The Valley of Fear Part 1 (2/2)
”None”
”Well, well, it is surely not quite so bad as that The cipher e 534, does it not? Wehypothesis that 534 is the particular page to which the cipher refers So our book has already becoained What other indications have we as to the nature of this large book? The next sign is C2 What do you make of that, Watson?”
”Chapter the second, no doubt”
”Hardly that, Watson You will, I aiven, the nue 534 finds us only in the second chapter, the length of the first one must have been really intolerable”
”Colu thisIf it is not coluin to visualize a large book printed in double coluth, since one of the words is numbered in the document as the two hundred and ninety-third Have we reached the limits of what reason can supply?”
”I fear that we have”
”Surely you do yourself an injustice One more coruscation, my dear Watson--yet another brain-wave! Had the volume been an unusual one, he would have sent it to me Instead of that, he had intended, before his plans were nipped, to send me the clue in this envelope He says so in his note This would seeht I would have no difficulty in finding for ined that I would have it, too In short, Watson, it is a very common book”
”What you say certainly sounds plausible”
”So we have contracted our field of search to a large book, printed in double columns and in common use”
”The Bible!” I cried triuood! But not, if I h! Even if I accepted the compliment for myself I could hardly name any volume which would be less likely to lie at the elbow of one of Moriarty's associates Besides, the editions of Holy Writ are so numerous that he could hardly suppose that two copies would have the saination This is clearly a book which is standardized He knows for certain that his page 534 will exactly agree with e 534”
”But very few books would correspond with that”
”Exactly Therein lies our salvation Our search is narrowed down to standardized books which anyone may be supposed to possess”
”Bradshaw!”
”There are difficulties, Watson The vocabulary of Bradshaw is nervous and terse, but limited The selection of words would hardly lend itself to the sending of general es We will eliminate Bradshaw The dictionary is, I fear, inadmissible for the same reason What then is left?”
”An almanac!”
”Excellent, Watson! I am very much mistaken if you have not touched the spot An almanac! Let us consider the claims of Whitaker's Ales It is in double coluh reserved in its earlier vocabulary, it becoarrulous towards the end” He picked the volue 534, colu, I perceive, with the trade and resources of British India Jot down the words, Watson! Number thirteen is 'Mahratta' Not, I fear, a very auspicious beginning Number one hundred and twenty-seven is 'Governh somewhat irrelevant to ourselves and Professor Moriarty Now let us try again What does the Mahratta govern's-bristles' We are undone, ood Watson! It is finished!”
He had spoken in jesting vein, but the twitching of his bushy eyebrows bespoke his disappoint into the fire A long silence was broken by a sudden exclamation froed with a second yellow-covered volu too up-to-date!” he cried ”We are before our ti the seventh of January, we have very properly laid in the new ale from the old one No doubt he would have told us so had his letter of explanation been written Now let us see what page 534 has in store for us Nu Number one hundred and twenty-seven is 'is'--'There is' ”--Hol with exciteers twitched as he counted the words--”'danger' Ha! Ha! Capital! Put that down, Watson 'There is danger--las'--'rich--country--now--at Birlstone--House--Birlstone--confidence--is--pressing' There, Watson! What do you think of pure reason and its fruit? If the green-grocer had such a thing as a laurel wreath, I should send Billy round for it”
I was staring at the strange e which I had scrawled, as he deciphered it, upon a sheet of foolscap onhis !” said I
”On the contrary, he has done quite rele colu, you can hardly expect to get everything you want You are bound to leave soence of your correspondent The purport is perfectly clear Solas, whoever he entleet to 'confident'--that it is pressing There is our result--and a very workmanlike little bit of analysis it was!”
Holmes had the impersonal joy of the true artist in his better work, even as he h level to which he aspired He was still chuckling over his success when Billy swung open the door and Inspector MacDonald of Scotland Yard was ushered into the room
Those were the early days at the end of the '80's, when Alec MacDonald was far fro attained the national fa but trusted uished himself in several cases which had been intrusted to hiave proreat cranium and deep-set, lustrous eyes spoke no less clearly of the keen intelligence which twinkled out from behind his bushy eyebrows He was a silent, precise man with a dour nature and a hard Aberdonian accent
Twice already in his career had Hol the intellectual joy of the problem For this reason the affection and respect of the Scotchue were profound, and he showed them by the frankness hich he consulted Holher than itself; but talent instantly recognizes genius, and MacDonald had talent enough for his profession to enable hi the assistance of one who already stood alone in Europe, both in his gifts and in his experience Holmes was not prone to friendshi+p, but he was tolerant of the big Scotchht of him
”You are an early bird, Mr Mac,” said he ”I wish you luck with your worm I fear this means that there is some mischief afoot”
”If you said 'hope' instead of 'fear,' it would be nearer the truth, I', Mr Holrin ”Well,chill No, I won't s on my way; for the early hours of a case are the precious ones, as no man knows better than your own self But--but--”
The inspector had stopped suddenly, and was staring with a look of absolute amazement at a paper upon the table It was the sheet upon which I had scrawled the eniglas!” he stammered ”Birlstone! What's this, Mr Holmes? Man, it's witchcraft! Where in the naet those names?”
”It is a cipher that Dr Watson and I have had occasion to solve But hat's amiss with the names?”
The inspector looked from one to the other of us in dazed astonishlas of Birlstone Manor House was horribly ht!”
Chapter 2
--Sherlock Holmes Discourses
It was one of those dramatic moments for which my friend existed It would be an overstate announceular co overstimulation Yet, if his emotions were dulled, his intellectual perceptions were exceedingly active There was no trace then of the horror which I had myself felt at this curt declaration; but his face showed rather the quiet and interested co into position from his oversaturated solution
”Remarkable!” said he ”Remarkable!”
”You don't seem surprised”
”Interested, Mr Mac, but hardly surprised Why should I be surprised? I receive an anonymous communication froer threatens a certain person Within an hour I learn that this danger has actually materialized and that the person is dead I am interested; but, as you observe, I am not surprised”
In a few short sentences he explained to the inspector the facts about the letter and the cipher MacDonald sat with his chin on his hands and his great sandy eyebrows bunched into a yellow tangle
”I was going down to Birlstone this ,” said he ”I had come to ask you if you cared to come with ht perhaps be doing better work in London”
”I rather think not,” said Hol it all, Mr Holmes!” cried the inspector ”The papers will be full of the Birlstone mystery in a day or two; but where's the mystery if there is a man in London who prophesied the crime before ever it occurred? We have only to lay our hands on that man, and the rest will follow”
”No doubt, Mr Mac But how do you propose to lay your hands on the so-called Porlock?”
MacDonald turned over the letter which Holmes had handed him ”Posted in Camberwell--that doesn't help us o on, certainly Didn't you say that you have sent him money?”
”Twice”