The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes (1984) s01e03 Episode Script
The Naval Treaty
There's nobody there, there's nobody there! Help me, help me, help me, help me! There's nobody there! There's nobody there! There's nobody there! Help me, help me, help me, help, help! Treachery, ruined, ruined, [inaudible.]
England! Holmes, Holmes? Holmes? Holmes, Holmes? You come as a crisis, Watson! Help yourself to tobacco from the Persian slipper.
I shall be at your service in an instant.
If this remains blue, all is well.
If it turns red, it's a man's life.
I thought as much.
Mrs.
Hudson! Mrs.
Hudson! Would you find Billy, please, and tell him to dispatch these telegrams without delay.
Thank you.
Oh, Sit down, Watson.
A commonplace little murder! You have something more interesting, I fancy.
You are the stormy petrel of crime, Watson.
What is it? I've had a letter from a boy I was at school with.
I think you should read it.
Percy Phelps, brilliant boy, carried off every prize the school had to offer, went on to fresh triumphs at Cambridge.
I must confess, he'd passed completely out of my mind until this.
"My Dear Watson: I have no doubt you remember Tadpole Phelps, who was in the third form when you were in the fifth.
It's possible you may have heard that through my uncle's influence I obtained a good appointment at the Foreign Office.
" His uncle's Lord Holdhurst.
"And that I was in a position of trust and honor till a horrible misfortune came suddenly to blast my career.
" Yes, his gaudy connections did him little good at school.
It seemed to us a piquant thing to chevy him about the playground, hit him over the shins with a wicket.
"Do you think you could bring your friend Mr.
Holmes down to see me?" That doesn't tell us much.
Hardly anything.
But the writing is of interest, it is a woman's.
No, no, a man's, surely.
No, a woman's.
At the commencement of a case it is always something to know that a client is in close contact with someone who, for good or evil, has an exceptional nature.
You're interested? Indeed.
Well, if you are ready, let us start for Briarbrae House Woking, at once.
Well, my practice-- Oh, oh, oh, oh! Well, I mean, if your cases are more interesting than mine.
I was gonna say, my practice would do very well for a day or two.
It's the slackest time of the year.
Excellent.
Then let us visit this diplomatist who is in such evil case, and the lady to whom he dictates his letters.
Mrs.
Hudson, hot water! Ah, Rose.
Check this for me, would you? That's a good love.
Mr.
Sherlock Holmes? And this is my colleague and friend, Dr.
Watson.
Dr.
Watson, I'm so glad you've come.
Percy's been inquiring after you all morning, poor chap.
I perceive that you, yourself, are not a member of the family? Of course, you see my JH monogram.
Now, for a moment I thought you'd done something clever.
Joseph Harrison is my name, and since Percy is betrothed to my sister Annie, I shall at least be a relation by marriage.
You'll find her in his room, she's been nursing him these past two months.
Rose, in the house.
Now, listen, they're here.
Shall I leave? No, no.
My dear Watson, I should never have known you under that mustache, and I daresay you wouldn't be prepared to swear to me.
Not at all, still the same dear old Tadpole.
And this, I presume, is your celebrated friend? Mr.
Sherlock Holmes, Mr.
Percy Phelps.
And I'm Miss Harrison.
My fiancé, and my nurse.
Please, sit down.
I, uh, I showed Holmes the letter that you wrote to me.
Yes, I hoped you would.
It was rather short on detail.
Then let me get straight to the point.
I work as a clerk in the Foreign Office.
My uncle is Lord Holdhurst.
When he became Foreign Minister, he gave me, ocassional delicate missions of trust, which I always managed to conduct successfully.
I'm sure you did, old chap.
Pray, continue, Mr.
Phelps.
Nearly ten weeks ago, it was the evening of the 23rd of May, he called me into his private room.
Ah, Percy, my dear boy! Good evening, sir.
You've heard of the Naval Treaty that has just been drawn up between England and ltaly? I've read rumors in the press, sir.
Most regrettable, and it is of the utmost importance that nothing further should leak out.
The French and Russian embassies would pay an immense sum to learn its contents.
This is the original.
It should not leave my bureau were it not absolutely necessary to have it copied.
Take it straight to your office and lock it up.
Now, remain behind when the others go, so that you can work at your leisure and without fear of being overlooked.
And when you have finished, relock both the original and the draft in your own desk, and hand them over to me personally tomorrow morning.
The very greatest care, Nephew.
You may rely on it, sir.
This treaty, can you be more precise as to its nature? Well, in outline it defined the position of Great Britain towards the Triple Alliance in the event of the French fleet gaining complete ascendancy over ltaly in the Mediterranean.
I returned straight to my office where I found a colleague of mine, Mr.
Charles Gorot, still working.
Well, chap, what did Uncle want? To congratulate me on my engagement.
Splendid.
Nothing else? Some fishing dispute he wanted me to copy.
You're not still on that Bulgarian piece, are you? It's extremely long-winded and tiresome, and I am fagged out for the night.
You working late again? Just a few things.
You want to slack off a bit, old man.
Ambition is a fine thing and all that, but do not neglect the beautiful Miss Harrison.
Some other chap might step in.
She wouldn't have you, Charles.
Well, not me, old man.
I've got my Daphne.
Goodnight to you.
Goodnight.
You made sure that he was gone before you started work? Quite sure, and I copied as fast as I could, for I knew that Joseph, my fiancé's brother-- We met him in the garden.
He was in town, and was traveling back to Woking by the 11:00 o'clock train.
And I wanted to catch it, if possible.
But it was a long document? Written in French.
By 9:00 o'clock, I was feeling drowsy and scarcely a third of the way through.
I thought a cup of coffee might clear my brain, so I rang the commissioner who stays on duty all night in a small lodge at the bottom of the stairs.
To my surprise, it was a woman who answered the summons.
I'm sorry, I was ringing for Mr.
Tangey.
I'm his wife, sir, I do the char work in this building.
Ah, well, I was wondering if you might bring me a cup of coffee.
I'll go and ask him, sir.
This woman, you've never noticed her in the building before? Never.
The coffee was some time coming, so I went down to investigate.
Leaving the room unguarded? Yes.
I found Tangey--asleep.
Mr.
Phelps, sir, I'm very sorry, sir.
I must have just dropped off for a moment.
Your coffee, sir.
Well, if you're here, sir, who's ringing the bell? Bell, what bell is it? It's the bell in the room in which you're working, sir.
You ran back upstairs and the document was gone from your desk.
