The Disappearance of Lady Frances Carfax* by Arthur Conan Doyle
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the Adventures of Sherlock Holmes the disappearance of lady Frances Carfax Arthur Conan Doyle

1911

" but why Turkish ? " asked Mr Sherlock Holmes, gazing fixedly at my boots . i_was reclining in a cane-backed chair at_the moment, and my protruded feet had attracted his ever- active attention .

" English," I answered in some surprise ."I got them at Latimer's, in Oxford street ."

Holmes smiled with an expression of weary patience .

" the bath ! " he_said; " the bath ! why the relaxing and expensive Turkish rather than_the invigorating home- made article ? "

" because for_the_last few_days I_have_been feeling rheumatic and old .a Turkish bath is what we call an alterative in medicine- a fresh starting- point, a cleanser of_the system .

" by_the_way, Holmes," I added, " I_have no_doubt the connection between my boots and a Turkish bath is a perfectly self- evident one to a logical mind, and yet i_should_be obliged to_you if_you_would indicate it ."

" the train of reasoning is_not very obscure, Watson," said Holmes with a mischievous twinkle ." it belongs to_the same elementary class of deduction which i_should illustrate if I were to ask_you who shared your cab in your drive this_morning ."

"I don't admit that a fresh illustration is an explanation," said I with some asperity .

" bravo, Watson ! a very dignified and logical remonstrance . let me see, what were the points ? take_the last one first- the cab . you observe that you_have some splashes on_the left sleeve and shoulder of your coat . had you sat in_the centre of a hansom you_would probably have_had no splashes, and if_you had they_would certainly have_been symmetrical . therefore it_is clear that you sat at_the side . therefore it_is equally clear that you had a companion ."

" that_is very evident ."

" absurdly commonplace, is_it not ? "

" but the boots and_the bath ? "

" equally childish . you_are in_the habit of doing up your boots in a certain way . I_see them on_this occasion fastened with an elaborate double bow, which_is not your usual method of tying them . you_have, therefore, had them off . who has tied them ? abootmaker- or the boy at_the bath . it_is unlikely that_it_is the bootmaker, since your boots are nearly new . well, what remains ? the bath . absurd, is_it not ? but, for all that, the Turkish bath has served a purpose ."

" what_is that ? "

" you say that you_have_had it because you_need a change . let me suggest_that you take one . how would Lausanne do, my dear Watson- first- class tickets and all expenses paid on a princely scale ? "

" splendid ! but why ? "

Holmes leaned back in_his armchair and took his notebook from_his pocket .

" one_of_the_most dangerous classes in_the_world," said he, " is_the drifting and friendless woman . she is_the most harmless and often the most useful of mortals, but she is_the inevitable inciter of crime in others . she_is helpless . she_is migratory . she has sufficient means to_take her from country to country and from hotel to hotel . she_is lost, as often as not, in a maze of obscure pensions and boarding-houses . she_is a stray chicken in a world of foxes . when she_is gobbled up she_is hardly missed .I much fear that some evil has_come to_the lady Frances Carfax ."

i_was relieved at_this sudden descent from_the general to_the particular .Holmes consulted his notes .

" lady Frances," he continued, " is_the sole survivor of_the direct family of_the late earl of Rufton . the estates went, as_you_may remember, in_the male line . she was left with limited means, but with some very remarkable old Spanish jewellery of silver and curiously cut diamonds to_which she was fondly attached- too attached, for she refused to leave them with her banker and always carried them about with her .a rather pathetic figure, the lady Frances, a beautiful woman, still in fresh middle age, and yet, by a strange chance, the last derelict of what only twenty years_ago was a goodly fleet ."

" what has happened to her, then ? "

"Ah, what has happened to_the lady Frances ? is she alive or dead ? there_is our problem . she_is a lady of precise habits, and for four years it_has_been her invariable custom to write every second week to miss Dobney, her old governess, who has long retired and lives in Camberwell . it is_this miss Dobney who has consulted me . nearly five weeks have passed without a word . the last letter was from_the hotel national at Lausanne . lady Frances seems to_have left there and given no address . the family are anxious, and as_they_are exceedingly wealthy no sum will_be spared if_we_can clear the matter up ."

