The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes Part 9 (1/2)
”I fancy not The thieves ransacked the library and got very little for their pains The whole place was turned upside down, drawers burst open, and presses ransacked, with the result that an odd volume of Pope's 'Hoht, a small oak barometer, and a ball of twine are all that have vanished”
”What an extraordinary assortrabbed hold of everything they could get”
Holht toof that,” said he; ”why, it is surely obvious that--”
But I held up a warning finger
”You are here for a rest, et started on a new probleed his shoulders with a glance of conation towards the Colonel, and the talk drifted away into less dangerous channels
It was destined, however, that allthe problem obtruded itself upon us in such a way that it was inore it, and our country visit took a turn which neither of us could have anticipated We were at breakfast when the Colonel's butler rushed in with all his propriety shaken out of hiasped ”At the Cunninghalary!” cried the Colonel, with his coffee-cup in mid-air
”Murder!”
The Colonel whistled ”By Jove!” said he ”Who's killed, then? The JP or his son?”
”Neither, sir It was Williah the heart, sir, and never spoke again”
”Who shot hilar, sir He was off like a shot and got clean away He'd just broke in at the pantry hen Willia his ht, sir, somewhere about twelve”
”Ah, then, we'll step over afterwards,” said the Colonel, coolly settling down to his breakfast again ”It's a baddish business,” he added when the butler had gone; ”he's our leading ham, and a very decent fellow too He'll be cut up over this, for the ood servant It's evidently the same villains who broke into Acton's”
”And stole that very singular collection,” said Holhtfully
”Precisely”
”Hum! It may prove the silance this is just a little curious, is it not? A gang of burglars acting in the country ht be expected to vary the scene of their operations, and not to crack two cribs in the saht of taking precautions I reh land to which the thief or thieves would be likely to turn their attention--which shows that I have still much to learn”
”I fancy it's some local practitioner,” said the Colonel ”In that case, of course, Acton's and Cunninghao for, since they are far the largest about here”
”And richest?”
”Well, they ought to be, but they've had a lawsuit for some years which has sucked the blood out of both of theham's estate, and the lawyers have been at it with both hands”
”If it's a local villain there should not behiht, Watson, I don't intend to meddle”
”Inspector Forrester, sir,” said the butler, throwing open the door
The official, a s fellow, stepped into the roo, Colonel,” said he; ”I hope I don't intrude, but we hear that Mr Holmes of Baker Street is here”
The Colonel waved his hand towards ht that perhaps you would care to step across, Mr Holhing ”We were chatting about the matter when you came in, Inspector Perhaps you can let us have a few details” As he leaned back in his chair in the familiar attitude I knew that the case was hopeless
”We had no clue in the Acton affair But here we have plenty to go on, and there's no doubt it is the same party in each case The man was seen”
”Ah!”
”Yes, sir But he was off like a deer after the shot that killed poor Williahahae It was quarter to twelve when the alarot into bed, and Mr Alec was sown They both heard Willia for help, and Mr Alec ran down to see as the matter The back door was open, and as he caether outside One of them fired a shot, the other dropped, and the e Mr Cunninghaained the road, but lost sight of hi ot clean away Beyond the fact that he was a middle-sized man and dressed in so energetic inquiries, and if he is a stranger we shall soon find hi there? Did he say anything before he died?”
”Not a word He lives at the lodge with his ine that he walked up to the house with the intention of seeing that all was right there Of course this Acton business has put every one on their guard The robber must have just burst open the door--the lock has been forced--when Willia to hisout?”
”She is very old and deaf, and we can get no information from her The shock has made her half-witted, but I understand that she was never very bright There is one very important circumstance, however Look at this!”
He took a small piece of torn paper from a note-book and spread it out upon his knee
”This was found between the finger and thuer sheet You will observe that the hour mentioned upon it is the very time at which the poor fellow ht have torn the rest of the sheet froh it were an appointment”
Holmes took up the scrap of paper, a fac-simile of which is here reproduced
d at quarter to twelve learn whatthat it is an appointment,” continued the Inspector, ”it is of course a conceivable theory that this Willia an honest ue with the thief He may have met him there, may even have helped him to break in the door, and then theyis of extraordinary interest,” said Hol it with intense concentration ”These are ht” He sank his head upon his hands, while the Inspector smiled at the effect which his case had had upon the famous London specialist
”Your last remark,” said Hol an understanding between the burglar and the servant, and this being a note of appointenious and not entirely i opens up--” He sank his head into his hands again and reht When he raised his face again, I was surprised to see that his cheek was tinged with color, and his eyes as bright as before his illness He sprang to his feet with all his old energy
”I'll tell you what,” said he, ”I should like to have a quiet little glance into the details of this case There is so in it which fascinates me extremely If you will permit me, Colonel, I will leave my friend Watson and you, and I will step round with the Inspector to test the truth of one or two little fancies of ain in half an hour”
An hour and half had elapsed before the Inspector returned alone
”Mr Hol up and down in the field outside,” said he ”He wants us all four to go up to the house together”
”To Mr Cunningham's?”
”Yes, sir”
”What for?”
The Inspector shrugged his shoulders ”I don't quite know, sir Between ourselves, I think Mr Hol very queerly, and he is very much excited”
”I don't think you need alarm yourself,” said I ”I have usually found that there was ht say there was madness in his method,” muttered the Inspector ”But he's all on fire to start, Colonel, so we had best go out if you are ready”