Yes! God no-- You passed no one in the corridor? No one, there was no one! And the room and the corridor all seemed exactly as I'd left it! Percy has drawn a rough chart of the building, Mr.
Holmes, which he thought might be of use.
Yes, yes, that's of the utmost importance, Mr.
Holmes.
Yes, I think I quite follow it.
On your discovery of the theft, what did you do then? Well, I recognized in an instant the thief must have come up through the side door.
This one here.
Yes, of course.
Well, you'd have met him if he'd come the other way.
And you are satisfied that they could not have been concealed in the room or in the corridor? Absolutely impossible.
All the other doors were locked.
Strict Foreign Office regulations.
There was no cover at all.
A rat couldn't have concealed himself there.
Tangey and I both rushed out down the stairs that lead into Charles Street.
Mr.
Phelps! The door at the bottom was closed, unlocked.
It was dark, raining.
There was no one! But I distinctly remember the three-quarters of Big Ben.
A quarter to ten.
That is of enormous importance.
They came out here, you see, Holmes.
On the corner we found a policeman, but he'd seen no one leave the building in the last quarter of an hour except for the Commissioner's wife, so we ran through to Whitehall.
It was full of traffic, people coming and going, all only too eager to find a place of shelter on so wet a night.
No lounger to tell you who'd passed? None.
Had it been raining all evening? Since about 7:00.
Ah, this chain of events is certainly of extraordinary interest.
And so you returned to the office, examined it, I presume, to see if the intruder had left any traces; muddy foot marks, any cigar end, or dropped glove, hairpin? There was nothing.
Except the tangible fact that the Commissioner's wife had run out of the building not ten minutes earlier.
What did you do next, Mr.
Phelps? The constable alerted Scotland Yard.
It was then for the first time the full horror of my situation came upon me.
I'd been so confident of regaining the treaty, I dared not think-- Watson will tell you I was a nervous, sensitive boy at school.
It's my nature.
I thought of my uncle, his cabinet colleagues, the shame I'd brought upon them, myself, everyone connected with me.
Although I was the victim of an accident, there are no allowance for accidents in diplomatic circles.
Ruined, shamefully, hopelessly ruined! Steady on, old chap.
Stand back, will you, Holmes.
Is the investigation concluded? Adjourned.
Poor old Percy, terrible strain, all this, career in the balance.
It seems not to have affected your sister's devotion.
How long has she known Mr.
Phelps? Well, they met in Northumberland in the winter.
Percy was traveling on government business in that part of the world.
It was love at first sight.
Do your people approve of the match? Indeed, Mr.
Holmes, especially when they learned of Percy's connection with Lord Holdhurst.
My father is an iron-master, and a staunch supporter of the Conservative Party.
She came down here to meet Percy's people, and you came as escort? That's right, just before they left for America.
The, um, the wedding is planned for September, if the poor chap recovers.
I suppose you only intended a short visit, and then came the smash? Mm.
May I ask you what your occupation is that allows you to while away the summer in Woking? As the eldest son, Mr.
Holmes, I have expectations of inheriting my father's business.
I also dabble in stocks and shares, which grants me a certain independence.
My apologies if my question offended you.
On the night of May the 23rd, had you arranged to meet Mr.
Phelps at Waterloo to take the 11:00 o'clock train together? No.
That may have been his intention, he knew I was in London dining with my stockbroker.
But I wasn't expecting to meet him.
Then thank you for your time, Mr.
Harrison.
Shall I, um, and would you, the sick room.
Mr.
Holmes, I do apologize.
I feel calmer now, thanks to Watson's ministration.
Gently with him, Holmes.
Ah.
Mr.
Phelps, there is just the matter of the Commissioner's wife.
Yes, of course.
As I remember, shortly after our return to my office, Inspector Forbes of the Yard arrived to take up the case with considerable energy.
We hired a hansom, and within half an hour we were at the Tangeys' home in Brixton.
The door was opened by his eldest daughter.
Hey, what do you want? Is your mother at home? Not yet.
She does a night job-- cleaning.
We'll wait for her, if you don't mind.
In here.
And you get back in here, now go on, and shut the door.
After about ten minutes, we heard the front door, and here we made one serious mistake for which I blame myself.
Mum, there's two men in the parlor wants to talk to ya'.
Oh, my God! If it isn't Mr.
Phelps of the office.
Come, come, who did you think we were when you ran away from us? I thought you was the bailiffs.
We've had some trouble with a tradesman.
Here, let go, let go, let-- We've reason to believe that you've taken a paper of importance from the Foreign Office, and you ran in here to dispose of it.
Now, you better come back with us to Scotland Yard to be searched.
Get your hands off me! I didn't take no paper! That will be enough-- There will be peace and quiet.
Mr.
Phelpsno, stop it! You made a full examination of the kitchen? Yes.
There was no sign of the documents.
A four-wheeler was brought and we all three drove back in it to Scotland Yard.
I waited in an agony of suspense until the female searcher came back with her report.
They found nothing.
After that, I have no clear recollection.
I believe a police officer drove me to Waterloo where by the merest good fortune, I met Dr.
Ferrier, who lives near us and was traveling down by the next train.
The train you caught now would have been? The 11:40, I think.
Dr.
Ferrier most kindly took charge of me.
Just as well he did, for I had a fit in the station and before we reached home I was practically a raving lunatic.
Your brother had already returned? Yes.
I was surprised, but not unduly worried that he was alone.
Percy often worked late, and I knew there was another train.
So I went to bed.
And sometime after midnight? I was woken by the most fearful commotion in the hall.
Bring him in here, bring him in here! Oh, God Your brother was sleeping down here in this room? Yes.
My family were taking advantage of their trip to America to have several of the upstairs bedrooms redecorated.
It was evident that poor Percy was in for a long illness.
So, Joseph was bundled up to my room, and this was turned into a sick room for me.
Why, it's a very cheery room.
I have lain here for nine weeks, delirious.
If it had not been for Miss Harrison and the doctor's care, I should not be speaking to you now.
She nursed me by day, a hired nurse looked after me at night, for in the mad fits I was capable of anything.
It's only in the last few days that my reason has slowly cleared.
I've wired Inspector Forbes, but he's told me no clue has been discovered.
So I turn to you, Mr.
Holmes, as my last hope.
Just one question of the utmost importance, Mr.
Phelps.
Did you tell anyone that you had this special task to perform? No one.
Not Miss Harrison, for example? No.
I had not been back to Woking in between getting the order and executing the commission.
What a lovely thing a rose is.
There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion.
It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner.
Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers.
It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again, we have much to hope for from the flowers.
Do you see any prospect of solving this mystery, Mr.
Holmes? Mystery? Ah, it would be absurd to deny that the case is abstruse and complicated.
Do you see any clue? You have furnished me with seven, but I must put them to the test before I can pronounce on their value.
You suspect someone? I suspect myself.
What? Of coming to conclusions too rapidly.
Then go back to London and test your conclusions! Your advice is very excellent, Miss Harrison.
Mr.
Phelps, do not indulge yourself in false hopes, the affair is a very tangled one, and I am not a magician.
Hey, little varmint! What do you think of Miss Harrison? A good sort, or I'm mistaken.
I thought you were rather terse with her.
Was I? She was only protecting her loved one.
A little overprotective, perhaps.
Surely, you don't believe that she had anything to do with it? The most difficult crime to track down, Watson, is the one which is purposeless.
Now, this is not purposeless, but who is it that profits by it? Well, there's the French Ambassador, the Russian, and whoever might sell it to either of those.
And Lord Holdhurst.
While it is not inconceivable that a statesman might find himself in a position where he was not sorry to see such a document accidentally destroyed.
Not a statesman with the honorable record of Lord Holdhurst.
George, the Foreign Office, Charles Street entrance.
George, I want you to do something for me.
Find the cab which dropped a fare there just after half past 9:00 on the evening of May the 23rd.
Gorot, a French name.
Huguenot, actually.
But I'm as English in sympathy as you are, Mr.
Holmes.
Am I under some sort of cloud because of my name? Oh, no, no, Holmes has a French grandmother.
I'd make yourself scarce if you want to avoid Inspector Forbes.
We've arranged to meet him here in five minutes.
Yes, I have been questioned by him already.
I shall do as you say.
Goodnight to you both.
Goodnight.
Goodnight.
No secret doors, the windows quite 30 feet above the ground, fastened on the inner side.
The carpet prevents any possibility of a trap door.
Now, whoever rang the bell rope must have come right over to the desk.
Why ring it? I mean, was it the thief, out of bravado? Or was it someone with the thief who tried to prevent the crime? Or was it-- Inspector Forbes, I believe.
Mr.
Holmes, I'm a very busy man.
I have other cases besides this one.
But none so vital to the national interest, I'll wager.
May I introduce my friend and colleague, Dr.
Watson? What do you want from me, Holmes? I know about your methods.
You're ready enough to use our information, then you try and finish the case yourself and bring discredit on us.
On the contrary, in my last 53 cases, my name has appeared in only 4 and the police have the credit in 49.
I don't blame you for not knowing this, you are young and inexperienced.
But if you wish to get on in your duties you will work with me and not against me! Now, then, what steps have you taken? Tangey, the commissioner, we've cleared.
He left the Guards with a good character.
His wife is a bad lot, though, she drinks.
What about the clerk, Gorot? He's been shadowed all these nine weeks.
We can show nothing against him.
Have you formed any theory about how this bell rang? No.
I must confess, that beats me.
It was a cool hand, whoever it was, to go and give the alarm like that.
Yes, yes, it was a very queer thing to do.
Well, many thanks, Inspector, and if I can put this thief in your hands, you shall hear from me.
Come along, Watson.
May I ask where you're going now? To interview Lord Holdhurst, the Cabinet Minister and very possibly the next Premier of England.
Good evening, Inspector.
I can't pretend, Mr.
Holmes, that I am ignorant of the reason for your visit, but in whose interests are you acting, may I ask? In the part of Mr.
Percy Phelps.
Ah, my unfortunate nephew.
You can understand that our kinship makes it the more impossible for me to screen him in any way.
Yes, but if the document is found, Lord Holdhurst? That, of course, would be different.
Lord Holdhurst, it was in this room that you gave instructions for the copying of the document? It was.
And you mentioned it to nobody else except your nephew, you're certain of that? Absolutely.
Then if nobody else knew of it, you would agree that the thief's presence in your nephew's room was purely accidental.
I mean, he saw his chance and took it.
You take me out of my province there, Mr.
Holmes.
There is one other very important point.
You feared, so I understand, that very grave results might follow from the details of this treaty becoming known? Very grave results indeed.
Have they occurred? Not yet.
If the treaty had reached, let us say, the Russian or the French Foreign Office, you would expect to hear of it? I certainly should.
Then since nearly ten weeks have elapsed, it is not unfair to suppose then that the treaty for some reason has not reached them.
But Holmes, we can hardly suppose that the thief took the treaty in order to frame it and hang it on his wall.
Well, perhaps he's waiting for a better price, Watson.
Or maybe he's had a sudden illness.
A brain storm, for example? I did not say so.
Lord Holdhurst, we have taken up too much of your valuable time.
Fine fellow, heavy responsibilities.
Yes, but he has a struggle to keep up his position, and he's far from rich.
You noticed, of course, that his boots had been resoled.
Really?! I shall do nothing more today unless I get an answer to my cab inquiry.
Ah.
All right.
Oh, Watson, I won't detain you any longer from your legitimate work.
But I should be extremely obliged if you would come down to Woking with me tomorrow, the same train that we took today.
Yes, of course.
Goodnight, Holmes.
No, no, tonight I shall sleep my own sleep, and alone.
But Percy.
Mr.
Holmes has imbued me with fresh hope, and I feel I'm on the mend.
We have an appointment in church in September, my love, and I mean to keep it.
He sent the nurse away.
At last.
He puts too much faith in the great detective.
It's you that's kept his flame alive, not some detective.
And you, brother.
Without you to support me-- Could it be that I am the center of some monstrous conspiracy, and that my life is aimed at, as well as my honor? I haven't as far as I know, an enemy in the world! You certainly have had your share of misfortune, old chap.
I think I may have found the spot where the fella' scaled the wall! It's towards the road.
Ah, do you think this was done last night? It looks rather old to me.
No, I fancy we shall get no help there.
Now, why did the intruder choose the window onto the courtyard? I should have thought this side of the house would have been easier.
It's more visible from the courtyard.
Ah, yes, of course.
Have you ever had an alarm like this before? There's no plate in the house, or anything to attract burglars? Nothing of value.
Was there anything in London? Well, we've seen Inspector Forbes, we've seen your uncle.
Holmes has set one or two things in motion.
So you've not lost heart.
Oh, by no means! God bless you for saying that.
If we keep our courage and patience, the truth must come out.
Miss Harrison, you must remain in this room for the rest of the day.
It is of vital importance.