" is miss Dobney the only source of information ? surely she had other correspondents ? "

" there_is one correspondent who_is a sure draw, Watson . that_is_the bank . single ladies must live, and their passbooks are compressed diaries . she banks at Silvester's . I_have glanced over her account . the last check but one paid her bill at Lausanne, but it_was a large one and probably left her with cash in hand . only_one check has_been drawn since ."

" to_whom, and where ? "

" to miss Marie Devine . there_is nothing to show where the check was drawn . it_was cashed at_the credit Lyonnais at Montpellier less_than three weeks_ago . the sum was fifty Pounds ."

" and who_is miss Marie Devine ? "

" that also I_have_been_able to discover . miss Marie Devine was_the maid of lady Frances Carfax . why she should_have paid her this check we_have_not_yet determined . I_have no_doubt, however, that your researches will soon clear the matter up ."

" my researches ! "

" hence the health-giving expedition to Lausanne . you_know that I_cannot possibly leave London while old Abrahams is in_such mortal terror of_his life . besides, on general principles it_is best that I should_not leave the country . Scotland yard feels lonely without me, and it causes an unhealthy excitement among_the criminal classes . go, then, my dear Watson, and if_my humble counsel can ever be valued at so extravagant a rate as two pence a word, it waits your disposal night and day at_the end of_the continental wire ."

two days later found me at_the hotel national at Lausanne, where I received every courtesy at_the hands of M .Moser, the well- known manager . lady Frances, as he informed me, had stayed there for several weeks . she had_been much liked by all who met her . her age was not more than forty . she was still handsome and bore every sign of having in her youth been a very lovely woman .M .Moser knew nothing of any valuable jewellery, but it had_been remarked by_the servants that_the heavy trunk in_the lady's bedroom was always scrupulously locked .Marie Devine, the maid, was as popular as her mistress . she was actually engaged to one_of_the head waiters in_the hotel, and there_was no difficulty in getting her address . it_was 11 rue de Trajan, Montpellier . all this I jotted down and felt that Holmes himself could_not have_been more adroit in collecting his facts .

only_one corner still remained in_the shadow . no light which I possessed could clear up the cause for_the lady's sudden departure . she was very happy at Lausanne . there_was every reason to_believe that she intended to remain for_the season in her luxurious rooms overlooking the lake . and yet she had left at a single day's notice, which involved her in_the useless payment of a week's rent . only Jules Vibart, the lover of_the maid, had any suggestion to offer . he connected the sudden departure with_the visit to_the hotel a day_or_two before of a tall, dark, bearded man .'Un savage- un veritable savage ! ' cried Jules Vibart . the man had rooms somewhere in_the town . he had_been seen talking earnestly to Madame on_the promenade by_the lake . then he had called . she had refused to_see him . he_was English, but of_his name there_was no record .Madame had left the place immediately afterwards .Jules Vibart, and, what_was of more importance, Jules Vibart's sweetheart, thought that_this call and this departure were cause and effect . only one_thing Jules would_not discuss . that was_the reason why Marie had left her mistress . of_that he_could or would say nothing . if I wished to_know, I_must go to Montpellier and ask her .

so ended the first chapter of_my inquiry . the second was devoted to_the place which lady Frances Carfax had sought when she left Lausanne .Concerning this there had_been some secrecy, which confirmed the idea that she had gone with_the intention of throwing someone off her track . otherwise why should_not her luggage have_been openly labelled for Baden ? both she and it reached the Rhenish spa by some circuitous route . this much I gathered from_the manager of Cook's local office . so to Baden I went, after dispatching to Holmes an account of all my proceedings and receiving in reply a telegram of half- humorous commendation .

at Baden the track was not difficult to_follow . lady Frances had stayed at_the Englischer Hof for a fortnight . while there she had made the acquaintance of aDr .Shlessinger and_his wife, a missionary from South_America . like most lonely ladies, lady Frances found her comfort and occupation in religion .Dr .Shlessinger's remarkable personality, his whole-hearted devotion, and_the fact that he_was recovering from a disease contracted in_the exercise of_his apostolic duties affected her deeply . she had helped Mrs Shlessinger in_the nursing of_the convalescent saint . he spent his day, as_the manager described it to_me, upon a lounge- chair on_the veranda, with an attendant lady upon either side of him . he_was preparing a map of_the holy land, with special reference to_the kingdom of_the Midianites, upon_which he_was writing a monograph . finally, having improved much in health, he and_his wife had returned to London, and lady Frances had started thither in their company . this_was just three weeks before, and_the manager had heard nothing since . as_to_the maid, Marie, she had gone off some days beforehand in floods of tears, after informing the other maids that she was leaving service forever .Dr .Shlessinger had paid the bill of_the whole party before his departure .

