No. 1 The Adventure of the Illustrious Client by Arthur Conan Doyle
Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4]
fashionable consultants, and poisonous as acobra . he has breeding in him -- a real aristocrat of crime with a superficial suggestion of afternoon tea and all the cruelty of_the grave behind it . yes, I_am glad_to_have had my attention called to baron Adelbert Gruner ."

" you say he_was affable ? "

"A purring cat who thinks he sees prospective mice . some people's affability is more deadly than_the violence of coarser souls . his greeting was characteristic .'I rather thought I should_see you sooner or later, Mr Holmes,' said he .' you_have_been engaged, no_doubt by general de Merville, to endeavour to stop my marriage with_his daughter, violet . that_is so, is_it not ? '

"I acquiesced .

" ' my dear man,' said he .' you_will only ruin your own well- deserved reputation . it_is_not a case in which_you_can possibly succeed . you_will_have barren work, to_say nothing of incurring some danger . let me very strongly advise you to draw off at once .'

" ' it_is curious,' I answered, ' but that was_the very advice which I had intended to_give_you . I_have a respect for your brains, baron, and_the little which I_have_seen of your personality has_not lessened it . let me put it to_you as man to man . no one wants to rake up your past and make you unduly uncomfortable . it_is over, and you_are now in smooth waters, but if_you persist in_this marriage you_will raise up a swarm of powerful enemies who_will never leave you alone until they_have made England too hot to hold you . is_the game worth it ? surely you_would_be wiser if_you left the lady alone . it would_not_be pleasant for_you if these facts of your past were brought to her notice .'

" the baron has little waxed tips of hair under his nose, like the short antennae of an insect . these quivered with amusement as he listened, and he finally broke into a gentle chuckle .

" ' excuse my amusement, Mr Holmes,' said he, ' but it_is really funny to_see you trying to play a hand with no cards in_it .I don't think anyone could do_it better, but it_is rather pathetic all the same . not acolour card there, Mr Holmes, nothing but the smallest of_the small .'

" ' so you_think .'

" ' so I_know .Iet me make_the thing clear to_you, for_my own hand is so strong that I_can afford to show it . I_have_been fortunate enough to win the entire affection of_this lady . this_was given to_me in_spite of_the fact that i_told her very clearly of all the unhappy incidents in my past life .I also told her that certain wicked and designing persons -- I_hope you recognize yourself -- would come to her and tell her these things . and I warned her how to treat them . you_have heard of post- hypnotic suggestion .Mr Holmes ' well you_will_see how it works for a man of personality can use hypnotism without any vulgar passes or tomfoolery . so she_is ready for_you and, I_have no_doubt, would give_you an appointment, for she_is quite amenable to her father's will -- save only in_the one little matter .'

" well, Watson, there seemed to_be no more to_say, so i_took my leave with as_much cold dignity as I_could summon, but, as I had my hand on_the door- handle, he stopped me .

" ' by_the_way, Mr Holmes,' said he, ' did you_know Le Brun, the French agent ? '

" ' yes,' said I .

" ' do_you_know what befell him ? '

"'I heard that he_was beaten by some Apaches in_the Montmartre district and crippled for life .'

" ' quite true, Mr Holmes . by a curious coincidence he had_been inquiring into my affairs only a week before .Don't do_it, Mr Holmes; it's not a lucky thing to_do . several have found that out . my last word to_you is, go your own way and let me go mine . good-bye ! '

" so there you_are, Watson . you_are up_to_date now ."

" the fellow seems dangerous ."

" mighty dangerous .I disregard the blusterer, but this_is_the sort of man who says rather less_than he means ."

