No. 12 The Adventure of the Abbey Grange by Arthur Conan Doyle
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her to England when_they first left Australia, eighteen months_ago .Theresa Wright is her name, and_the kind of maid you don't pick up nowadays . this_way, Mr Holmes, if_you please ! "

the keen interest had passed out of Holmes's expressive face, and I_knew that with_the mystery all the charm of_the case had departed . there still remained an arrest to_be effected, but what were these commonplace rogues that he_should soil his hands with_them ? an abstruse and learned specialist who finds that he has_been called in for a case of measles would experience something of_the annoyance which I_read in my friend's eyes . yet the scene in_the dining- room of_the abbey grange was sufficiently strange to arrest his attention and to recall his waning interest .

it_was a very large and high chamber, with carved oak ceiling, oaken paneling, and a fine array of deer's heads and ancient weapons around the walls . at_the further end from_the door was_the high French window of_which we had heard . three smaller windows on_the right- hand side filled the apartment with cold winter sunshine . on_the left was a large, deep fireplace, with a massive, overhanging oak mantelpiece . beside the fireplace was a heavy oaken chair with arms and crossbars at_the bottom . in and out through_the open woodwork was woven a crimson cord, which_was secured at each side to_the crosspiece below . in releasing the lady, the cord had_been slipped off her, but the knots with_which it had_been secured still remained . these details only struck our attention afterwards, for_our thoughts were entirely absorbed by_the terrible object which lay upon_the tigerskin hearthrug in front of_the fire .

it was_the body of a tall, well- made man, about forty years_of_age . he lay upon his back, his face upturned, with_his white teeth grinning through his short, black beard . his two clenched hands were raised above his head, and a heavy, blackthorn stick lay across them . his dark, handsome, aquiline features were convulsed into a spasm of vindictive hatred, which had set his dead face in a terribly fiendish expression . he had evidently been in_his bed when_the alarm had broken out, for he wore a foppish, embroidered nightshirt, and_his bare feet projected from_his trousers . his head was horribly injured, and_the whole room bore witness to_the savage ferocity of_the blow which had struck him down . beside him lay the heavy poker, bent into a curve by_the concussion .Holmes examined both it and_the indescribable wreck which it had wrought .

" he_must_be a powerful man, this elder Randall," he remarked .

" yes," said Hopkins ." I_have some record of_the fellow, and he_is a rough customer ."

" you_should_have no difficulty in getting him ."

" not the slightest . we_have_been on_the lookout for him, and there_was some idea that he had got away to America . now that we_know that_the gang are here, I don't see how they_can escape . we_have the news at every seaport already, and a reward will_be offered before evening . what beats me is how they could_have done so mad a thing, knowing that_the lady could describe them and_that we_could_not fail to recognize the description ."

" exactly . one would_have expected that they_would silence lady Brackenstall as_well ."

" they_may not have realized," I suggested, " that she had recovered from her faint ."

" that_is likely enough . if she seemed to_be senseless, they_would not take her life . what about_this poor fellow, Hopkins ? I seem to_have heard some queer stories about him ."

" he_was agoodhearted man when he_was sober, but a perfect fiend when he_was drunk, or rather when he_was half drunk, for he seldom really went the whole way . the devil seemed to_be in him at such times, and he_was capable of anything . from what I hear, in_spite of all his wealth and_his title, he very nearly came our way once_or_twice . there_was a scandal about his drenching a dog with petroleum and setting it on fireher ladyship's dog, to make_the matter worseand that was only hushed up with difficulty . then he threw a decanter at_that maid, Theresa Wrightthere was trouble about_that . on_the whole, and between ourselves, it_will_be a brighter house without him . what_are you looking at now ? "

Holmes was down on_his knees, examining with great attention the knots upon_the red cord with_which the lady had_been secured . then he carefully scrutinized the broken and frayed end where it had snapped off when_the burglar had dragged it down .

" when_this was pulled down, the bell in_the kitchen must_have rung loudly," he remarked .

" no one could hear it . the kitchen stands right at_the back of_the house ."

" how did the burglar know no one would hear it ? how dared he pull at a bell- rope in_that reckless fashion ? "

" exactly, Mr Holmes, exactly . you put the very question which I_have asked myself again and again . there can_be no_doubt that_this fellow must_have known the house and its habits . he_must_have perfectly understood that_the servants would all be in bed at_that comparatively early hour, and_that no one could possibly hear a bell ring in_the kitchen . therefore, he_must_have been in close league with one_of_the servants . surely that_is evident . but there_are eight servants, and all of good character ."

" other things being equal," said Holmes, " one would suspect the one at whose head the master threw a decanter . and yet that_would involve treachery towards the mistress to_whom this woman seems devoted . well, well, the point is a minor one, and when_you have Randall you_will probably find no difficulty in securing his accomplice . the lady's story certainly seems_to_be corroborated, if_it needed corroboration, by every detail which we see before_us ." he walked to_the French window and threw it open ." there_are no signs here, but the ground is iron hard, and one would_not expect them . I_see that_these candles in_the mantelpiece have_been lighted ."

" yes, it_was by their light and_that of_the lady's bedroom candle, that_the burglars saw their way about ."

" and what did they take ? "

" well, they_did_not take muchonly half a dozen articles of plate off the sideboard . lady Brackenstall thinks that_they were themselves so disturbed by_the death of sir Eustace that they_did_not ransack the house, as they_would otherwise have_done ."

" no_doubt that_is true, and yet they drank some wine, I understand ."

" to steady their nerves ."

" exactly . these three glasses upon_the sideboard have_been untouched, I suppose ? "

" yes, and_the bottle stands as_they left it ."

