No. 10 The Adventure of the Greek Interpreter by Arthur Conan Doyle
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him in_order to_make him sign some papers to_make over the girl's fortune-- of_which he_may_be trustee-- to_them . this he refuses to_do . in_order to negotiate with_him they_have to_get an interpreter , and_they pitch upon_this Mr Melas, having used some other one before . the girl is_not told of_the arrival of her brother, and finds it out by_the merest accident ."

" excellent, Watson ! " cried Holmes ."I really fancy that you_are_not far from_the truth . you_see that we hold all the cards, and we_have only to fear some sudden act of violence on their part . if_they give_us time we_must_have them ."

" but how can we_find where this house lies ? "

" well, if our conjecture is correct and_the girl's name is or was Sophy Kratides, we_should_have no difficulty in tracing her . that_must be our main hope, for_the brother is, of_course, a complete stranger . it_is clear that some_time has elapsed since_this Harold established these relations with_the girl-- some weeks, at any rate-- since_the brother in Greece has had time to hear of it and come across . if they_have been living in_the same place during this_time, it_is probable that we_shall_have some answer to Mycroft's advertisement ."

we had reached our house in baker street while we had_been talking .Holmes ascended the stair first, and as he opened the door of_our room he_gave a start of surprise . looking over his shoulder, i_was equally astonished . his brother Mycroft was sitting smoking in_the arm- chair .

" come in, Sherlock ! come in, sir," said he blandly, smiling at our surprised faces ." you don't expect such energy from me, do_you, Sherlock ? but somehow this_case attracts me ."

" how did you get here ? "

"I passed you in a hansom ."

" there_has_been some new development ? "

"I had an answer to my advertisement ."

"Ah ! "

" yes, it came within a few_minutes of your leaving ."

" and to what effect ? "

Mycroft Holmes took out a sheet of paper .

" here it_is," said he, " written with aJ pen on royal cream paper by a middle- aged man with a weak constitution .' sir,' he_says, ' in answer to your advertisement of to- day's date, I beg to inform you that know the young lady in_question very_well . if you_should care to_call upon me I_could give_you some particulars as_to her painful history . she_is living at present at_the Myrtles, Beckenham . yours faithfully, J . Davenport .'

" he writes from lower Brixton," said Mycroft Holmes ." do_you not think that we_might drive to him now, Sherlock, and learn these particulars ? "

" my dear Mycroft, the brother's life is more valuable than_the sister's story . i_think we_should call at Scotland yard for inspector Gregson, and go straight out to Beckenham . we_know that a man is being done to death, and every hour may_be vital ."

" better pick up Mr Melas on_our way," I suggested ." we_may need an interpreter ."

" excellent," said Sherlock Holmes ." send the boy for afour-wheeler, and we_shall_be off at once ." he opened the table- drawer as he spoke, and I noticed that he slipped his revolver into his pocket ." yes," said he, in answer to my glance; " i_should say from what we_have heard, that we_are dealing with a particularly dangerous gang ."

it_was almost dark before we_found ourselves in pall mall, at_the rooms of Mr Melas .a gentleman had just called for him, and he_was gone .

" can_you tell me where ? " asked Mycroft Holmes .

"I don't know, sir," answered the woman who had opened the door; "I only know that he drove away with_the gentleman in a carriage ."

" did the gentleman give a name ? "

" no, sir ."

" he wasn't a tall, handsome, dark young man ? "

"Oh, nor, sir . he_was a little gentleman, with glasses, thin in_the face, but very pleasant in_his ways, for he_was laughing al the time that he_was talking ."

" come along ! " cried Sherlock Holmes, abruptly ." this grows serious," he observed, as_we drove to Scotland yard ." these men have got hold of Melas again . he_is a man of no physical courage, as_they_are well aware from their experience the other night . this villain was able to terrorise him the instant that he got into his presence . no_doubt they_want his professional services, but, having used him, they_may_be inclined to punish him for what they_will regard as his treachery ."

our hope was_that, by taking train, we_might get to Beckenham as soon or sooner than_the carriage . on reaching Scotland yard, however, it_was more than an hour before we_could get inspector Gregson and comply with_the legal formalities which would enable us to enter the house . it_was a quarter to ten before we reached London bridge, and half past before_the four of us alighted on_the Beckenham platform .a drive of half a mile brought us to_the Myrtles--a large, dark house standing back from_the road in its own grounds . here we dismissed our cab, and made our way up the drive together .

" the windows are all dark," remarked the inspector ." the house seems deserted ."

" our birds are flown and_the nest empty," said Holmes .

" why do_you say so ? "

"A carriage heavily loaded with luggage has passed out during_the_last hour ."

the inspector laughed ." I_saw the wheel-tracks in_the light of_the gate- lamp, but where does the luggage come in ? "

" you_may_have observed the same wheel-tracks going the other way . but the outward- bound ones were very_much deeper-- so_much so_that we can_say for a certainty that there_was a very considerable weight on_the carriage ."

" you get a trifle beyond me there," said the inspector, shrugging his shoulder ." it_will_not_be an easy door to force, but we_will try if_we_cannot make some one hear us ."

he hammered loudly at_the knocker and pulled at_the bell, but without any success .Holmes had slipped away, but he_came back in_a_few_minutes .

" I_have a window open," said he .

