The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Part 45 (1/2)
”Ah, Watson,” said Holracious either, if, after all the trouble of wooing and wedding, you found yourself deprived in an instant of wife and of fortune I think that we e Lord St Simon very mercifully and thank our stars that we are never likely to find ourselves in the same position Draw your chair up and hand me my violin, for the only problem we have still to solve is hohile away these bleak autus”
XI THE ADVENTURE OF THE BERYL CORONET
”Hol down the street, ”here is aIt seems rather sad that his relatives should allow him to come out alone”
My friend rose lazily from his ar-gown, looking over , and the snow of the day before still lay deep upon the ground, shi+htly in the wintry sun Down the centre of Baker Street it had been ploughed into a brown crumbly band by the traffic, but at either side and on the heaped-up edges of the foot-paths it still lay as white as when it fell The grey paveerously slippery, so that there were fewer passengers than usual Indeed, fro save the single gentleman whose eccentric conduct had drawn my attention
He was a , with a ure He was dressed in a so hat, neat brown gaiters, and well-cut pearl-grey trousers Yet his actions were in absurd contrast to the dignity of his dress and features, for he was running hard, with occasional little springs, such as a weary s As he ran he jerked his hands up and doaggled his head, and writhed his face into the most extraordinary contortions
”What on earth can be theup at the nu here,” said Hol his hands
”Here?”
”Yes; I rather think he is conise the sy and blowing, rushed at our door and pulled at our bell until the whole house resounded with the clanging
A few esticulating, but with so fixed a look of grief and despair in his eyes that our smiles were turned in an instant to horror and pity For a while he could not get his words out, but swayed his body and plucked at his hair like one who has been driven to the extre to his feet, he beat his head against the ith such force that we both rushed upon him and tore him away to the centre of the room
Sherlock Hol beside hi tones which he kneell how to employ
”You have come to me to tell your story, have you not?” said he
”You are fatigued with your haste Pray wait until you have recovered yourself, and then I shall be most happy to look into any little problem which you may submit tochest, fighting against his emotion Then he passed his handkerchief over his brow, set his lips tight, and turned his face towards us
”No doubt you think reat trouble,” responded Holh to unseat race I h I am a man whose character has never yet borne a stain Private affliction also is the lot of every htful a forh to shake my very soul Besides, it is not I alone
The very noblest in the land may suffer unless some way be found out of this horrible affair”
”Pray compose yourself, sir,” said Holmes, ”and let me have a clear account of who you are and what it is that has befallen you”
”My name,” answered our visitor, ”is probably fa firm of Holder & Stevenson, of Threadneedle Street”
The na to the senior partner in the second largest private banking concern in the City of London What could have happened, then, to bring one of the foremost citizens of London to this most pitiable pass? We waited, all curiosity, until with another effort he braced himself to tell his story
”I feel that time is of value,” said he; ”that is why I hastened here when the police inspector suggested that I should secure your co-operation I caround and hurried froh this snow That is why I was so out of breath, for I am a man who takes very little exercise I feel better now, and I will put the facts before you as shortly and yet as clearly as I can
”It is, of course, well known to you that in a successful banking business asable to find re our connection and the number of our depositors One of ourout money is in the shape of loans, where the security is uni the last few years, and there are e sums upon the security of their pictures, libraries, or plate
”YesterdayI was seated in ht in to me by one of the clerks I started when I saw the name, for it was that of none other than--well, perhaps even to you I had better say no more than that it was a name which is a household word all over the earth--one of the highest, noblest, land I was overwhelmed by the honour and atteed at once into business with the air of a reeable task
”'Mr Holder,' said he, 'I have been infor ood' I answered
”'It is absolutely essential to me,' said he, 'that I should have 50,000 pounds at once I could, of course, borrow so trifling a sum ten times over from my friends, but I much prefer to make it a matter of business and to carry out that business myself In my position you can readily understand that it is unwise to place one's self under obligations'