Now, tonight, when you go to bed, lock that door from the outside and keep the key.
But Percy? Tell no one! Now, quick, promise! Why are you moping in here, honey? Come out in the sunshine.
I'll be your crockie.
I have a slight headache and this room is deliciously cool and soothing, thank you, Joseph.
Mr.
Phelps, while we're investigating this minor affair we must not lose sight of our main inquiry.
It would help me very much if you would come up to London with us.
Do you feel strong enough? Yes, if you really think I can be of help.
Do you want me to stay the night? I was on the point of proposing it.
Then if my friend of the night comes to visit me, he'll find the bird flown.
But, what about Annie? Ah, Mr.
Harrison will look after her, and my friend Watson will take care of your medical needs.
Could you be ready to leave in an hour? We are all in your hands, Mr.
Holmes.
There are one or two points I wish to clear up, and your absence, Mr.
Phelps, will rather assist me.
Watson, when you reach London drive our friend straight to Baker Street and remain with him until I see you again.
And now, gentlemen, I shall leave you.
What about our investigation in London?! I hope to be in London in time for breakfast.
He really is the most inscrutable fellow, Watson.
Oh, you're still in here.
How's your headache? A little better.
The first day for nine weeks without the invalid, and you choose to spend it in here.
Force of habit.
Are you dining tonight? I'm not hungry, and I'm enjoying my book.
Mm, I understand.
My poor little sister, what a time you've had.
That'll be Mr.
Holmes returning now, sir.
Thank you, Horace.
He looks like a beaten man.
I confess you may be right.
I'd hoped for so much! Holmes, you're wounded! Oh, it's only a scratch through my own clumsiness.
Good morning, Mr.
Phelps, this case of yours is certainly one of the darkest I have ever investigated.
It has been a remarkable experience.
Oh, come along, Holmes, that bandage tells of adventures.
Now, what happened? After breakfast, my dear Watson.
Remember, I have breathed 30 miles of Surrey air this morning.
There's been no answer to my cab inquiry, I suppose? Well, one cannot score every time.
Mrs.
Hudson, you have risen to the occasion.
Won't you join us, Mr.
Phelps? Now, what's in this? Curried chicken, sir.
And this? Ham and eggs.
Her cuisine is a little limited, but she has as good an idea of breakfast as any Scotswoman.
Now, what will you take, Mr.
Phelps, curried fowl, eggs, or will you help yourself? Thank you.
I can eat nothing.
Oh, please, try the dish before you.
Thank you, I would really rather not.
Oh, well, then, I suppose you have no objection to helping me? Oh! It's the treaty.
It's the treaty.
It's the treaty.
My God, it's the treaty! It's the treaty! It's the treaty! Watson, brandy.
Ah, there, there, there, it really was too bad of me to spring it on you like that, but Watson here will tell you that I never can resist a touch of the dramatic.
God bless you for saving my honor.
Thank you, Mrs.
Hudson.
Oh, thank you for your many considerations.
A Scotswoman's breakfast, indeed, a silly bit of paper! Please, tell me how you got it, where it was! After I left you, I settled myself into the English countryside and spent a charming afternoon.
I remained there until dusk, and then I returned to your house.
I clambered over the wall and made my way through the undergrowth until I reached the stables, just opposite your bedroom window.
The blind in your window had not yet been drawn, and I could see Miss Harrison reading a book by the light from a lamp.
It was about a quarter-past ten when she closed the book, moved across the room, carrying the lamp with her.
But I felt quite sure that she had turned the key in the lock.
Key? The instructions I gave her, which she carried out to the letter.
Mr.
Phelps, she is a lady of rare character.
Without her cooperation, you would not have that paper in your hand now.
It was a weary vigil, but it had the sort of excitement a sportsman feels when he lies before the watercourse and waits for the big game.
What happened, what happened?! It was about 2:00 o'clock in the morning, when I heard the gentle sound of a bolt being pushed back.
All right.
All right, Holmes, what you gonna do with me? I've got what I want.
Ow!--Run.
Joseph! You let him go?! I wired full particulars to Inspector Forbes.
If he's quick enough to catch his bird, well and good.
But if, as I shrewdly suspect, he finds the nest empty, why, all the better for the government.
I fancy Lord Holdhurst, for one, and Mr.
Percy Phelps for another, would much rather the affair never got to a police court.
My God, do you tell me that during my 10 long weeks of agony the stolen papers were in the very room with me all the time? And Joseph, a villain and a thief! From what I gather, he had lost heavily dabbling in stocks, and concealed the fact from his father, a man of strictly conservative habits.
Yes, but his own sister's happiness, and your reputation, your health! He knew that you often worked late, and he was in town having dinner with his stockbroker, as he told me.
But he was free by half past 9:00, and called by your office, entering through the side door.
Percy? Finding no one in there but the light on and work evidently in progress, he rang the bell.
The instant he did so, his eye caught the paper on the table.
He knew at once that chance had put in his way a state document of immense value, returned alone to Woking and concealed it in what he thought was a very safe place, intending to remove it in a day or two, and take it to the French embassy or wherever he thought a long price was to be had.
There's nobody there, there's nobody there! Then came your sudden return.
Without a moment's warning he was bundled out of his room and from that moment on, there were always at least two of you in there, preventing him from regaining his treasure, maddening for him.
My suspicions became certainties when the attempt to break in was made on the first night that the hired nurse was absent, which showed that the intruder was well accustomed with the ways of the house.
At last, he had his chance.
But you baffled him with your wakefulness.
Yes! I didn't take my sleeping draft! But he had another chance when you came up to London.
I kept Miss Harrison in the room all day so as to anticipate him.
But if you already knew the papers were in the room? I thought they probably were, but I had no desire to rip up all the skirting in search of them.
By allowing him to lead me to the hiding place, I saved myself an infinity of trouble.
And caught him red-handed! Quite so.
Yes, but why did he try the window when he might have come in through the door? To appear to be a burglar, and if necessary, make good his escape across the courtyard.
The knife, you don't think he had any murderous intentions? My dear fellow, I can only say that Mr.
Joseph Harrison is a gentleman to whose mercy I should be extremely unwilling to trust.
That will be a young lady for you, Mr.
Phelps.
Annie! I left her a note to come to London the moment she woke.
But Mr.
Phelps, she knows nothing as yet of her brother's criminality.
Oh, yes.
My dear Holmes, I can't thank you enough.
I shall go down at once and explain everything.
Percy, good-bye, and good luck! Thank you for restoring my happiness.
There's a young lady at the door, sir.
