The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Part 24 (1/2)
”Then perhaps, Mr Holh to explain how it is that I have received a letter fro out of his chair as if he had been galvanised
”What!” he roared
”Yes, to-day” She stood s up a little slip of paper in the air
”May I see it?”
”Certainly”
He snatched it fro it out upon the table he drew over the laazing at it over his shoulder The envelope was a very coarse one and was stamped with the Gravesend postmark and with the date of that very day, or rather of the day before, for it was considerably after ,” , madam”
”No, but the enclosure is”
”I perceive also that whoever addressed the envelope had to go and inquire as to the address”
”How can you tell that?”
”The name, you see, is in perfectly black ink, which has dried itself The rest is of the greyish colour, which shows that blotting-paper has been used If it had been written straight off, and then blotted, none would be of a deep black shade This man has written the name, and there has then been a pause before he wrote the address, which can only mean that he was not familiar with it It is, of course, a trifle, but there is nothing so important as trifles Let us now see the letter Ha!
there has been an enclosure here!”
”Yes, there was a ring His signet-ring”
”And you are sure that this is your husband's hand?”
”One of his hands”
”One?”
”His hand when he wrote hurriedly It is very unlike his usual writing, and yet I knoell”
”'Dearest do not be frightened All will coe error which it may take some little time to rectify
Wait in patience--NEVILLE' Written in pencil upon the fly-leaf of a book, octavo size, no water-mark Hum! Posted to-day in Gravesend by a ummed, if I a tobacco And you have no doubt that it is your husband's hand, madam?”
”None Neville wrote those words”
”And they were posted to-day at Gravesend Well, Mrs St Clair, the clouds lighten, though I should not venture to say that the danger is over”
”But he must be alive, Mr Holery to put us on the wrong scent
The ring, after all, proves nothing It may have been taken fro!”