Part 21 (2/2)
Holmes reached out and touched her shoulder ”Please, there is no need to go on”
Wells interposed In a tre the room, Holmes, when I heard Rebecca's cries I fetched the key and let myself into the bedchamber, and what I saw there” He shook his head bitterly, his expression wretched ”I was beside e, sir, and, blinded to the consequences, took up the letter-knife and and plunged it into the horror's torso” He looked up, defiantly ”I am not proud of what I did, but my love for Rebecca and my revulsion at the ambassador's vile actions” He paused, then went on ”I opened theand gouged a mark in the wall beneath, to make it appear that the murder was the work of an intruder I then left the embassy and disposed of the knife in the Tha Holret what I did, for the ani to him, and I will face the consequences like a man If you inform Scotland Yard of my actions, I will have my day in court”
Homes smiled at this, then said, ”Well said, but it will take more than pretty rhetoric to persuade me that what you said is the truth of it”
I stared atat, Holreat detective turned to Miss West, and said, ”Well?”
Miss West faced the detective foursquare, thought for a space, and began, ”I -”
Wells gripped her hand ”Rebecca”
”No, Bertie,” said she, ”the truth is better out You are correct, Mr Hole” She took a deep breath, then said, ”I did for when he pressed himself upon me, held me doith his tentacles and and proceeded to You must understand that I was beside myself with terror, and when I saw the letter-knife on the bedside table, I reached out and grasped it and” She stopped, almost out of breath ”I did what I did, Mr Holmes, in self-defence, but I too will face the consequences if that is what you feel right and proper”
Holmes shook his head ”As far as the authorities are concerned, both human and Martian, the affair is closed The auilt for his philandering with human women The Martian judiciary will not arrive for another five weeks, by which time what evidence there is will be corrupted While not condoning your actions, I understand the terrible fear that drove you to commit the deed”
”You h, Miss West Naught will be gained by hauling you before the court, for while a huht, I cannot say the same for the Martian judiciary”
She stared at hi in her eyes
”If I were you,” Holmes went on, ”I would leave the eht and start anew Your secret is safe with Watson and h, Mr Holmes!”
Miss West stepped forward and placed a kiss on the detective's cheek ”Thank you,” she murmured
Presently atched thehs of the oak and, hand in hand, walk into the diht of the Heath
Back at Baker Street, Holmes lit his pipe and pulled upon it ruhtly across the heavens and said, ”You think they'll be all right, Holmes?”
”They have talent, Watson I've read a little of Miss West's journaliss will co”
For a ti of the Martians and the many wondrous, and not so wondrous, incidents their arrival had entailed
We strode on in companionable silence as the darkness deepened around us, and at last, from all across London, near and far, there sounded the first of the tripods' strange and mournful cries
”Ulla, ulla,” they called dolorously into the warht air ”Ulla, ulla”
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Eric Brown has lived in Australia, India, and Greece He began writing when he was fifteen and sold his first short story to Interzone in 1986 He has won the British Science Fiction Award twice for his short stories and has published almost fifty books His latest include the novel Helix Wars and the collection The Angels of Life and Death He writes a monthly science fiction review column for the Guardian and lives near Dunbar in Scotland His website can be found at ericbrowncouk
THE ADVENTURE OF THE SWADDLED RAILWAYMAN
BY RICHARD DINNICK
As I have said before, from the years 1894 to 1901 inclusive, Mr Sherlock Holmes was a very busy man It is safe to say that there was no public case of any difficulty in which he was not consulted during those eight years, some of them of the most intricate and extraordinary character, in which he played a proht in the autu at a time more appropriate to luncheon It was therefore at least an his perusal of The Times that day He had taken a seat at the breakfast table laid by Mrs Hudson and had yet to even speak a word to e his pipe after dissecting a pair of smoked kippers when he turned to round railways?” he asked
”Well,” I said ”It is progress To traverse the capital underground is aclasses can travel in relative comfort and speed, can they not?”
Holmes sucked on his pipe and produced a cloud of blue-brown s a cloud level to forh the s froth ”They cannot The carriages and system are hot and crowded The companies behind these 'marvels' continue to dise both parliahway It has sometimes proved near impossible to take a hansom cab across so the thoroughfare And now this!”
Holmes had become animated in a manner I knew meant that not only his interest but also his pique had been aroused
”Nohat?” I asked, rising from my chair
”See for yourself!” He folded The Ti the relevant piece with two elegant fingers
Between an iteressives of the Liberal Party I read: RAILWAY WORK SUSPENDED BY FEAR OF GHOST
Work on the new Central London Railway has been suspended at Bloomsbury because workers say the tunnels are haunted Construction of the deep-bore tunnel and its stations began last year but noorkers have downed tools and soure was seen in the tunnel where none could possibly have been and disappeared when the fore
I looked at Hol, is it not, how the mind of the co that appears inexplicable”
”And you are sure it is not a ghost”
Holhed huabed, Watson, but do not presume that my ability to spot ”
”No,” I said in an appropriately contrite fashi+on ”I am sorry, Holmes”
”You know my methods and you know even better my distaste for the fantastical Rational explanations are often improbable or even implausible and yet the supernatural is repeatedly called upon to make up any shortfall in data”