" let_us look at it .Halloa, halloa ! what_is this ? "

the three glasses were grouped together, all of_them tinged with wine, and one_of_them containing some dregs of beeswing . the bottle stood near them, two-thirds full, and beside it lay a long, deeply stained Cork . its appearance and_the dust upon_the bottle showed that_it_was no common vintage which the murderers had enjoyed .

a change had come over Holmes's manner . he had lost his listless expression, and again I_saw an alert light of interest in_his keen, deep- set eyes . he raised the Cork and examined it minutely .

" how did they draw it ? " he asked .

Hopkins pointed to a half- opened drawer . in_it lay some table linen and a large corkscrew .

" did lady Brackenstall say that screw was used ? "

" no, you remember that she was senseless at_the moment when_the bottle was opened ."

" quite so . as a matter of fact, that screw was not used . this bottle was opened by a pocket screw, probably contained in a knife, and not more than an inch and a half long . if_you_will examine the top of_the Cork, you_will observe that_the screw was driven in three times before_the Cork was extracted . it has never been transfixed . this long screw would_have transfixed it and drawn it up with a single pull . when_you catch this fellow, you_will_find that he has one_of_these multiplex knives in_his possession ."

" excellent ! " said Hopkins .

" but these glasses do puzzle me, I confess . lady Brackenstall actually saw the three men drinking, did she not ? "

" yes; she was clear about_that ."

" then there_is an end of it . what more is_to_be said ? and yet, you_must admit, that_the three glasses are very remarkable, Hopkins . what ? you_see nothing remarkable ? well, well, let it pass . perhaps, when a man has special knowledge and special powers like my own, it rather encourages him to seek a complex explanation when a simpler one is at hand . of_course, it must_be amere chance about_the glasses . well, good- morning, Hopkins .I don't see that I_can_be of any use to_you, and you appear to_have your case very clear . you_will let me know when Randall is arrested, and any further developments which_may occur .I trust that I_shall soon have to congratulate you upon a successful conclusion . come, Watson, I fancy that we_may employ ourselves more profitably at home ."

during our return journey, I could_see by Holmes's face that he_was much puzzled by something which he had observed . every now_and_then, by an effort, he_would throw off the impression, and talk as if_the matter were clear, but then his doubts would settle down upon him again, and_his knitted brows and abstracted eyes would show that his thoughts had gone back once more to_the great dining- room of_the abbey grange, in_which this midnight tragedy had_been enacted . at last, by a sudden impulse, just as our train was crawling out of a suburban station, he sprang on to_the platform and pulled me out after him .

" excuse me, my dear fellow," said he, as_we watched the rear carriages of_our train disappearing round a curve, " I_am sorry to_make you the victim of what may seem amere whim, but on my life, Watson, I simply can'T leave that case in_this condition . every instinct that I possess cries out against it . it's wrong it's all wrongI'll swear that_it's wrong . and yet the lady's story was complete, the maid's corroboration was sufficient, the detail was fairly exact . what have I to_put up against that ? three wineglasses, that_is all . but if I had_not taken things for granted, if I had examined everything with care which i_should_have shown had we approached the case DE NOVO and had no cut- and- dried story to warp my mind, should I not then have found something more definite to_go upon ? of_course i_should . sit down on_this bench, Watson, until a train for Chiselhurst arrives, and allow me to lay the evidence before_you, imploring you in_the first instance to dismiss from your mind the idea that anything which the maid or her mistress may_have said must necessarily be true . the lady's charming personality must not be permitted to warp our judgment .

" surely there_are details in her story which, if_we looked at in cold blood, would excite our suspicion . these burglars made a considerable haul at Sydenham a fortnight ago . some account of_them and of_their appearance was in_the papers, and would naturally occur to anyone who wished to invent a story in_which imaginary robbers should play a part . as a matter of fact, burglars who_have_done a good stroke of business are, as a rule, only too glad to enjoy the proceeds in peace and quiet without embarking on another perilous undertaking . again, it_is unusual for burglars to operate at so early an hour, it_is unusual for burglars to strike a lady to_prevent her screaming, since one would imagine that was_the sure way to_make her scream, it_is unusual for_them to commit murder when their numbers are sufficient to overpower one man, it_is unusual for_them to_be content with a limited plunder when there_was much more within their reach, and finally, i_should say, that_it_was very unusual for such men to leave a bottle half empty . how do all these unusuals strike you, Watson ? "

" their cumulative effect is certainly considerable, and yet each of_them is quite possible in itself . the most unusual thing of all, as it seems to_me, is that_the lady should_be tied to_the chair ."

" well, I_am not so clear about_that, Watson, for_it is evident that they_must either kill her or else secure her in_such_a_way that she_could_not give immediate notice of_their escape . but at any rate I_have shown, have I not, that_there_is a certain element of improbability about_the lady's story ? and now, on_the top of_this, comes the incident of_the wineglasses ."

" what about_the wineglasses ? "

" can you_see them in your mind's eye ? "

" I_see them clearly ."

" we_are told that three men drank from_them .Does that strike you as likely ? "

" why_not ? there_was wine in each glass ."

" exactly, but there_was beeswing only in one glass . you_must_have noticed that fact . what does that suggest to your mind ? "

" the last glass filled would_be most likely to contain beeswing ."

" not at all . the bottle was full of it, and it_is inconceivable that_the first two glasses were clear and_the third heavily charged with it . there_are two possible explanations, and only two . one is_that after_the second glass was filled the bottle was violently agitated, and so the third glass received the beeswing . that_does_not appear probable . no, no,

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