" must you interfere ? Does it really matter if he marries the girl ? "

"Considering that he undoubtedly murdered his last wife, i_should say it mattered very_much . besides, the client ! well, well, we_need not discuss that . when_you have finished your coffee you had best come home with me, for_the blithe Shinwell will_be there with_his report ."

we_found him sure enough, a huge, coarse, red- faced, scorbutic man, with a pair of vivid black eyes which were the only external sign of_the very cunning mind within . it seems that he had dived down into what_was peculiarly his kingdom, and beside him on_the settee was a brand which he had brought up in_the shape of a slim, flame- like young woman with a pale, intense face, youthful, and yet so worn with s v in and sorrow that one read the terrible years which had left their leprous mark upon her .

" this_is miss Kitty winter," said Shinwell Johnson, waving his fat hand as an introduction ." what she don't know -- well, there, she'll speak for herself . put my hand right on her, Mr Holmes, within an hour of your message ."

"I'm easy to_find," said the young woman ."Hell, London, gets me every time . same address for Porky Shinwell . we're old mates, Porky, you and I . but, by cripes ! there_is another wht to_be down in a lower hell than we if there_was any justice in_the_world ! that_is_the man you_are after, Mr Holmes ."

Holmes smiled ."I gather we_have your good wishes, miss winter ."

" if I_can help to_put him where he belongs, I'm yours to_the rattle," said our visitor with fierce energy . there_was an intensity of hatred in her white, set face and her blazing eyes such as woman seldom and man never can attain .

" you needn't go into my past, Mr Holmes . that's neither here nor there . but what I_am Adelbert Gruner made me . if I_could pull him down ! " she clutched frantically with her hands into_the air ."Oh, if I_could only pull him into_the pit where he has pushed so_many ! "

" you_know how the matter stands ? "

"Porky Shinwell has_been telling me . he's after some other poor fool and wants to marry her this_time . you_want to stop it . well, you surely know enough about_this devil to_prevent any decent girl in her senses wanting to_be in_the same parish with_him ."

" she_is_not in her senses . she_is madly in love . she has_been told all about him . she cares nothing ."

" told about_the murder ? "

" yes ."

" my lord, she must_have a nerve ! "

" she puts them all down as slanders ."

"Couldn't you lay proofs before her silly eyes ? "

" well, can_you help_us do_so ? "

"Ain't I a proof myself ? if I stood before her and told her how he used me --"

" would you do_this ? "

" would I ? would I not ! "

" well, it might_be worth trying . but he has told her most of_his sins and had pardon from her, and I understand she will not reopen the question ."

"I'll lay he didn't tell her all," said miss winter ."I caught a glimpse of one_or_two murders besides the one that made such a fuss . he_would speak of someone in_his velvet way and then look at me with a steady eye and say: ' he died within a month .' it wasn't hot air, either . but i_took little notice - you_see, I loved him myself at_that_time . whatever he_did went with me, same as with_this poor fool ! there_was just one_thing that shook me . yes, by cripes ! if_it had_not_been for_his poisonous, lying tongue that explains and soothes .I'd have left him that very night . it's a book he has -- a brown leather book with a lock, and_his arms in gold on_the outside . i_think he_was a bit drunk that night, or he_would_not have shown it to_me ."

" what_was it, then ? "

"I tell you .Mr Holmes . this man collects women, and takes a pride in_his collection . as some men collect moths or butterflies . he had it all in_that book . snapshot photographs .names, details, everything about_them . it_was a beastly book -- a book no man, even if he had come from_the gutter, could_have put together . but it_was Adelbert Gruner's book all the same .'Souls I_have ruined .' he could_have put that on_the outside if he had_been so minded . however, that's neither here nor there, for_the book would_not serve you, and, if_it would, you_can't get it ."

" where is_it ? "

" how can I tell you where it_is now ? it's more than a year since I left him . I_know where he kept it then . he's a precise, tidy cat of a man in many of_his ways, so maybe it_is still in_the pigeon- hole of_the old bureau in_the inner study . do_you_know his house ? "

"I've been in_the study," said Holmes .