Mr.
Holmes, hot water! Thank you.
England! Holmes, Holmes? Holmes? Holmes, Holmes? You come as a crisis, Watson! Help yourself to tobacco from the Persian slipper.
I shall be at your service in an instant.
If this remains blue, all is well.
If it turns red, it's a man's life.
I thought as much.
Mrs.
Hudson! Mrs.
Hudson! Would you find Billy, please, and tell him to dispatch these telegrams without delay.
Thank you.
Oh, Sit down, Watson.
A commonplace little murder! You have something more interesting, I fancy.
You are the stormy petrel of crime, Watson.
What is it? I've had a letter from a boy I was at school with.
I think you should read it.
Percy Phelps, brilliant boy, carried off every prize the school had to offer, went on to fresh triumphs at Cambridge.
I must confess, he'd passed completely out of my mind until this.
"My Dear Watson: I have no doubt you remember Tadpole Phelps, who was in the third form when you were in the fifth.
It's possible you may have heard that through my uncle's influence I obtained a good appointment at the Foreign Office.
" His uncle's Lord Holdhurst.
"And that I was in a position of trust and honor till a horrible misfortune came suddenly to blast my career.
" Yes, his gaudy connections did him little good at school.
It seemed to us a piquant thing to chevy him about the playground, hit him over the shins with a wicket.
"Do you think you could bring your friend Mr.
Holmes down to see me?" That doesn't tell us much.
Hardly anything.
But the writing is of interest, it is a woman's.
No, no, a man's, surely.
No, a woman's.
At the commencement of a case it is always something to know that a client is in close contact with someone who, for good or evil, has an exceptional nature.
You're interested? Indeed.
Well, if you are ready, let us start for Briarbrae House Woking, at once.
Well, my practice-- Oh, oh, oh, oh! Well, I mean, if your cases are more interesting than mine.
I was gonna say, my practice would do very well for a day or two.
It's the slackest time of the year.
Excellent.
Then let us visit this diplomatist who is in such evil case, and the lady to whom he dictates his letters.
Mrs.
Hudson, hot water! Ah, Rose.
Check this for me, would you? That's a good love.
Mr.
Sherlock Holmes? And this is my colleague and friend, Dr.
Watson.
Dr.
Watson, I'm so glad you've come.
Percy's been inquiring after you all morning, poor chap.
I perceive that you, yourself, are not a member of the family? Of course, you see my JH monogram.
Now, for a moment I thought you'd done something clever.
Joseph Harrison is my name, and since Percy is betrothed to my sister Annie, I shall at least be a relation by marriage.
You'll find her in his room, she's been nursing him these past two months.
Rose, in the house.
Now, listen, they're here.
Shall I leave? No, no.
My dear Watson, I should never have known you under that mustache, and I daresay you wouldn't be prepared to swear to me.
Not at all, still the same dear old Tadpole.
And this, I presume, is your celebrated friend? Mr.
Sherlock Holmes, Mr.
Percy Phelps.
And I'm Miss Harrison.
My fiancé, and my nurse.
Please, sit down.
I, uh, I showed Holmes the letter that you wrote to me.
Yes, I hoped you would.
It was rather short on detail.
Then let me get straight to the point.
I work as a clerk in the Foreign Office.
My uncle is Lord Holdhurst.
When he became Foreign Minister, he gave me, ocassional delicate missions of trust, which I always managed to conduct successfully.
I'm sure you did, old chap.
Pray, continue, Mr.
Phelps.
Nearly ten weeks ago, it was the evening of the 23rd of May, he called me into his private room.
Ah, Percy, my dear boy! Good evening, sir.
You've heard of the Naval Treaty that has just been drawn up between England and ltaly? I've read rumors in the press, sir.
Most regrettable, and it is of the utmost importance that nothing further should leak out.
The French and Russian embassies would pay an immense sum to learn its contents.
This is the original.
It should not leave my bureau were it not absolutely necessary to have it copied.
Take it straight to your office and lock it up.
Now, remain behind when the others go, so that you can work at your leisure and without fear of being overlooked.
And when you have finished, relock both the original and the draft in your own desk, and hand them over to me personally tomorrow morning.
The very greatest care, Nephew.
You may rely on it, sir.
This treaty, can you be more precise as to its nature? Well, in outline it defined the position of Great Britain towards the Triple Alliance in the event of the French fleet gaining complete ascendancy over ltaly in the Mediterranean.
I returned straight to my office where I found a colleague of mine, Mr.
Charles Gorot, still working.
Well, chap, what did Uncle want? To congratulate me on my engagement.
Splendid.
Nothing else? Some fishing dispute he wanted me to copy.
You're not still on that Bulgarian piece, are you? It's extremely long-winded and tiresome, and I am fagged out for the night.
You working late again? Just a few things.
You want to slack off a bit, old man.
Ambition is a fine thing and all that, but do not neglect the beautiful Miss Harrison.
Some other chap might step in.
She wouldn't have you, Charles.
Well, not me, old man.
I've got my Daphne.
Goodnight to you.
Goodnight.
You made sure that he was gone before you started work? Quite sure, and I copied as fast as I could, for I knew that Joseph, my fiancé's brother-- We met him in the garden.
He was in town, and was traveling back to Woking by the 11:00 o'clock train.
And I wanted to catch it, if possible.
But it was a long document? Written in French.
By 9:00 o'clock, I was feeling drowsy and scarcely a third of the way through.
I thought a cup of coffee might clear my brain, so I rang the commissioner who stays on duty all night in a small lodge at the bottom of the stairs.
To my surprise, it was a woman who answered the summons.
I'm sorry, I was ringing for Mr.
Tangey.
I'm his wife, sir, I do the char work in this building.
Ah, well, I was wondering if you might bring me a cup of coffee.
I'll go and ask him, sir.
This woman, you've never noticed her in the building before? Never.
The coffee was some time coming, so I went down to investigate.
Leaving the room unguarded? Yes.
I found Tangey--asleep.
Mr.
Phelps, sir, I'm very sorry, sir.
I must have just dropped off for a moment.
Your coffee, sir.
Well, if you're here, sir, who's ringing the bell? Bell, what bell is it? It's the bell in the room in which you're working, sir.
You ran back upstairs and the document was gone from your desk.
Yes! God no-- You passed no one in the corridor? No one, there was no one! And the room and the corridor all seemed exactly as I'd left it! Percy has drawn a rough chart of the building, Mr.
Holmes, which he thought might be of use.
Yes, yes, that's of the utmost importance, Mr.
