Reading Help The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Ch.I-IV

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` "Third right, fourth left," answered the assistant promptly, `
` closing the door. `
` `
` "Smart fellow, that," observed Holmes as we walked away. "He is, `
` in my judgment, the fourth smartest man in London, and for daring `
` I am not sure that he has not a claim to be third. I have known `
` something of him before." `
` `
` "Evidently," said I, "Mr. Wilson's assistant counts for a good `
` deal in this mystery of the Red-headed League. I am sure that you `
` inquired your way merely in order that you might see him." `
` `
` "Not him." `
` `
` "What then?" `
` `
` "The knees of his trousers." `
` `
` "And what did you see?" `
` `
` "What I expected to see." `
` `
` "Why did you beat the pavement?" `
` `
` "My dear doctor, this is a time for observation, not for talk. We `
` are spies in an enemy's country. We know something of Saxe-Coburg `
` Square. Let us now explore the parts which lie behind it." `
` `
` The road in which we found ourselves as we turned round the `
` corner from the retired Saxe-Coburg Square presented as great a `
` contrast to it as the front of a picture does to the back. It was `
` one of the main arteries which conveyed the traffic of the City `
` to the north and west. The roadway was blocked with the immense `
` stream of commerce flowing in a double tide inward and outward, `
` while the footpaths were black with the hurrying swarm of `
` pedestrians. It was difficult to realise as we looked at the line `
` of fine shops and stately business premises that they really `
` abutted on the other side upon the faded and stagnant square `
` which we had just quitted. `
` `
` "Let me see," said Holmes, standing at the corner and glancing `
` along the line, "I should like just to remember the order of the `
` houses here. It is a hobby of mine to have an exact knowledge of `
` London. There is Mortimer's, the tobacconist, the little `
` newspaper shop, the Coburg branch of the City and Suburban Bank, `
` the Vegetarian Restaurant, and McFarlane's carriage-building `
` depot. That carries us right on to the other block. And now, `
` Doctor, we've done our work, so it's time we had some play. A `
` sandwich and a cup of coffee, and then off to violin-land, where `
` all is sweetness and delicacy and harmony, and there are no `
` red-headed clients to vex us with their conundrums." `
` `
` My friend was an enthusiastic musician, being himself not only a `
` very capable performer but a composer of no ordinary merit. All `
` the afternoon he sat in the stalls wrapped in the most perfect `
` happiness, gently waving his long, thin fingers in time to the `
` music, while his gently smiling face and his languid, dreamy eyes `
` were as unlike those of Holmes the sleuth-hound, Holmes the `
` relentless, keen-witted, ready-handed criminal agent, as it was `
` possible to conceive. In his singular character the dual nature `
` alternately asserted itself, and his extreme exactness and `
` astuteness represented, as I have often thought, the reaction `
` against the poetic and contemplative mood which occasionally `
` predominated in him. The swing of his nature took him from `
` extreme languor to devouring energy; and, as I knew well, he was `
` never so truly formidable as when, for days on end, he had been `
` lounging in his armchair amid his improvisations and his `
` black-letter editions. Then it was that the lust of the chase `
` would suddenly come upon him, and that his brilliant reasoning `
` power would rise to the level of intuition, until those who were `
` unacquainted with his methods would look askance at him as on a `
` man whose knowledge was not that of other mortals. When I saw him `
` that afternoon so enwrapped in the music at St. James's Hall I `
` felt that an evil time might be coming upon those whom he had set `
` himself to hunt down. `
` `
` "You want to go home, no doubt, Doctor," he remarked as we `
` emerged. `
` `
` "Yes, it would be as well." `
` `
` "And I have some business to do which will take some hours. This `
` business at Coburg Square is serious." `
` `
` "Why serious?" `
` `
` "A considerable crime is in contemplation. I have every reason to `
` believe that we shall be in time to stop it. But to-day being `
` Saturday rather complicates matters. I shall want your help `
` to-night." `
` `
` "At what time?" `
` `
` "Ten will be early enough." `
` `
` "I shall be at Baker Street at ten." `
` `
` "Very well. And, I say, Doctor, there may be some little danger, `
` so kindly put your army revolver in your pocket." He waved his `
` hand, turned on his heel, and disappeared in an instant among the `
` crowd. `
` `
` I trust that I am not more dense than my neighbours, but I was `
` always oppressed with a sense of my own stupidity in my dealings `
` with Sherlock Holmes. Here I had heard what he had heard, I had `
` seen what he had seen, and yet from his words it was evident that `
` he saw clearly not only what had happened but what was about to `
