The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Part 2 (2/2)
My friend threw out the information in a very offhand way, but I saw that he cocked his eye at
”You think apipe,” said I
”This is Grosvenora little out on his palet an excellent smoke for half the price, he has no need to practise economy”
”And the other points?”
”He has been in the habit of lighting his pipe at laas-jets You can see that it is quite charred all down one side Of course a match could not have done that Why should a ht it at a laht side of the pipe Froather that he is a left-handed man You hold your own pipe to the laht-handed, hold the left side to the flaht do it once the other way, but not as a constancy This has always been held so Then he has bitten through his aood set of teeth, to do that But if I am notthan his pipe to study”
An instant later our door opened, and a tall young man entered the rooray suit, and carried a broide-awake in his hand I should have put hih he was really so your pardon,” said he, with some embarrassment; ”I suppose I should have knocked Yes, of course I should have knocked The fact is that I am a little upset, and you must put it all down to that” He passed his hand over his forehead like a man who is half dazed, and then fell rather than sat down upon a chair
”I can see that you have not slept for a night or two,” said Holenial way ”That tries a man's nerves more than work, and more even than pleasure May I ask how I can help you?”
”I wanted your advice, sir I don't knohat to do and one to pieces”
”You wish to e detective?”
”Not that only I want your opinion as a judicious ht to do next I hope to God you'll be able to tell me”
He spoke in little, sharp, jerky outbursts, and it seemed to me that to speak at all was very painful to hi his inclinations
”It's a very delicate thing,” said he ”One does not like to speak of one's doers It seems dreadful to discuss the conduct of one's ith two men whom I have never seen before It's horrible to have to do it But I've got to the end of my tether, and I an Hol from his chair ”What!” he cried, ”you know nito,” said Holest that you cease to write your na of your hat, or else that you turn the croards the person who I was about to say that e secrets in this roo peace to many troubled souls I trust that weyou, as time may prove to be of importance, to furnish me with the facts of your case without further delay?”
Our visitor again passed his hand over his forehead, as if he found it bitterly hard Froesture and expression I could see that he was a reserved, self-contained man, with a dash of pride in his nature, more likely to hide his wounds than to expose theesture of his closed hand, like one who throws reserve to the winds, he began
”The facts are these, Mr Holmes,” said he ”I a that time my wife and I have loved each other as fondly and lived as happily as any two that ever were joined We have not had a difference, not one, in thought or word or deed And now, since last Monday, there has suddenly sprung up a barrier between us, and I find that there is soht of which I know as little as if she were the woed, and I want to knohy
”Now there is one thing that I want to io any further, Mr Holmes Effie loves me Don't let there be any mistake about that She loves me with her whole heart and soul, and never ue about that A h when a woman loves him But there's this secret between us, and we can never be the same until it is cleared”
”Kindly let me have the facts, Mr Munro,” said Holmes, with some impatience
”I'll tell you what I know about Effie's history She was a hen I --only twenty-five Her name then was Mrs Hebron She went out to A, and lived in the town of Atlanta, where she ood practice They had one child, but the yellow fever broke out badly in the place, and both husband and child died of it I have seen his death certificate This sickened her of America, and she came back to live with a maiden aunt at Pinner, in Middlesex I may mention that her husband had left her comfortably off, and that she had a capital of about four thousand five hundred pounds, which had been so well invested by hie of seven per cent She had only been six months at Pinner when I met her; we fell in love with each other, and we married a feeeks afterwards
”I am a hop ht hundred, we found ourselves cohty-pound-a-year villa at Norbury Our little place was very countrified, considering that it is so close to town We had an inn and two houses a little above us, and a single cottage at the other side of the field which faces us, and except those there were no houses until you got half way to the station My business took me into town at certain seasons, but in summer I had less to do, and then in our country home my wife and I were just as happy as could be wished I tell you that there never was a shadoeen us until this accursed affair began
”There's one thing I ought to tell you before I go further When we ainst my will, for I saard it would be ifHowever, she would have it so, and it was done Well, about six weeks ago she came to me
”'Jack,' said she, 'when you took my money you said that if ever I wanted any I was to ask you for it'
”'Certainly,' said I 'It's all your own'
”'Well,' said she, 'I want a hundred pounds'
”I was a bit staggered at this, for I had i of the kind that she was after
”'What on earth for?' I asked
”'Oh,' said she, in her playful way, 'you said that you were only my banker, and bankers never ask questions, you know'
”'If you really mean it, of course you shall have the money,' said I
”'Oh, yes, I really mean it'
”'And you won't tell me what you want it for?'
”'Some day, perhaps, but not just at present, Jack'
”So I had to be content with that, though it was the first tiave her a check, and I never thought anyto do hat caht to mention it
”Well, I told you just now that there is a cottage not far from our house There is just a field between us, but to reach it you have to go along the road and then turn down a lane Just beyond it is a nice little grove of Scotch firs, and I used to be very fond of strolling down there, for trees are always a neighborly kind of things The cottage had been standing eht months, and it was a pity, for it was a pretty two-storied place, with an old-fashi+oned porch and honeysuckle about it I have stood ht what a neat little ho I was taking a stroll down that hen Iup the lane, and saw a pile of carpets and things lying about on the grass-plot beside the porch It was clear that the cottage had at last been let I walked past it, and wondered what sort of folk they ho had come to live so near us And as I looked I suddenly beca me out of one of the upper s
”I don't knohat there was about that face, Mr Holht down my back I was some little way off, so that I could notunnatural and inhuman about the face That was the iet a nearer view of the person atching me But as I did so the face suddenly disappeared, so suddenly that it seemed to have been plucked away into the darkness of the roo the business over, and trying to analyze my impressions I could not tell if the face were that of a man or a woman It had been too far from me for that But its color hat had impressedset and rigid about it which was shockingly unnatural So disturbed was I that I detere I approached and knocked at the door, which was instantly opened by a tall, gaunt wo face
”'What may you be wantin'?' she asked, in a Northern accent
”'I a towards ht that if I could be of any help to you in any--'
”'Ay, we'll just ask ye ant ye,' said she, and shut the door in my face Annoyed at the churlish rebuff, I turned h I tried to think of other things, my mind would still turn to the apparition at theand the rudeness of the wo about the for woman, and I had no wish that she would share the unpleasant impression which had been produced upon myself I ree was now occupied, to which she returned no reply
”I a jest in the faht And yet soht, whether it ht excitement produced by my little adventure or not I know not, but I slept htly than usual Half inon in the rooradually beca on her mantle and her bonnet My lips were parted to murmur out some sleepy words of surprise or remonstrance at this untimely preparation, when suddenly my half-opened eyes fell upon her face, illuht, and astonishment held me dumb She wore an expression such as I had never seen before--such as I should have thought her incapable of assu furtively towards the bed as she fastened herthat I was still asleep, she slipped noiselessly fro which could only coes of the front door I sat up in bed and rapped ainst the rail to make certain that I was truly awake Then I tookWhat on this earth couldout on the country road at three in thethe thing over into find soht, the more extraordinary and inexplicable did it appear I was still puzzling over it when I heard the door gently close again, and her footsteps co up the stairs
”'Where in the world have you been, Effie?' I asked as she entered