Holmes.
Yes, I think I quite follow it.
On your discovery of the theft, what did you do then? Well, I recognized in an instant the thief must have come up through the side door.
This one here.
Yes, of course.
Well, you'd have met him if he'd come the other way.
And you are satisfied that they could not have been concealed in the room or in the corridor? Absolutely impossible.
All the other doors were locked.
Strict Foreign Office regulations.
There was no cover at all.
A rat couldn't have concealed himself there.
Tangey and I both rushed out down the stairs that lead into Charles Street.
Mr.
Phelps! The door at the bottom was closed, unlocked.
It was dark, raining.
There was no one! But I distinctly remember the three-quarters of Big Ben.
A quarter to ten.
That is of enormous importance.
They came out here, you see, Holmes.
On the corner we found a policeman, but he'd seen no one leave the building in the last quarter of an hour except for the Commissioner's wife, so we ran through to Whitehall.
It was full of traffic, people coming and going, all only too eager to find a place of shelter on so wet a night.
No lounger to tell you who'd passed? None.
Had it been raining all evening? Since about 7:00.
Ah, this chain of events is certainly of extraordinary interest.
And so you returned to the office, examined it, I presume, to see if the intruder had left any traces; muddy foot marks, any cigar end, or dropped glove, hairpin? There was nothing.
Except the tangible fact that the Commissioner's wife had run out of the building not ten minutes earlier.
What did you do next, Mr.
Phelps? The constable alerted Scotland Yard.
It was then for the first time the full horror of my situation came upon me.
I'd been so confident of regaining the treaty, I dared not think-- Watson will tell you I was a nervous, sensitive boy at school.
It's my nature.
I thought of my uncle, his cabinet colleagues, the shame I'd brought upon them, myself, everyone connected with me.
Although I was the victim of an accident, there are no allowance for accidents in diplomatic circles.
Ruined, shamefully, hopelessly ruined! Steady on, old chap.
Stand back, will you, Holmes.
Is the investigation concluded? Adjourned.
Poor old Percy, terrible strain, all this, career in the balance.
It seems not to have affected your sister's devotion.
How long has she known Mr.
Phelps? Well, they met in Northumberland in the winter.
Percy was traveling on government business in that part of the world.
It was love at first sight.
Do your people approve of the match? Indeed, Mr.
Holmes, especially when they learned of Percy's connection with Lord Holdhurst.
My father is an iron-master, and a staunch supporter of the Conservative Party.
She came down here to meet Percy's people, and you came as escort? That's right, just before they left for America.
The, um, the wedding is planned for September, if the poor chap recovers.
I suppose you only intended a short visit, and then came the smash? Mm.
May I ask you what your occupation is that allows you to while away the summer in Woking? As the eldest son, Mr.
Holmes, I have expectations of inheriting my father's business.
I also dabble in stocks and shares, which grants me a certain independence.
My apologies if my question offended you.
On the night of May the 23rd, had you arranged to meet Mr.
Phelps at Waterloo to take the 11:00 o'clock train together? No.
That may have been his intention, he knew I was in London dining with my stockbroker.
But I wasn't expecting to meet him.
Then thank you for your time, Mr.
Harrison.
Shall I, um, and would you, the sick room.
Mr.
Holmes, I do apologize.
I feel calmer now, thanks to Watson's ministration.
Gently with him, Holmes.
Ah.
Mr.
Phelps, there is just the matter of the Commissioner's wife.
Yes, of course.
As I remember, shortly after our return to my office, Inspector Forbes of the Yard arrived to take up the case with considerable energy.
We hired a hansom, and within half an hour we were at the Tangeys' home in Brixton.
The door was opened by his eldest daughter.
Hey, what do you want? Is your mother at home? Not yet.
She does a night job-- cleaning.
We'll wait for her, if you don't mind.
In here.
And you get back in here, now go on, and shut the door.
After about ten minutes, we heard the front door, and here we made one serious mistake for which I blame myself.
Mum, there's two men in the parlor wants to talk to ya'.
Oh, my God! If it isn't Mr.
Phelps of the office.
Come, come, who did you think we were when you ran away from us? I thought you was the bailiffs.
We've had some trouble with a tradesman.
Here, let go, let go, let-- We've reason to believe that you've taken a paper of importance from the Foreign Office, and you ran in here to dispose of it.
Now, you better come back with us to Scotland Yard to be searched.
Get your hands off me! I didn't take no paper! That will be enough-- There will be peace and quiet.
Mr.
Phelpsno, stop it! You made a full examination of the kitchen? Yes.
There was no sign of the documents.
A four-wheeler was brought and we all three drove back in it to Scotland Yard.
I waited in an agony of suspense until the female searcher came back with her report.
They found nothing.
After that, I have no clear recollection.
I believe a police officer drove me to Waterloo where by the merest good fortune, I met Dr.
Ferrier, who lives near us and was traveling down by the next train.
The train you caught now would have been? The 11:40, I think.
Dr.
Ferrier most kindly took charge of me.
Just as well he did, for I had a fit in the station and before we reached home I was practically a raving lunatic.
Your brother had already returned? Yes.
I was surprised, but not unduly worried that he was alone.
Percy often worked late, and I knew there was another train.
So I went to bed.
And sometime after midnight? I was woken by the most fearful commotion in the hall.
Bring him in here, bring him in here! Oh, God Your brother was sleeping down here in this room? Yes.
My family were taking advantage of their trip to America to have several of the upstairs bedrooms redecorated.
It was evident that poor Percy was in for a long illness.
So, Joseph was bundled up to my room, and this was turned into a sick room for me.
Why, it's a very cheery room.
I have lain here for nine weeks, delirious.
If it had not been for Miss Harrison and the doctor's care, I should not be speaking to you now.
She nursed me by day, a hired nurse looked after me at night, for in the mad fits I was capable of anything.
It's only in the last few days that my reason has slowly cleared.
I've wired Inspector Forbes, but he's told me no clue has been discovered.
So I turn to you, Mr.
Holmes, as my last hope.
Just one question of the utmost importance, Mr.
Phelps.
Did you tell anyone that you had this special task to perform? No one.
Not Miss Harrison, for example? No.
I had not been back to Woking in between getting the order and executing the commission.
What a lovely thing a rose is.
There is nothing in which deduction is so necessary as in religion.
It can be built up as an exact science by the reasoner.
Our highest assurance of the goodness of Providence seems to me to rest in the flowers.
It is only goodness which gives extras, and so I say again, we have much to hope for from the flowers.
