The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Part 22 (2/2)
”I came to find a friend”
”And I to find an enemy”
”An enemy?”
”Yes; one of my natural enemies, or, shall I say, my natural prey Briefly, Watson, I am in the midst of a very remarkable inquiry, and I have hoped to find a clue in the incoherent ras of these sots, as I have done before now Had I been recognised in that den my life would not have been worth an hour's purchase; for I have used it before now for my own purposes, and the rascally Lascar who runs it has sworn to have vengeance upon , near the corner of Paul's Wharf, which could tell soh it upon the hts”
”What! You do not mean bodies?”
”Ay, bodies, Watson We should be rich men if we had 1000 pounds for every poor devil who has been done to death in that den It is the vilest murder-trap on the whole riverside, and I fear that Neville St Clair has entered it never to leave it ers between his teeth and whistled shrilly--a signal which was answered by a similar whistle from the distance, followed shortly by the rattle of wheels and the clink of horses' hoofs
”Now, Watson,” said Hol out two golden tunnels of yellow light from its side lanterns ”You'll come with me, won't you?”
”If I can be of use”
”Oh, a trusty comrade is always of use; and a chronicler still more so My room at The Cedars is a double-bedded one”
”The Cedars?”
”Yes; that is Mr St Clair's house I a there while I conduct the inquiry”
”Where is it, then?”
”Near Lee, in Kent We have a seven-mile drive before us”
”But I am all in the dark”
”Of course you are You'll know all about it presently Juht, John; we shall not need you Here's half a crown Look out for , then!”
He flicked the horse with his whip, and we dashed away through the endless succession of soradually, until ere flying across a broad balustraded bridge, with the ishly beneath us Beyond lay another dull wilderness of bricks and ular footfall of the polices and shouts of so slowly across the sky, and a star or tinkled dih the rifts of the clouds Holmes drove in silence, with his head sunk upon his breast, and the air of a ht, while I sat beside hiht be which seemed to tax his powers so sorely, and yet afraid to break in upon the current of his thoughts We had driven several e of the belt of suburban villas, when he shook hied his shoulders, and lit up his pipe with the air of afor the best
”You have a grand gift of silence, Watson,” said he ”It makes you quite invaluable as a co for hts are not over-pleasant I ondering what I should say to this dear little woet that I know nothing about it”
”I shall just have tiet to Lee It seeo upon There's plenty of thread, no doubt, but I can't get the end of it into my hand Now, I'll state the case clearly and concisely to you, Watson, and maybe you can see a spark where all is dark to o--to be definite, in May, 1884--there caentleman, Neville St Clair by nae villa, laid out the grounds very nicely, and lived generally in good style By degrees he hbourhood, and in 1887 he hter of a local brewer, by whom he now has two children He had no occupation, but was interested in several co by the 5:14 froht Mr St Clair is now thirty-seven years of age, is a ood husband, a very affectionate father, and a man who is popular with all who know him I may add that his whole debts at the present moment, as far as we have been able to ascertain, a to his credit in the Capital and Counties Bank There is no reason, therefore, to think thatupon his mind
”Last Monday Mr Neville St Clair went into town rather earlier than usual, re before he started that he had two i his little boy home a box of bricks Now, by the ram upon this same Monday, very shortly after his departure, to the effect that a s aiting for her at the offices of the Aberdeen shi+pping Company Now, if you are well up in your London, you will know that the office of the company is in Fresno Street, which branches out of Upper Swandaht Mrs St Clair had her lunch, started for the City, did soot her packet, and found herself at exactly 4:35 walking through Swandam Lane on her way back to the station Have you followed me so far?”
”It is very clear”
”If you rely hot day, and Mrs St
Clair walked slowly, glancing about in the hope of seeing a cab, as she did not like the neighbourhood in which she found herself