The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Part 3 (1/2)
”She gave a violent start and a kind of gasping cry when I spoke, and that cry and start troubledindescribably guilty about them My wife had always been a woaveout and wincing when her own husband spoke to her
”'You awake, Jack!' she cried, with a nervous laugh 'Why, I thought that nothing could awake you'
”'Where have you been?' I asked, more sternly
”'I don't wonder that you are surprised,' said she, and I could see that her fingers were tres of herin h I were choking, and had a perfect longing for a breath of fresh air I really think that I should have fainted if I had not gone out I stood at the door for a few ain'
”All the ti me this story she never once looked in my direction, and her voice was quite unlike her usual tones It was evident toin reply, but turned my face to the wall, sick at heart, with my mind filled with a thousand venomous doubts and suspicions What was it thatthat strange expedition? I felt that I should have no peace until I knew, and yet I shrank froain after once she had told ht I tossed and tu theory after theory, each one to the City that day, but I was too disturbed in my mind to be able to pay attention to business matters My wife seemed to be as upset as lances which she kept shooting at me that she understood that I disbelieved her statement, and that she was at her wits' end what to do We hardly exchanged a word during breakfast, and iht think theair
”I went as far as the Crystal Palace, spent an hour in the grounds, and was back in Norbury by one o'clock It happened that e, and I stopped for an instant to look at the s, and to see if I could catch a glie face which had looked out at ine my surprise, Mr Holmes, when the door suddenly opened and my alked out
”I was struck duht of her; butto those which showed themselves upon her face when our eyes met She seeain; and then, seeing how useless all concealment htened eyes which belied the smile upon her lips
”'Ah, Jack,' she said, 'I have just been in to see if I can be of any assistance to our new neighbors Why do you look at ry withthe night'
”'What do you mean?' she cried
”'You came here I am sure of it Who are these people, that you should visit them at such an hour?'
”'I have not been here before'
”'How can you tell es as you speak When have I ever had a secret froe, and I shall probe the matter to the bottoasped, in uncontrollable emotion Then, as I approached the door, she seized th
”'I implore you not to do this, Jack,' she cried 'I swear that I will tell you everything so but e' Then, as I tried to shake her off, she clung to me in a frenzy of entreaty
”'Trust me, Jack!' she cried 'Trust ret it You know that I would not have a secret from you if it were not for your own sake Our whole lives are at stake in this If you come home with e, all is over between us'
”There was such earnestness, such despair, in her manner that her words arrested me, and I stood irresolute before the door
”'I will trust you on one condition, and on one condition only,' said I at last 'It is that this mystery comes to an end from now You are at liberty to preserve your secret, but you htly visits, noto forget those which are passed if you will promise that there shall be no more in the future'
”'I was sure that you would trust h of relief 'It shall be just as you wish Co at lanced back, and there was that yellow livid face watching us out of the upperWhat link could there be between that creature and h woman whom I had seen the day before be connected with her? It was a strange puzzle, and yet I knew that ain until I had solved it
”For two days after this I stayed at hoement, for, as far as I know, she never stirred out of the house On the third day, however, I had ah to hold her back from this secret influence which drew her away froone into town on that day, but I returned by the 240 instead of the 336, which is my usual train As I entered the house the maid ran into the hall with a startled face
”'Where is your one out for a walk,' she answered
”My mind was instantly filled with suspicion I rushed upstairs to make sure that she was not in the house As I did so I happened to glance out of one of the upper s, and saw theacross the field in the direction of the cottage Then of course I saw exactly what it all one over there, and had asked the servant to call her if I should return Tingling with anger, I rushed down and hurried across, determined to end theback along the lane, but I did not stop to speak with the a shadow over ht, it should be a secret no longer I did not even knock when I reached it, but turned the handle and rushed into the passage
”It was all still and quiet upon the ground floor In the kitchen a kettle was singing on the fire, and a large black cat lay coiled up in the basket; but there was no sign of the woman whom I had seen before I ran into the other room, but it was equally deserted Then I rushed up the stairs, only to find two other rooms empty and deserted at the top There was no one at all in the whole house The furniture and pictures were of the ar description, save in the one chae face That was coant, and all my suspicions rose into a fierce bitter flame when I saw that on the raph of my wife, which had been taken at h to make certain that the house was absolutely eht at my heart such as I had never had before My wife came out into the hall as I entered ry to speak with her, and pushi+ng past her, I made my way into my study She followed me, however, before I could close the door
”'I am sorry that I broke my promise, Jack,' said she; 'but if you knew all the circuive , then,' said I
”'I cannot, Jack, I cannot,' she cried
”'Until you tell e, and who it is to whoraph, there can never be any confidence between us,' said I, and breaking away from her, I left the house That was yesterday, Mr Hol e business It is the first shadow that has come between us, and it has so shaken me that I do not knohat I should do for the best Suddenly thisit occurred to me that you were the man to advise me, so I have hurried to you now, and I place myself unreservedly in your hands If there is any point which I have not made clear, pray question me about it But, above all, tell me quickly what I am to do, for this misery is more than I can bear”
Holmes and I had listened with the utmost interest to this extraordinary statement, which had been delivered in the jerky, broken fashi+on of a man who is under the influence of extreme emotions My companion sat silent for soht
”Tell me,” said he at last, ”could you swear that this was a man's face which you saw at the ?”
”Each time that I saw it I was some distance away from it, so that it is impossible for reeably impressed by it”
”It seeidity about the features When I approached, it vanished with a jerk”
”How long is it since your wife asked you for a hundred pounds?”
”Nearly two raph of her first husband?”
”No; there was a great fire at Atlanta very shortly after his death, and all her papers were destroyed”
”And yet she had a certificate of death You say that you saw it”
”Yes; she got a duplicate after the fire”
”Did you ever meet any one who knew her in A the place?”
”No”
”Or get letters from it?”
”No”
”Thank you I should like to think over the e is now permanently deserted we may have some difficulty If, on the other hand, as I fancy is , and left before you entered yesterday, then they may be back now, and we should clear it all up easily Let me advise you, then, to return to Norbury, and to exaain If you have reason to believe that it is inhabited, do not force your way in, but send a wire to my friend andit, and we shall then very soon get to the bottom of the business”
”And if it is still empty?”