No. 1 The Adventure of the Illustrious Client by Arthur Conan Doyle
Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4]
butler, who_would_have adorned a bench of bishops, showed me in and handed me over to a plush-clad footman, who ushered me into_the baron's presence .

he_was standing at_the open front of a great case which stood between_the windows and which contained part of_his Chinese collection . he turned as I entered with a small brown vase in_his hand .

" pray sit down, doctor," said he ." i_was looking over my own treasures and wondering whether I_could really afford to add to_them . this little tang specimen, which dates from_the seventh century, would probably interest you . I_am_sure you never saw finer workmanship or a richer glaze . have_you the Ming saucer with_you of_which you spoke ? "

I carefully unpacked it and handed it to him . he seated himself at his desk, pulled over the lamp, for it_was growing dark, and set himself to examine it . as he_did so the yellow light beat upon his own features, and i_was able to study them at my ease .

he_was certainly aremarkably handsome man . his European reputation for beauty was fully deserved . in figure he_was not more than of middle size, but was built upon graceful and active lines . his face was swarthy, almost oriental, with large, dark, languorous eyes which might easily hold an irresistible fascination for women . his hair and moustache were raven black, the latter short, pointed, and carefully waxed . his features were regular and pleasing, save only his straight, thin-lipped mouth . if ever I_saw a murderer's mouth it_was there -- a cruel, hard gash in_the face, compressed, inexorable, and terrible . he_was ill- advised to train his moustache away from_it, for it_was nature's danger- signal, set as awarning to_his victims . his voice was engaging and_his manners perfect . in age i_should_have put him at little over thirty, though his record afterwards showed that he_was forty- two .

" very fine -- very fine indeed ! " he_said at last ." and you say you_have a set of six to correspond . what puzzles me is_that I should_not have heard of_such magnificent specimens .I only know of one in England to match this, and it_is certainly not likely to_be in_the market . would it be indiscreet if I were to ask_you, Dr . hill Barton, how you obtained this ? "

"Does it really matter ? " I asked with as careless an air as I_could muster .

" you_can see that_the piece is genuine, and, as_to_the value, I_am content to_take an expert's valuation ."

" very mysterious," said he with a quick, suspicious flash of_his dark eyes ." in dealing with objects of_such value, one naturally wishes to_know all about_the transaction . that_the piece is genuine is certain . I_have no doubts at all about_that . but suppose -- I_am bound to_take every possibility into account -- that_it should prove afterwards that you had no right to_sell ? "

" i_would guarantee you against any claim of_the son ."

" that, of_course, would open up the question as_to what your guarantee was worth ."

" my bankers would answer that ."

" quite so . and yet the whole transaction strikes me as rather unusual ."

" you_can do business or not," said I with indifference ." I_have_given you the first offer as I understood that you were a connoisseur, but I_shall_have no difficulty in other quaerers ."

" who told you i_was a connoisseur ? "

" i_was aware that you had written a book upon_the_subject ."

" have_you read the book ? "

" no ."

" dear me, this becomes more and more difficult for_me to understand ! you_are a connoisseur and collector with a very valuable piece in your collection, and yet you_have never troubled to consult the one book which would_have told you of_the real meaning and value of what you held . how do_you explain that ? "

" I_am a very busy man . I_am a doctor in practice ."

" that_is no answer . if a man has a hobby he follows it up, whatever his other pursuits may_be . you said in your note that you were a connoisseur ."

" so I_am ."

" might I ask_you a few questions to test you ? I_am obliged to_tell you, doctor -- if_you_are indeed a doctor -- that_the incident becomes more and more suspicious . i_would ask_you what do_you_know of_the emperor Shomu and how do_you associate him with_the Shoso- in near Nara ? dear me, does that puzzle you ? tell me a little about_the Nonhern Wei dynasty and its place in_the history of ceramics ."

I sprang from my chair in simulated anger .

" this_is intolerable, sir," said I ." I_came here to do_you afavour, and not to_be examined as_if I were aschoolboy . my knowledge on_these subjects may_be second only to your own, but I certainly shall_not answer questions which_have been put in so offensive a way ."

he looked at me steadily . the languor had gone from_his eyes . they suddenly glared . there_was a gleam of teeth from between those cruel lips .

" what_is the game ? you_are here as a spy . you_are an emissary of Holmes . this_is a trick that you_are playing upon me . the fellow is dying I hear, so he sends his tools to_keep watch upon me . you've made your way in here without leave, and, by god ! you_may find it harder to_get out than to_get in ."

he had sprung to_his feet, and I stepped back, bracing myself for an attack, for_the man was beside himself with rage . he_may_have suspected me from_the first; certainly this cross- examination had shown him the truth; but it_was clear that I_could_not hope to deceive him . he dived his hand into a side- drawer and rummaged furiously . then something struck upon his ear, for he stood listening intently .

"Ah ! " he cried ."Ah ! " and dashed into_the room behind him .

two steps took me to_the open door, and my mind will ever carry a clear picture of_the scene within . the window leading out to_the garden was wide open . beside it, looking like some terrible ghost, his head gin with bloody bandages, his face drawn and white, stood Sherlock Holmes . the next instant he_was through_the gap, and I heard the crash of_his body among_the laurel bushes outside . with a howl of rage the master of_the house rushed after him to_the open window .

and then ! it was_done in an instant, and yet I clearly saw it . an arm -- a woman's arm -- shot out from among_the leaves . at_the same instant the baron uttered a horrible cry -- a yell which will always ring in my memory . he clapped his two hands to_his face and rushed round the room, beating his head horribly against the walls . then he fell upon_the carpet, rolling and writhing, while scream after scream resounded through_the house .