" have_you . though ? you haven't been slow on_the job if_you only started this_morning . maybe dear Adelbert has met his match this_time . the outer study is_the one with_the Chinese crockery in_it -- big glass cupboard between_the windows . then behind his desk is_the door that leads to_the inner study -- a small room where he keeps papers and things ."

" is he not afraid of burglars ? "

" Adelbert is no coward . his worst enemy couldn't say that of him . he_can look after himself . there's a burglar alarm at night . besides, what is_there for a burglar -- unless they got away with all this fancy crockery ? "

" no good," said Shinwell Johnson with_the decided voice of_the expert ." no fence wants stuff of_that sort that you_can neither melt nor sell ."

" quite so," said Holmes ." well, now, miss winter . if_you_would call here tomorrow evening at five . i_would consider in_the meanwhile whether your suggestion of seeing this lady personally may not be arranged . I_am exceedingly obliged to_you lor vour cooperation . I_need not say that my clients will consider liberally --"

" none of_that, Mr Holmes," cried the young woman ." I_am not out for money . let me see this man in_the mud, and I've got all I've worked for -- in_the mud with my foot on_his cursed face . that's my price .I'm with_you tomorrow or any_other day so_long as_you_are on_his track .Porky here can tell you always where to_find me ."

I_did_not see Holmes again until the following evening when we dined once more at our strand restaurant . he shrugged his shoulders when I asked him what luck he had had in_his interview . then he_told the story, which i_would repeat in_this_way . his hard, dry statement needs some little editing to soften it into_the terms of real life .

" there_was no difficulty at all about_the appointment," said Holmes, " for_the girl glories in showing abject filial obedience in all secondary things in an attempt to atone for her flagrant breach of it in her engagement . the general phoned that all was ready, and_the fiery miss W . turned up according to schedule, so_that at half- past five a cab deposited us outside 104 Berkeley square, where the old soldier resides -- one of_those awful gray London castles which would make a church seem frivolous .a footman showed us into a great yellow-curtained drawing- room, and there_was the lady awaiting us, demure, pale, self- contained, as inflexible and remote as a snow image on a mountain .

"I don't quite know how to_make her clear to_you, Watson . perhaps you_may meet her before we_are through, and you_can use your own gift of words . she_is beautiful, but with_the ethereal other- world beauty of some fanatic whose thoughts are set on high . I_have_seen such faces in_the pictures of_the old masters of_the middle Ages . how abeastman could_have laid his vile paws upon_such a being of_the beyond I_cannot imagine . you_may_have noticed how extremes call to each_other, the spiritual to_the animal, the cave- man to_the angel . you never saw a worse case than this .

" she knew what we had come for, of_course -- that villain had lost no time in poisoning her mind against us . miss winter's advent rather amazed her, i_think, but she waved us into our respective chairs like a reverend abbess receiving two rather leprous mendicants . if your head is inclined to swell . my dear Watson, take a course of miss violet de Merville .

" ' well, sir,' said she in a voice like the wind from an iceberg, ' your_name is familiar to_me . you_have called . as I understand, to malign my fiance, baron Gruner . it_is only by my father's request that I_see you at all, and I warn you in advance that anything you_can say could_not possibly have the slightest effect upon my mind .'

" i_was sorry for her, Watson . i_thought of her for_the moment as i_would_have thought of a daughter of_my own . I_am not often eloquent .I use my head, not my heart . but I really did plead with her with all the warmth of words that I_could find in my nature .I pictured to her the awful position of_the woman who only wakes to a man's character after she_is his wife -- a woman who has_to submit to_be caressed by bloody hands and lecherous lips .I spared her nothing -- the shame, the fear, the agony, the hopelessness of it all . all my hot words could_not bring one tinge of colour to_those ivory cheeks or one gleam of emotion to_those abstracted eyes . i_thought of what the rascal had said about a post- hypnotic influence . one could really believe that she was living above the earth in some ecstatic dream . yet there_was nothing indefinite in her replies .

" ' I_have listened to_you with patience, Mr Holmes,' said she

Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4]