The Return of Sherlock Holmes Part 15 (2/2)
”And the papers were on your table?”
”To the best of nized as proofs?”
”Possibly”
”No one else in your room?”
”No”
”Did anyone know that these proofs would be there?”
”No one save the printer”
”Did this man Bannister know?”
”No, certainly not No one knew”
”Where is Bannister now?”
”He was very ill, poor fellow I left him collapsed in the chair I was in such a hurry to come to you”
”You left your door open?”
”I locked up the papers first”
”Then it amounts to this, Mr Soanized the roll as being proofs, the man who ta that they were there”
”So it seeo round Not one of your cases, Watson--ht; come if you want to Now, Mr Soa-roo, low, latticedon to the ancient lichen-tinted court of the old college A Gothic arched door led to a worn stone staircase On the ground floor was the tutor's room Above were three students, one on each story It was already twilight e reached the scene of our problem Holmes halted and looked earnestly at theThen he approached it, and, standing on tiptoe with his neck craned, he looked into the rooh the door There is no opening except the one pane,” said our learned guide
”Dear lanced at our co to be learned here, we had best go inside”
The lecturer unlocked the outer door and ushered us into his room We stood at the entrance while Holmes made an exans here,” said he ”One could hardly hope for any upon so dry a day Your servant seems to have quite recovered You left him in a chair, you say Which chair?”
”By thethere”
”I see Near this little table You can come in now I have finished with the carpet Let us take the little table first Of course, what has happened is very clear The man entered and took the papers, sheet by sheet, from the central table He carried them over to thetable, because from there he could see if you came across the courtyard, and so could effect an escape”
”As a matter of fact, he could not,” said Soaood! Well, anyhow, that was in his er impressions--no! Well, he carried over this one first, and he copied it How long would it take hi every possible contraction? A quarter of an hour, not less Then he tossed it down and seized the next He was in the midst of that when your return caused him to make a very hurried retreat--VERY hurried, since he had not time to replace the papers which would tell you that he had been there You were not aware of any hurrying feet on the stair as you entered the outer door?”
”No, I can't say I was”
”Well, he wrote so furiously that he broke his pencil, and had, as you observe, to sharpen it again This is of interest, Watson The pencil was not an ordinary one It was above the usual size, with a soft lead, the outer colour was dark blue, the , and the piece re Look for such a pencil, Mr Soaot your e and very blunt knife, you have an additional aid”
Mr Soames was somewhat overwhelmed by this flood of information ”I can follow the other points,” said he, ”but really, in this th----”
Holmes held out a small chip with the letters NN and a space of clear wood after them
”You see?”
”No, I fear that even now----”
”Watson, I have always done you an injustice There are others What could this NN be? It is at the end of a word You are aware that Johann Faber is the most common maker's name Is it not clear that there is just as much of the pencil left as usually follows the Johann?” He held the s that if the paper on which he wrote was thin, soh upon this polished surface No, I see nothing I don't think there is anything more to be learned here Now for the central table This shy hly pyramidal in shape and hollowed out, I perceive As you say, there appear to be grains of sawdust in it DearAnd the cut--a positive tear, I see It began with a thin scratch and ended in a jagged hole I a my attention to this case, Mr Soames Where does that door lead to?”
”To my bedroom”
”Have you been in it since your adventure?”
”No, I calance round What a char, old-fashi+oned room! Perhaps you will kindly wait aWhat about this curtain? You hang your clothes behind it If anyone were forced to conceal himself in this room he must do it there, since the bed is too low and the wardrobe too shallow No one there, I suppose?”
As Holidity and alertness of his attitude, that he was prepared for an eency As abut three or four suits of clothes hanging fros Holmes turned away, and stooped suddenly to the floor
”Halloa! What's this?” said he
It was a small pyramid of black, putty-like stuff, exactly like the one upon the table of the study Hollare of the electric light
”Your visitor seems to have left traces in your bedroo-room, Mr Soames”
”What could he have wanted there?”
”I think it is clear enough You ca until you were at the very door What could he do? He caught up everything which would betray him, and he rushed into your bedrooracious, Mr Hol to Bannister in this room, we had the man prisoner if we had only known it?”
”So I read it”
”Surely there is another alternative, Mr Holmes I don't knohether you observed my bedroom ?”
”Lattice-paned, lead frae, and large enough to adle of the courtyard so as to be partly invisible The ht have effected his entrance there, left traces as he passed through the bedroo the door open, have escaped that way”
Holmes shook his head impatiently