" by_the_way," said the landlord in conclusion, " you_are_not the only friend of lady Frances Carfax who_is inquiring after her just now . only a week or so ago we had a man where upon_the same errand ."

" did he give a name ? " I asked .

" none; but he_was an Englishman, though of an unusual type ."

"A savage ? " said I, linking my facts after_the fashion of_my illustrious friend .

" exactly . that describes him very_well . he_is a bulky, bearded, sunburned fellow, who looks as_if he_would_be more at home in afarmers inn than in a fashionable hotel .a hard, fierce man, i_should think, and one whom i_should_be sorry to offend ."

already the mystery began to define itself, as figures grow clearer with_the lifting of a fog . here was_this good and pious lady pursued from place to_place by a sinister and unrelenting figure . she feared him, or she_would not have fled from Lausanne . he had still followed . sooner or later he_would overtake her . had he already overtaken her ? was_that the secret of her continued silence ? could the good people who were her companions not screen her from_his violence or his blackmail ? what horrible purpose, what deep design, lay behind this long pursuit ? there_was the problem which I had to solve .

to Holmes i_wrote showing how rapidly and surely I had got down to_the roots of_the matter . in reply I had a telegram asking for a description of Dr .Shlessinger's left ear .Holmes's ideas of humour are strange and occasionally, offensive, so i_took no notice of_his ill- timed jest- indeed, I had already reached Montpellier in my pursuit of_the maid, Marie, before his message came .

I had no difficulty in finding the ex- servant and in learning all that she_could tell me . she was a devoted creature, who had only left her mistress because she was sure that she was in good hands, and because her own approaching marriage made a separation inevitable in any case . her mistress had, as she confessed with distress, shown some irritability of temper towards her during their stay in Baden, and had even questioned her once as_if she had suspicions of her honesty, and this had made the parting easier than it would otherwise have_been . lady Frances had given her fifty pounds as awedding- present . like me, Marie viewed with deep distrust the stranger who had driven her mistress from Lausanne . with her own eyes she had seen him seize the lady's wrist with great violence on_the public promenade by_the lake, he_was a fierce and terrible man . she believed that_it_was out of dread of him that lady Frances had accepted the escort of_the Shlessingers to London . she had never spoken to Marie about_it, but many little signs had convinced the maid that her mistress lived in a state of continual nervous apprehension . so_far she had got in her narrative, when suddenly she sprang from her chair and her face was convulsed with surprise and fear ." see ! " she cried ." the miscreant follows still ! there_is the very man of whom I speak ."

through_the open sitting- room window I_saw a huge, swarthy man with abristling black beard walking slowly down the centre of_the street and staring eagerly at_the numbers of_the houses . it_was clear that, like myself, he_was on_the track of_the maid .Acting upon_the impulse of_the moment, I rushed out and accosted him .

" you_are an Englishman," I_said .

" what if I_am ? " he asked with a most villainous scowl .

" may I ask what your_name is ? "

" no, you_may not," said he with decision .

the situation was awkward, but the most direct way is often the best .

" where is_the lady Frances Carfax ? " I asked .

he stared at me in amazement .

" what have_you done with her ? why have_you pursued her ? I insist upon an answer ! " said I .

the fellow gave abellow of anger and sprang upon me like a tiger . I_have held my own in many a struggle, but the man had a grip of iron and_the fury of a fiend . his hand was on my throat and my senses were nearly gone before an unshaven French ouvrier in a blue blouse darted out from acabaret opposite, with a cudgel in_his hand, and struck my assailant a sharp crack over the forearm, which made him leave go his hold . he stood for an instant fuming with rage and uncertain whether he_should_not renew his attack . then, with a snarl of anger, he left me and entered the cottage from_which I had just

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