The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Part 38 (1/2)
”'Then we can hardly get there before ht I suppose there would be no chance of a train back I should be coive you a shake-down'
”'That is very aard Could I not coed it best that you should come late It is to reco to you, a young and unknown man, a fee which would buy an opinion from the very heads of your profession Still, of course, if you would like to draw out of the business, there is plenty of tiuineas, and of how very useful they would be to me 'Not at all,' said I, 'I shall be very happy to accommodate myself to your wishes I should like, however, to understand a little more clearly what it is that you wish e of secrecy which we have exacted from you should have aroused your curiosity I have no wish to co it all laid before you I suppose that we are absolutely safe from eavesdroppers?'
”'Entirely'
”'Then the matter stands thus You are probably aware that fuller's-earth is a valuable product, and that it is only found in one or two places in England?'
”'I have heard so'
”'Soht a s I was fortunate enough to discover that there was a deposit of fuller's-earth in one ofit, however, I found that this deposit was a comparatively ser ones upon the right and left--both of theood people were absolutely ignorant that their land contained that which was quite as valuable as a gold-mine Naturally, it was to my interest to buy their land before they discovered its true value, but unfortunately I had no capital by which I could do this I took a few of ested that we should quietly and secretly work our own little deposit and that in this e should earn thefields This we have now been doing for some time, and in order to help us in our operations we erected a hydraulic press This press, as I have already explained, has got out of order, and ish your advice upon the subject We guard our secret very jealously, however, and if it once beca to our little house, it would soon rouse inquiry, and then, if the facts ca these fields and carrying out our plans That is why I havethat you are going to Eyford to-night I hope that I make it all plain?'
”'I quite follow you,' said I 'The only point which I could not quite understand hat use you couldfuller's-earth, which, as I understand, is dug out like gravel from a pit'
”'Ah!' said he carelessly, 'we have our own process We compress the earth into bricks, so as to re what they are But that is a mere detail I have taken you fully into my confidence now, Mr Hatherley, and I have shown you how I trust you' He rose as he spoke 'I shall expect you, then, at Eyford at 11:15'
”'I shall certainly be there'
”'And not a word to a soul' He looked atrasp, he hurried from the room
”Well, when I came to think it all over in cool blood I was very much astonished, as you may both think, at this sudden commission which had been intrusted to lad, for the fee was at least tenfold what I should have asked had I set a price upon ht lead to other ones On the other hand, the face and manner of my patron had made an unpleasant impression upon me, and I could not think that his explanation of the fuller's-earth was sufficient to explain the necessity for ht, and his extreme anxiety lest I should tell anyone of my errand However, I threw all fears to the winds, ate a hearty supper, drove to Paddington, and started off, having obeyed to the letter the injunction as to holding e not only e but my station
However, I was in time for the last train to Eyford, and I reached the little dier who got out there, and there was no one upon the platforle sleepy porter with a lantern As I passed out through the wicket gate, however, I foundin the shadow upon the other side Without a word he grasped e, the door of which was standing open He drew up the s on either side, tapped on the ork, and aent as fast as the horse could go”
”One horse?” interjected Holmes
”Yes, only one”
”Did you observe the colour?”
”Yes, I saw it by the side-lights when I was stepping into the carriage It was a chestnut”
”Tired-looking or fresh?”
”Oh, fresh and glossy”
”Thank you I am sorry to have interrupted you Pray continue yourstatement”
”Aent then, and we drove for at least an hour Colonel Lysander Stark had said that it was only seven o, and from the time that we took, that it must have been nearer twelve He sat at my side in silence all the tilanced in his direction, that he was looking at reat intensity The country roads seeood in that part of the world, for we lurched and jolted terribly I tried to look out of the s to see solass, and I could ht blur of a passing light Now and then I hazarded some remark to break the monotony of the journey, but the colonel answered only in ed At last, however, the bued for the crisp se ca out, and, as I followed after hiaped in front of us We stepped, as it were, right out of the carriage and into the hall, so that I failed to catch the lance of the front of the house The instant that I had crossed the threshold the door slammed heavily behind us, and I heard faintly the rattle of the wheels as the carriage drove away
”It was pitch dark inside the house, and the colonel fu under his breath
Suddenly a door opened at the other end of the passage, and a long, golden bar of light shot out in our direction It grew broader, and a woman appeared with a la her face forward and peering at us