The Sign of the Four Part 1 (2/2)
”Ah, that is good luck I could only say as the balance of probability I did not at all expect to be so accurate”
”But it was not uess It is a shocking habit,--destructive to the logical faculty What seee to you is only so because you do not follow e inferencesthat your brother was careless When you observe the lower part of that watch-case you notice that it is not only dinted in two places, but it is cut andother hard objects, such as coins or keys, in the sareat feat to assuuinea watch so cavalierly must be a careless man Neither is it a very far-fetched inference that a man who inherits one article of such value is pretty well provided for in other respects”
I nodded, to show that I followed his reasoning
”It is very custoland, when they take a watch, to scratch the number of the ticket with a pin-point upon the inside of the case It is more handy than a label, as there is no risk of the nu lost or transposed There are no less than four such numbers visible to my lens on the inside of this case Inference,--that your brother was often at loater Secondary inference,--that he had occasional bursts of prosperity, or he could not have redeee Finally, I ask you to look at the inner plate, which contains the key-hole Look at the thousands of scratches all round the hole,--marks where the key has slipped What sober rooves? But you will never see a drunkard's watch without theht, and he leaves these traces of his unsteady hand Where is the ht,” I answered ”I regret the injustice which I did you I should have had more faith in your marvellous faculty May I ask whether you have any professional inquiry on foot at present?”
”None Hence the cocaine I cannot live without brain-work What else is there to live for? Stand at thehere Was ever such a dreary, dis swirls down the street and drifts across the dun-colored houses What could be more hopelessly prosaic andpowers, doctor, when one has no field upon which to exert them? Crime is commonplace, existence is commonplace, and no qualities save those which are commonplace have any function upon earth”
I had opened my mouth to reply to this tirade, ith a crisp knock our landlady entered, bearing a card upon the brass salver
”A young lady for you, sir,” she said, addressing my companion
”Miss Mary Morstan,” he read ”Hu lady to step up, Mrs Hudson Don't go, doctor I should prefer that you remain”
Chapter II
The Statement of the Case
Miss Morstan entered the room with a firm step and an outward co lady, sloved, and dressed in the most perfect taste There was, however, a plainness and siestion of lie, untrimmed and unbraided, and she wore a small turban of the same dull hue, relieved only by a suspicion of white feather in the side Her face had neither regularity of feature nor beauty of complexion, but her expression eet and aularly spiritual and sympathetic In an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents, I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature I could not but observe that as she took the seat which Sherlock Holmes placed for her, her lip tren of intense inward agitation
”I have come to you, Mr Holmes,” she said, ”because you once enabled my employer, Mrs Cecil Forrester, to unravel a little domestic complication She was much impressed by your kindness and skill”
”Mrs Cecil Forrester,” he repeated thoughtfully ”I believe that I was of soht service to her The case, however, as I remember it, was a very simple one”
”She did not think so But at least you cannot say the sae, more utterly inexplicable, than the situation in which I find listened He leaned forward in his chair with an expression of extraordinary concentration upon his clear-cut, hawklike features ”State your case,” said he, in brisk, business tones
I felt thatone ”You will, I a froloved hand to detain h to stop, he ht be of inestimable service to me”
I relapsed into my chair
”Briefly,” she continued, ”the facts are these My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child My land I was placed, however, in a coh, and there I ree In the year 1878 iraphed to me from London that he had arrived all safe, and directed hae, as I re London I drove to the Langha there, but that he had gone out the night before and had not yet returned I waited all day without news of hier of the hotel, I co we advertised in all the papers Our inquiries led to no result; and from that day to this no word has ever been heard of my unfortunate father He came home with his heart full of hope, to find some peace, some comfort, and instead--” She put her hand to her throat, and a choking sob cut short the sentence
”The date?” asked Hol his note-book
”He disappeared upon the 3d of Decee?”
”Reest a clue,--some clothes, some books, and a considerable number of curiosities from the Andae of the convict-guard there”
”Had he any friends in town?”
”Only one that we know of,--Major Sholto, of his own regiment, the 34th Bombay Infantry The major had retired some little time before, and lived at Upper Norwood We communicated with him, of course, but he did not even know that his brother officer was in England”
”A singular case,” remarked Holular part About six years ago--to be exact, upon the 4th of May, 1882--an advertise for the address of Miss Mary Morstan and stating that it would be to her advantage to come forward There was no name or address appended I had at that time just entered the faoverness By her advice I published my address in the advertiseh the post a small card-board box addressed to e and lustrous pearl No word of writing was enclosed Since then every year upon the sa a similar pearl, without any clue as to the sender They have been pronounced by an expert to be of a rare variety and of considerable value You can see for yourselves that they are very handsome” She opened a flat box as she spoke, and showed me six of the finest pearls that I had ever seen
”Your state else occurred to you?”
”Yes, and no later than to-day That is why I have co I received this letter, which you will perhaps read for yourself”
”Thank you,” said Holmes ”The envelope too, please Postmark, London, SW Date, July 7 Hum! Man's thumb-mark on corner,--probably postman Best quality paper Envelopes at sixpence a packet Particular man in his stationery No address 'Be at the third pillar froht at seven o'clock If you are distrustful, bring two friends You are a wronged wo police If you do, all will be in vain Your unknown friend' Well, really, this is a very pretty little mystery What do you intend to do, Miss Morstan?”
”That is exactly what I want to ask you”
”Then we shall o You and I and--yes, why, Dr Watson is the very man Your correspondent says two friends He and I have worked together before”
”But would he co in her voice and expression
”I should be proud and happy,” said I, fervently, ”if I can be of any service”
”You are both very kind,” she answered ”I have led a retired life, and have no friends whom I could appeal to If I am here at six it will do, I suppose?”
”You must not be later,” said Hol the same as that upon the pearl-box addresses?”
”I have the half a dozen pieces of paper
”You are certainly a model client You have the correct intuition Let us see, now” He spread out the papers upon the table, and gave little darting glances frouised hands, except the letter,” he said, presently, ”but there can be no question as to the authorshi+p See how the irrepressible Greek e will break out, and see the twirl of the final s They are undoubtedly by the saest false hopes, Miss Morstan, but is there any resemblance between this hand and that of your father?”
”Nothing could be more unlike”
”I expected to hear you say so We shall look out for you, then, at six Pray allow me to keep the papers I may look into the matter before then It is only half-past three Au revoir, then”
”Au revoir,” said our visitor, and, with a bright, kindly glance from one to the other of us, she replaced her pearl-box in her boso at the atched her walking briskly down the street, until the gray turban and white feather were but a speck in the sombre crowd
”What a very attractive wo toback with drooping eyelids ”Is she?” he said, languidly ”I did not observe”