" water ! for god's sake, water ! " was his cry .

I seized a carafe from a side- table and rushed to_his aid . at_the same moment the butler and several footmen ran in from_the hall .I remember that one_of_them fainted as I knelt by_the injured man and turned that awful face to_the light of_the lamp . the vitriol was eating into_it everywhere and dripping from_the ears and_the chin . one eye was already white and glazed . the other was red and inflamed . the features which I had admired a few_minutes before were now like some beautiful painting over which the artist has passed a wet and foul sponge . they were blurred, discoloured, inhuman, terrible .

in a few words I explained exactly what had occurred, so_far as_the vitriol attack was concerned . some had climbed through_the window and others had rushed out on to_the lawn, but it_was dark and it had begun to rain . between his screams the victim raged and raved against the avenger ." it was_that hell-cat, Kitty winter ! " he cried ."Oh, the she- devil ! she shall pay for_it ! she shall pay ! Oh, god in heaven, this pain is more than I_can bear ! "

I bathed his face in oil, put cotton wadding on_the raw surfaces, and administered a hypodermic of morphia . all suspicion of me had passed from_his mind in_the presence of_this shock, and he clung to my hands as_if I_might_have the power even yet to clear those dead- fish eyes which glazed up at me . I_could_have wept over the ruin had l not remembered very clearly the vile life which had led up_to so hideous a change . it_was loathsome to_feel the pawing of_his burning hands, and i_was relieved when his family surgeon, closely followed by a specialist, came to relieve me of_my charge . an inspector of police had also arrived, and to him I handed my real card . it would_have_been useless as_well as foolish to_do otherwise, for i_was nearly as_well known by sight at_the yard as Holmes himself . then I left that house of gloom and terror . within an hour i_was at baker street .

Holmes was seated in_his familiar chair, looking very pale and exhausted . apart from_his injuries, even his iron nerves had_been shocked by_the events of_the evening, and he listened with horror to my account of_the baron's transformation .

" the wages of sin, Watson -- the wages of sin ! " said he ." sooner or later it_will always come . god knows, there_was sin enough," he added, taking up a brown volume from_the table ." here_is_the book the woman talked of . if this_will not break off the marriage, nothing ever could . but it_will, Watson . it must . no self-respecting woman could stand it ."

" it_is his love diary ? "

" or his lust diary . call it what you_will . the moment the woman told us of it I realized what a tremendous weapon was there if_we_could but lay our hands on_it . I_said nothing at_the_time to indicate my thoughts, for_this woman might_have given it away . but I brooded over it . then this assault upon me gave_me the chance of letting the baron think that no precautions need be taken against me . that was all to_the good . i_would_have waited a little longer, but his visit to America forced my hand . he_would never have left so compromising a document behind him . therefore we had to act at once .Burglary at night is impossible . he takes precautions . but there_was a chance in_the evening if I_could only be_sure that his attention was engaged . that was where you and your blue saucer came in . but I had to_be_sure of_the position of_the book, and I_knew I had only a few_minutes in_which to act, for my_time was limited by your knowledge of Chinese pottery . therefore I gathered the girl up at_the last moment . how could I guess what the little packet was_that she carried so carefully under her cloak ? i_thought she had come altogether on my business, but it seems she had some of her own ."

" he guessed I_came from_you ."

"I feared he_would . but you held him in play just long enough for_me to_get the book, though not long enough for an unobserved escape .Ah, sir James, I_am very_glad you_have come ! "

our courtly friend had appeared in answer to a previous summons . he listened with_the deepest attention to Holmes's account of what had occurred .

" you have_done wonders -- wonders ! " he cried when he had heard the narrative ." but if these injuries are as terrible as Dr .Watson describes, then surely our purpose of thwarting the marriage is sufficiently gained without the use of_this horrible book ."

Holmes shook his head .

" women of_the De Merville type do_not act like that . she_would love him the more as a disfigured martyr . no, no . it_is his moral side, not his physical, which we_have to destroy . that book will bring her back to earth -- and I_know nothing else that could . it_is in_his own writing . she_cannot get past it ."

sir James carried away both it and_the precious saucer . as i_was myself overdue, I went down with_him into_the street .a brougham was waiting for him . he sprang in, gave ahurried order to_the cockaded coachman, and drove swiftly away . he flung his overcoat half out_of_the window to_cover the armorial bearings upon_the panel, but I had seen them in_the glare of_our fanlight none the less .I gasped with surprise . then I turned back and ascended the stair to Holmes's room .

" I_have found out who our client is," I cried, bursting with my great news ." why, Holmes, it_is --"

" it_is a loyal friend and a chivalrous gentleman," said Holmes, holding up arestraining hand ." let that now and forever be enough for_us ."

I_do_not know how the incriminating book was used . sir James may_have managed it . or it_is more probable that so delicate a task was entrusted to_the young lady's father . the effect, at any rate, was all that could_be desired .

three days later appeared a paragraph in_the morning post to_say that_the marriage between baron Adelbert Gruner and miss violet de Merville would_not take place . the same paper had the first police- court hearing of_the proceedings against miss Kitty winter on_the grave charge of vitriol-throwing . such extenuating circumstances came out in_the trial that_the sentence, as will_be remembered was_the lowest that was possible for such an offence .Sherlock Holmes was threatened with a prosecution for burglary, but when an object is good and a client is sufficiently illustrious, even the rigid British law becomes human and elastic . my friend has_not_yet stood in_the dock .

Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4]