Do you see any prospect of solving this mystery, Mr.
Holmes? Mystery? Ah, it would be absurd to deny that the case is abstruse and complicated.
Do you see any clue? You have furnished me with seven, but I must put them to the test before I can pronounce on their value.
You suspect someone? I suspect myself.
What? Of coming to conclusions too rapidly.
Then go back to London and test your conclusions! Your advice is very excellent, Miss Harrison.
Mr.
Phelps, do not indulge yourself in false hopes, the affair is a very tangled one, and I am not a magician.
Hey, little varmint! What do you think of Miss Harrison? A good sort, or I'm mistaken.
I thought you were rather terse with her.
Was I? She was only protecting her loved one.
A little overprotective, perhaps.
Surely, you don't believe that she had anything to do with it? The most difficult crime to track down, Watson, is the one which is purposeless.
Now, this is not purposeless, but who is it that profits by it? Well, there's the French Ambassador, the Russian, and whoever might sell it to either of those.
And Lord Holdhurst.
While it is not inconceivable that a statesman might find himself in a position where he was not sorry to see such a document accidentally destroyed.
Not a statesman with the honorable record of Lord Holdhurst.
George, the Foreign Office, Charles Street entrance.
George, I want you to do something for me.
Find the cab which dropped a fare there just after half past 9:00 on the evening of May the 23rd.
Gorot, a French name.
Huguenot, actually.
But I'm as English in sympathy as you are, Mr.
Holmes.
Am I under some sort of cloud because of my name? Oh, no, no, Holmes has a French grandmother.
I'd make yourself scarce if you want to avoid Inspector Forbes.
We've arranged to meet him here in five minutes.
Yes, I have been questioned by him already.
I shall do as you say.
Goodnight to you both.
Goodnight.
Goodnight.
No secret doors, the windows quite 30 feet above the ground, fastened on the inner side.
The carpet prevents any possibility of a trap door.
Now, whoever rang the bell rope must have come right over to the desk.
Why ring it? I mean, was it the thief, out of bravado? Or was it someone with the thief who tried to prevent the crime? Or was it-- Inspector Forbes, I believe.
Mr.
Holmes, I'm a very busy man.
I have other cases besides this one.
But none so vital to the national interest, I'll wager.
May I introduce my friend and colleague, Dr.
Watson? What do you want from me, Holmes? I know about your methods.
You're ready enough to use our information, then you try and finish the case yourself and bring discredit on us.
On the contrary, in my last 53 cases, my name has appeared in only 4 and the police have the credit in 49.
I don't blame you for not knowing this, you are young and inexperienced.
But if you wish to get on in your duties you will work with me and not against me! Now, then, what steps have you taken? Tangey, the commissioner, we've cleared.
He left the Guards with a good character.
His wife is a bad lot, though, she drinks.
What about the clerk, Gorot? He's been shadowed all these nine weeks.
We can show nothing against him.
Have you formed any theory about how this bell rang? No.
I must confess, that beats me.
It was a cool hand, whoever it was, to go and give the alarm like that.
Yes, yes, it was a very queer thing to do.
Well, many thanks, Inspector, and if I can put this thief in your hands, you shall hear from me.
Come along, Watson.
May I ask where you're going now? To interview Lord Holdhurst, the Cabinet Minister and very possibly the next Premier of England.
Good evening, Inspector.
I can't pretend, Mr.
Holmes, that I am ignorant of the reason for your visit, but in whose interests are you acting, may I ask? In the part of Mr.
Percy Phelps.
Ah, my unfortunate nephew.
You can understand that our kinship makes it the more impossible for me to screen him in any way.
Yes, but if the document is found, Lord Holdhurst? That, of course, would be different.
Lord Holdhurst, it was in this room that you gave instructions for the copying of the document? It was.
And you mentioned it to nobody else except your nephew, you're certain of that? Absolutely.
Then if nobody else knew of it, you would agree that the thief's presence in your nephew's room was purely accidental.
I mean, he saw his chance and took it.
You take me out of my province there, Mr.
Holmes.
There is one other very important point.
You feared, so I understand, that very grave results might follow from the details of this treaty becoming known? Very grave results indeed.
Have they occurred? Not yet.
If the treaty had reached, let us say, the Russian or the French Foreign Office, you would expect to hear of it? I certainly should.
Then since nearly ten weeks have elapsed, it is not unfair to suppose then that the treaty for some reason has not reached them.
But Holmes, we can hardly suppose that the thief took the treaty in order to frame it and hang it on his wall.
Well, perhaps he's waiting for a better price, Watson.
Or maybe he's had a sudden illness.
A brain storm, for example? I did not say so.
Lord Holdhurst, we have taken up too much of your valuable time.
Fine fellow, heavy responsibilities.
Yes, but he has a struggle to keep up his position, and he's far from rich.
You noticed, of course, that his boots had been resoled.
Really?! I shall do nothing more today unless I get an answer to my cab inquiry.
Ah.
All right.
Oh, Watson, I won't detain you any longer from your legitimate work.
But I should be extremely obliged if you would come down to Woking with me tomorrow, the same train that we took today.
Yes, of course.
Goodnight, Holmes.
No, no, tonight I shall sleep my own sleep, and alone.
But Percy.
Mr.
Holmes has imbued me with fresh hope, and I feel I'm on the mend.
We have an appointment in church in September, my love, and I mean to keep it.
He sent the nurse away.
At last.
He puts too much faith in the great detective.
It's you that's kept his flame alive, not some detective.
And you, brother.
Without you to support me-- Could it be that I am the center of some monstrous conspiracy, and that my life is aimed at, as well as my honor? I haven't as far as I know, an enemy in the world! You certainly have had your share of misfortune, old chap.
I think I may have found the spot where the fella' scaled the wall! It's towards the road.
Ah, do you think this was done last night? It looks rather old to me.
No, I fancy we shall get no help there.
Now, why did the intruder choose the window onto the courtyard? I should have thought this side of the house would have been easier.
It's more visible from the courtyard.
Ah, yes, of course.
Have you ever had an alarm like this before? There's no plate in the house, or anything to attract burglars? Nothing of value.
Was there anything in London? Well, we've seen Inspector Forbes, we've seen your uncle.
Holmes has set one or two things in motion.
So you've not lost heart.
Oh, by no means! God bless you for saying that.
If we keep our courage and patience, the truth must come out.
Miss Harrison, you must remain in this room for the rest of the day.
It is of vital importance.
Now, tonight, when you go to bed, lock that door from the outside and keep the key.