" it_is a mercy that you_are on_the side of_the force, and not against it, Mr Holmes," remarked the inspector, as he noted the clever way in_which my friend had forced back the catch ." well, i_think that under the circumstances we_may enter without an invitation ."

one after_the other we_made our way into a large apartment, which_was evidently that in_which Mr Melas had found himself . the inspector had lit his lantern, and by its light we could_see the two doors, the curtain, the lamp, and_the suit of Japanese mail as he had described them . on_the table lay two glasses, and empty brandy- bottle, and_the remains of a meal .

" what_is that ? " asked Holmes, suddenly .

we all stood still and listened .a low moaning sound was coming from somewhere over our heads .Holmes rushed to_the door and out into_the hall . the dismal noise came from upstairs . he dashed up, the inspector and I at his heels, while his brother Mycroft followed as quickly as his great bulk would permit .

three doors faced up upon_the second floor, and it_was from_the central of_these that_the sinister sounds were issuing, sinking sometimes into a dull mumble and rising again into a shrill whine . it_was locked, but the key had_been left on_the outside .Holmes flung open the door and rushed in, but he_was out again in an instant, with_his hand to_his throat ."

" it's charcoal," he cried ." give it time . it_will clear ."

Peering in, we could_see that_the only light in_the room came from a dull blue flame which flickered from a small brass tripod in_the centre . it threw a livid, unnatural circle upon_the floor, while in_the shadows beyond we saw the vague loom of two figures which crouched against the wall . from_the open door there reeked a horrible poisonous exhalation which set us gasping and coughing .Holmes rushed to_the top of_the stairs to draw in_the fresh air, and then, dashing into_the room, he threw up the window and hurled the brazen tripod out into_the garden .

" we_can enter in a minute," he gasped, darting out again ." where is a candle ? I_doubt if_we_could strike a match in_that atmosphere . hold the light at_the door and we_shall get them out, Mycroft, now ! "

with a rush we got to_the poisoned men and dragged them out into_the well-lit hall . both of_them were blue-lipped and insensible, with swollen, congested faces and protruding eyes . indeed, so distorted were their features that, save for_his black beard and stout figure, we_might_have failed to recognise in one_of_them the Greek interpreter who had parted from_us only a few hours before at_the Diogenes club . his hands and feet were securely strapped together, and he bore over one eye the marks of a violent blow . the other, who was secured in a similar fashion, was a tall man in_the last stage of emaciation, with several strips of sticking- plaster arranged in a grotesque pattern over his face . he had ceased to moan as_we laid him down, and a glance showed me that for him at_least our aid had come too late .Mr Melas, however, still lived, and in less_than an hour, with_the aid of ammonia and brandy I had the satisfaction of seeing him open his eyes, and of knowing that my hand had drawn him back from_that dark valley in_which all paths meet .

it_was a simple story which he had to_tell, and one which did but confirm our own deductions . his visitor, on entering his rooms, had drawn a life- preserver from_his sleeve, and had so impressed him with_the fear of instant and inevitable death that he had kidnapped him for_the second time . indeed, it_was almost mesmeric, the effect which this giggling ruffian had produced upon_the unfortunate linguist, for he_could_not speak of him save with trembling hands and ablanched cheek . he had_been taken swiftly to Beckenham, and had acted as interpreter in a second interview, even more dramatic than_the first, in_which_the two Englishmen had menaced their prisoner with instant death if he_did_not comply with their demands . finally, finding him proof against every threat, they had hurled him back into his prison, and after reproaching Melas with_his treachery, which appeared from_the newspaper advertisement, they had stunned him with a blow from a stick, and he remembered nothing more until he_found us bending over him .

and this_was the singular case of_the Grecian interpreter, the explanation of which_is still involved in some mystery . we were able to_find out, by communicating with_the gentleman who had answered the advertisement, that_the unfortunate young lady came of a wealthy Grecian family, and_that she had_been on a visit to some friends in England . while there she had met a young man named Harold Latimer, who had acquired an ascendancy over he and had eventually persuaded her to fly with_him . her friends, shocked at_the event, had contented themselves with informing her brother at Athens, and had then washed their hands of_the matter . the brother, on_his arrival in England, had imprudently placed himself in_the power of Latimer and of_his associate, whose name was Wilson Kemp-- that through his ignorance of_the language he_was helpless in their hands, had kept him a prisoner, and had endeavoured by cruelty and starvation to_make him sign away his own and_his sister's property . they had kept him in_the house without the girl's knowledge, and_the plaster over the face had_been for_the_purpose of making recognition difficult in_case she should ever catch a glimpse of him . her feminine perception, however, had instantly seen through_the disguise when, on_the occasion of_the interpreter's visit, she had seen him for_the first time . the poor girl, however, was herself a prisoner, for there_was no one about_the house except the man who acted as coachman, and_his wife, both of whom were tools of_the conspirators .Finding that their secret was out, and_that their prisoner was not to_be coerced, the two villains with_the girl had fled away at a few hours' notice from_the furnished house which they had hired, having first, as_they thought, taken vengeance both upon_the man who had defied and_the one who had betrayed them .

Months afterwards a curious newspaper cutting reached us from Buda-Pesth . it told how two Englishmen who had_been travelling with a woman had met with a tragic end . they had each been stabbed, it seems, and_the Hungarian police were of opinion that_they had quarrelled and had inflicted mortal injuries upon each_other .Holmes, however, is, I fancy, of a different way of thinking, and holds to_this day that, if one could find the Grecian girl, one might learn how the wrongs of herself and her brother came to_be avenged .

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