would all forbid it'
”`Your best way is to make a clean breast of the facts,' I answered `Depend upon it, if your son is innocent he will be none the worse'
”`Perhaps, Alice, you had better leave us together,' she said, and her daughter withdrew `Now, sir,' she continued, `I had no intention of telling you all this, but since hter has disclosed it I have no alternative Having once decided to speak, I will tell you all without o any particular'
”`It is your wisest course,' said I
”`Mr Drebber has been with us nearly three weeks He and his secretary, Mr Stangerson, had been travelling on the Continent I noticed a ”Copenhagen” label upon each of their trunks, showing that that had been their last stopping place Stangerson was a quiet reserved man, but his employer, I am sorry to say, was far otherwise He was coarse in his habits and brutish in his ways The very night of his arrival he became very much the worse for drink, and, indeed, after twelve o'clock in the day he could hardly ever be said to be sober His ly free and familiar Worst of all, he speedily assuhter, Alice, and spoke to her more than once in a hich, fortunately, she is too innocent to understand On one occasion he actually seized her in his are which caused his own secretary to reproach him for his unmanly conduct'
”`But why did you stand all this,' I asked `I suppose that you can get rid of your boarders when you wish'
”Mrs Charpentier blushed at iven him notice on the very day that he ca a pound a day each -- fourteen pounds a week, and this is the slack season I aed to lose the money I acted for the best This last was too ave him notice to leave on account of it That was the reason of his going'
”`Well?'
”`My heart grew light when I saw him drive away My son is on leave just now, but I did not tell hi of all this, for his temper is violent, and he is passionately fond of his sister When I closed the door behind them a load seemed to be lifted fro at the bell, and I learned that Mr Drebber had returned He was much excited, and evidently the worse for drink He forced his way into the roohter, andmissed his train He then turned to Alice, and before my very face, proposed to her that she should fly with hie,” he said, ”and there is no law to stop you I have irl here, but coht away You shall live like a princess” Poor Alice was so frightened that she shrunk away froht her by the wrist and endeavoured to draw her towards the door I screamed, and at that moment my son Arthur came into the room What happened then I do not know I heard oaths and the confused sounds of a scuffle I was too terrified to raisein the doorway laughing, with a stick in his hand ”I don't think that fine felloill trouble us again,” he said ”I will just go after him and see what he does with himself” With those words he took his hat and started off down the street The nextwe heard of Mr Drebber's mysterious death'
”This stateasps and pauses At times she spoke so low that I could hardly catch the words I made shorthand notes of all that she said, however, so that there should be no possibility of a ,” said Sherlock Holmes, with a yawn ”What happened next?”
”When Mrs Charpentier paused,” the detective continued, ”I saw that the whole case hung upon one point Fixing her with my eye in a hich I always found effective omen, I asked her at what hour her son returned
”`I do not know,' she answered
”`Not know?'
”`No; he has a latch-key, and he let himself in'
”`After you went to bed?'
”`Yes'
”`When did you go to bed?'
”`About eleven'
”`So your son was gone at least two hours?'
”`Yes'
”`Possibly four or five?'
”`Yes'
”`What was he doing during that ti white to her very lips
”Of course after that there was nothing more to be done I found out where Lieutenant Charpentier was, took two officers with me, and arrested him When I touched him on the shoulder and warned him to come quietly with us, he answered us as bold as brass, `I suppose you are arrestingconcerned in the death of that scoundrel Drebber,' he said We had said nothing to hi to it had a most suspicious aspect”
”Very,” said Holmes
”He still carried the heavy stick which thewith hiel”
”What is your theory, then?”
”Well, my theory is that he followed Drebber as far as the Brixton Road When there, a fresh altercation arose between them, in the course of which Drebber received a blow from the stick, in the pit of the sto any ht was so wet that no one was about, so Charpentier dragged the body of his victim into the e on the wall, and the ring, theyscent”
”Well done!” said Hol along We shallof you yet”
”I flatter ed it rather neatly,” the detective answered proudly ”The young man volunteered a state Drebber some tiet away from hi ith hi asked where this old shi+pive any satisfactory reply I think the whole case fits together uncommonly well What amusesscent I am afraid he won't make much of {15} Why, by Jove, here's the very man himself!”
It was indeed Lestrade, who had ascended the stairs while ere talking, and who now entered the rooenerallyHis face was disturbed and troubled, while his clothes were disarranged and untidy He had evidently co with Sherlock Holue he appeared to be embarrassed and put out He stood in the centre of the roo nervously with his hat and uncertain what to do ”This is a most extraordinary case,” he said at last -- ”a most incomprehensible affair”
”Ah, you find it so, Mr Lestrade!” cried Gregson, triuht you would coed to find the Secretary, Mr Joseph Stangerson?”
”The Secretary, Mr Joseph Stangerson,” said Lestrade gravely, ”was murdered at Halliday's Private Hotel about six o'clock this ”