` happen, while to me the whole business was still confused and `
` grotesque. As I drove home to my house in Kensington I thought `
` over it all, from the extraordinary story of the red-headed `
` copier of the "Encyclopaedia" down to the visit to Saxe-Coburg `
` Square, and the ominous words with which he had parted from me. `
` What was this nocturnal expedition, and why should I go armed? `
` Where were we going, and what were we to do? I had the hint from `
` Holmes that this smooth-faced pawnbroker's assistant was a `
` formidable man--a man who might play a deep game. I tried to `
` puzzle it out, but gave it up in despair and set the matter aside `
` until night should bring an explanation. `
` `
` It was a quarter-past nine when I started from home and made my `
` way across the Park, and so through Oxford Street to Baker `
` Street. Two hansoms were standing at the door, and as I entered `
` the passage I heard the sound of voices from above. On entering `
` his room I found Holmes in animated conversation with two men, `
` one of whom I recognised as Peter Jones, the official police `
` agent, while the other was a long, thin, sad-faced man, with a `
` very shiny hat and oppressively respectable frock-coat. `
` `
` "Ha! Our party is complete," said Holmes, buttoning up his `
` pea-jacket and taking his heavy hunting crop from the rack. `
` "Watson, I think you know Mr. Jones, of Scotland Yard? Let me `
` introduce you to Mr. Merryweather, who is to be our companion in `
` to-night's adventure." `
` `
` "We're hunting in couples again, Doctor, you see," said Jones in `
` his consequential way. "Our friend here is a wonderful man for `
` starting a chase. All he wants is an old dog to help him to do `
` the running down." `
` `
` "I hope a wild goose may not prove to be the end of our chase," `
` observed Mr. Merryweather gloomily. `
` `
` "You may place considerable confidence in Mr. Holmes, sir," said `
` the police agent loftily. "He has his own little methods, which `
` are, if he won't mind my saying so, just a little too theoretical `
` and fantastic, but he has the makings of a detective in him. It `
` is not too much to say that once or twice, as in that business of `
` the Sholto murder and the Agra treasure, he has been more nearly `
` correct than the official force." `
` `
` "Oh, if you say so, Mr. Jones, it is all right," said the `
` stranger with deference. "Still, I confess that I miss my rubber. `
` It is the first Saturday night for seven-and-twenty years that I `
` have not had my rubber." `
` `
` "I think you will find," said Sherlock Holmes, "that you will `
` play for a higher stake to-night than you have ever done yet, and `
` that the play will be more exciting. For you, Mr. Merryweather, `
` the stake will be some 30,000 pounds; and for you, Jones, it will `
` be the man upon whom you wish to lay your hands." `
` `
` "John Clay, the murderer, thief, smasher, and forger. He's a `
` young man, Mr. Merryweather, but he is at the head of his `
` profession, and I would rather have my bracelets on him than on `
` any criminal in London. He's a remarkable man, is young John `
` Clay. His grandfather was a royal duke, and he himself has been `
` to Eton and Oxford. His brain is as cunning as his fingers, and `
` though we meet signs of him at every turn, we never know where to `
` find the man himself. He'll crack a crib in Scotland one week, `
` and be raising money to build an orphanage in Cornwall the next. `
` I've been on his track for years and have never set eyes on him `
` yet." `
` `
` "I hope that I may have the pleasure of introducing you to-night. `
` I've had one or two little turns also with Mr. John Clay, and I `
` agree with you that he is at the head of his profession. It is `
` past ten, however, and quite time that we started. If you two `
` will take the first hansom, Watson and I will follow in the `
` second." `
` `
` Sherlock Holmes was not very communicative during the long drive `
` and lay back in the cab humming the tunes which he had heard in `
` the afternoon. We rattled through an endless labyrinth of gas-lit `
` streets until we emerged into Farrington Street. `
` `
` "We are close there now," my friend remarked. "This fellow `
` Merryweather is a bank director, and personally interested in the `
` matter. I thought it as well to have Jones with us also. He is `
` not a bad fellow, though an absolute imbecile in his profession. `
` He has one positive virtue. He is as brave as a bulldog and as `
` tenacious as a lobster if he gets his claws upon anyone. Here we `
` are, and they are waiting for us." `
` `
` We had reached the same crowded thoroughfare in which we had `
` found ourselves in the morning. Our cabs were dismissed, and, `
` following the guidance of Mr. Merryweather, we passed down a `
` narrow passage and through a side door, which he opened for us. `
` Within there was a small corridor, which ended in a very massive `
` iron gate. This also was opened, and led down a flight of winding `
` stone steps, which terminated at another formidable gate. Mr. `
`