But Percy? Tell no one! Now, quick, promise! Why are you moping in here, honey? Come out in the sunshine.
I'll be your crockie.
I have a slight headache and this room is deliciously cool and soothing, thank you, Joseph.
Mr.
Phelps, while we're investigating this minor affair we must not lose sight of our main inquiry.
It would help me very much if you would come up to London with us.
Do you feel strong enough? Yes, if you really think I can be of help.
Do you want me to stay the night? I was on the point of proposing it.
Then if my friend of the night comes to visit me, he'll find the bird flown.
But, what about Annie? Ah, Mr.
Harrison will look after her, and my friend Watson will take care of your medical needs.
Could you be ready to leave in an hour? We are all in your hands, Mr.
Holmes.
There are one or two points I wish to clear up, and your absence, Mr.
Phelps, will rather assist me.
Watson, when you reach London drive our friend straight to Baker Street and remain with him until I see you again.
And now, gentlemen, I shall leave you.
What about our investigation in London?! I hope to be in London in time for breakfast.
He really is the most inscrutable fellow, Watson.
Oh, you're still in here.
How's your headache? A little better.
The first day for nine weeks without the invalid, and you choose to spend it in here.
Force of habit.
Are you dining tonight? I'm not hungry, and I'm enjoying my book.
Mm, I understand.
My poor little sister, what a time you've had.
That'll be Mr.
Holmes returning now, sir.
Thank you, Horace.
He looks like a beaten man.
I confess you may be right.
I'd hoped for so much! Holmes, you're wounded! Oh, it's only a scratch through my own clumsiness.
Good morning, Mr.
Phelps, this case of yours is certainly one of the darkest I have ever investigated.
It has been a remarkable experience.
Oh, come along, Holmes, that bandage tells of adventures.
Now, what happened? After breakfast, my dear Watson.
Remember, I have breathed 30 miles of Surrey air this morning.
There's been no answer to my cab inquiry, I suppose? Well, one cannot score every time.
Mrs.
Hudson, you have risen to the occasion.
Won't you join us, Mr.
Phelps? Now, what's in this? Curried chicken, sir.
And this? Ham and eggs.
Her cuisine is a little limited, but she has as good an idea of breakfast as any Scotswoman.
Now, what will you take, Mr.
Phelps, curried fowl, eggs, or will you help yourself? Thank you.
I can eat nothing.
Oh, please, try the dish before you.
Thank you, I would really rather not.
Oh, well, then, I suppose you have no objection to helping me? Oh! It's the treaty.
It's the treaty.
It's the treaty.
My God, it's the treaty! It's the treaty! It's the treaty! Watson, brandy.
Ah, there, there, there, it really was too bad of me to spring it on you like that, but Watson here will tell you that I never can resist a touch of the dramatic.
God bless you for saving my honor.
Thank you, Mrs.
Hudson.
Oh, thank you for your many considerations.
A Scotswoman's breakfast, indeed, a silly bit of paper! Please, tell me how you got it, where it was! After I left you, I settled myself into the English countryside and spent a charming afternoon.
I remained there until dusk, and then I returned to your house.
I clambered over the wall and made my way through the undergrowth until I reached the stables, just opposite your bedroom window.
The blind in your window had not yet been drawn, and I could see Miss Harrison reading a book by the light from a lamp.
It was about a quarter-past ten when she closed the book, moved across the room, carrying the lamp with her.
But I felt quite sure that she had turned the key in the lock.
Key? The instructions I gave her, which she carried out to the letter.
Mr.
Phelps, she is a lady of rare character.
Without her cooperation, you would not have that paper in your hand now.
It was a weary vigil, but it had the sort of excitement a sportsman feels when he lies before the watercourse and waits for the big game.
What happened, what happened?! It was about 2:00 o'clock in the morning, when I heard the gentle sound of a bolt being pushed back.
All right.
All right, Holmes, what you gonna do with me? I've got what I want.
Ow!--Run.
Joseph! You let him go?! I wired full particulars to Inspector Forbes.
If he's quick enough to catch his bird, well and good.
But if, as I shrewdly suspect, he finds the nest empty, why, all the better for the government.
I fancy Lord Holdhurst, for one, and Mr.
Percy Phelps for another, would much rather the affair never got to a police court.
My God, do you tell me that during my 10 long weeks of agony the stolen papers were in the very room with me all the time? And Joseph, a villain and a thief! From what I gather, he had lost heavily dabbling in stocks, and concealed the fact from his father, a man of strictly conservative habits.
Yes, but his own sister's happiness, and your reputation, your health! He knew that you often worked late, and he was in town having dinner with his stockbroker, as he told me.
But he was free by half past 9:00, and called by your office, entering through the side door.
Percy? Finding no one in there but the light on and work evidently in progress, he rang the bell.
The instant he did so, his eye caught the paper on the table.
He knew at once that chance had put in his way a state document of immense value, returned alone to Woking and concealed it in what he thought was a very safe place, intending to remove it in a day or two, and take it to the French embassy or wherever he thought a long price was to be had.
There's nobody there, there's nobody there! Then came your sudden return.
Without a moment's warning he was bundled out of his room and from that moment on, there were always at least two of you in there, preventing him from regaining his treasure, maddening for him.
My suspicions became certainties when the attempt to break in was made on the first night that the hired nurse was absent, which showed that the intruder was well accustomed with the ways of the house.
At last, he had his chance.
But you baffled him with your wakefulness.
Yes! I didn't take my sleeping draft! But he had another chance when you came up to London.
I kept Miss Harrison in the room all day so as to anticipate him.
But if you already knew the papers were in the room? I thought they probably were, but I had no desire to rip up all the skirting in search of them.
By allowing him to lead me to the hiding place, I saved myself an infinity of trouble.
And caught him red-handed! Quite so.
Yes, but why did he try the window when he might have come in through the door? To appear to be a burglar, and if necessary, make good his escape across the courtyard.
The knife, you don't think he had any murderous intentions? My dear fellow, I can only say that Mr.
Joseph Harrison is a gentleman to whose mercy I should be extremely unwilling to trust.
That will be a young lady for you, Mr.
Phelps.
Annie! I left her a note to come to London the moment she woke.
But Mr.
Phelps, she knows nothing as yet of her brother's criminality.
Oh, yes.
My dear Holmes, I can't thank you enough.
I shall go down at once and explain everything.
Percy, good-bye, and good luck! Thank you for restoring my happiness.
There's a young lady at the door, sir.
Mr.
Holmes, hot water! Thank you.