His Last Bow Part 10 (1/2)
I remembered Holmes's injunction
”I have another appointo alone I have a note of Mr Hol there within half an hour atheart that I reentered Holht have happened in reatly in the interval His appearance was as ghastly as ever, but all trace of delirium had left him and he spoke in a feeble voice, it is true, but with even more than his usual crispness and lucidity
”Well, did you see hi”
”Aders”
”He wished to return with me”
”That would never do, Watson That would be obviously impossible Did he ask what ailed me?”
”I told him about the Chinese in the East End”
”Exactly! Well, Watson, you have done all that a good friend could You can now disappear from the scene”
”I must wait and hear his opinion, Holmes”
”Of course you must But I have reasons to suppose that this opinion would be very ines that we are alone There is just room behind the head of my bed, Watson”
”My dear Holmes!”
”I fear there is no alternative, Watson The room does not lend itself to concealment, which is as well, as it is the less likely to arouse suspicion But just there, Watson, I fancy that it could be done” Suddenly he sat up with a rigid intentness upon his haggard face ”There are the wheels, Watson Quick, e, whatever happens--whatever happens, do you hear? Don't speak! Don't move! Just listen with all your ears” Then in an instant his sudden access of strength departed, and his ue -place into which I had been so swiftly hustled I heard the footfalls upon the stair, with the opening and the closing of the bedroo silence, broken only by the heavy breathings and gaspings of the sickby the bedside and looking down at the sufferer At last that strange hush was broken
”Holmes!” he cried ”Holmes!” in the insistent tone of one akens a sleeper ”Can't you hear , as if he had shaken the sick hly by the shoulder
”Is that you, Mr Smith?” Holmes whispered ”I hardly dared hope that you would coine not,” he said ”And yet, you see, I am here Coals of fire, Holood of you--very noble of you I appreciate your special knowledge”
Our visitor sniggered
”You do You are, fortunately, the only man in London who does Do you knohat is the matter with you?”
”The sanize the symptoms?”
”Only too well”
”Well, I shouldn't be surprised, Holmes I shouldn't be surprised if it WERE the same A bad lookout for you if it is Poor Victor was a deadfellow It was certainly, as you said, very surprising that he should have contracted and out-of-the-way Asiatic disease in the heart of London--a disease, too, of which I had ular coincidence, Holmes Very sest that it was cause and effect”
”I knew that you did it”
”Oh, you did, did you? Well, you couldn't prove it, anyhow But what do you think of yourself spreading reports aboutto a of the sick asped
”You're precious near your end, o till I have had a ith you That's why I give you water There, don't slop it about! That's right Can you understand what I say?”
Holones,” he whispered ”I'll put the words out of et it”
”Forget what?”
”Well, about Victor Savage's death You as good as adet it”
”You can forget it or remember it, just as you like I don't see you in the witnessbox Quite another shaped box,to me that you should knoabout It's you”
”Yes, yes”
”The felloho caotten his na the sailors”
”I could only account for it so”
”You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not? Think yourself smart, don't you? You came across someone as smarter this time Now cast your mind back, Holot this thing?”
”I can't think My one For heaven's sake help me!”
”Yes, I will help you I'll help you to understand just where you are and how you got there I'd like you to know before you die”
”Giveto ease my pain”
”Painful, is it? Yes, the coolies used to do so towards the end Takes you as cramp, I fancy”
”Yes, yes; it is cramp”
”Well, you can hear what I say, anyhow Listen now! Can you remember any unusual incident in your life just about the ti”
”Think again”
”I'm too ill to think”
”Well, then, I'll help you Did anything come by post?”