No. 6 The Man with the Twisted Lip by Arthur Conan Doyle
Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4]
take it .

very_good . come this_way, if_you please . he led us down a passage, opened abarred door, passed down awinding stair, and brought us to a whitewashed corridor with a line of doors on each side .

the third on_the right is his, said the inspector . here it_is ! he quietly shot back a panel in_the upper part of_the door and glanced through .

he_is asleep, said he . you_can see him very_well .

we both put our eyes to_the grating . the prisoner lay with_his face towards us, in a very deep sleep, breathing slowly and heavily . he_was a middle- sized man, coarsely clad as became his calling, with acoloured shirt protruding through_the rent in_his tattered coat . he_was, as_the inspector had said, extremely dirty, but the grime which covered his face could_not conceal its repulsive ugliness .a broad wheal from an old scar ran right across it from eye to chin, and by its contraction had turned up one side of_the upper lip, so_that three teeth were exposed in a perpetual snarl .a shock of very bright red hair grew low over his eyes and forehead .

Hes a beauty, isnt he ? said the inspector .

he certainly needs a wash, remarked Holmes .I had an idea that he might, and i_took the liberty of bringing the tools with me . he opened the Gladstone bag as he spoke, and took out, to my astonishment, a very large bath- sponge .

he ! he ! you_are a funny one, chuckled the inspector .

now, if you_will_have the great goodness to open that door very quietly, we_will soon make him cut a much more respectable figure .

well, I dont know why_not, said the inspector . he doesnt look a credit to_the bow street cells, does he ? he slipped his key into_the lock, and we all very quietly entered the cell . the sleeper half turned, and then settled down once more into a deep slumber .Holmes stooped to_the waterjug, moistened his sponge, and then rubbed it twice vigorously across and down the prisoners face .

let me introduce you, he shouted, to Mr Neville St .Clair, of Lee, in_the county of Kent .

never in my life have I seen such a sight . the mans face peeled off under the sponge like the bark from a tree . gone was_the coarse brown tint ! gone, too, was_the horrid scar which had seamed it across, and_the twisted lip which had given the repulsive sneer to_the face ! a twitch brought away the tangled red hair, and there, sitting up in_his bed, was a pale, sad- faced, refined- looking man, black-haired and smooth- skinned, rubbing his eyes and staring about him with sleepy bewilderment . then suddenly realising the exposure, he broke into a scream and threw himself down with_his face to_the pillow .

great heavens ! cried the inspector, it_is, indeed, the missing man . I_know him from_the photograph .

the prisoner turned with_the reckless air of a man who abandons himself to_his destiny . be it so, said he . and pray what am I charged with ?

with making away with Mr Neville St .- Oh, come, you cant be charged with_that unless they make a case of attempted suicide of it, said the inspector with a grin . well, I_have_been twenty-seven years in_the force, but this really takes the cake .

if I_am Mr Neville St .Clair, then it_is obvious that no crime has_been committed, and_that, therefore, I_am illegally detained .

no crime, but a very great error has_been committed, said Holmes . you_would_have done better to_have trusted you wife .

it_was not the wife; it was_the children, groaned the prisoner . god help me, i_would_not have them ashamed of_their father . my god ! what an exposure ! what can I_do ?

Sherlock Holmes sat down beside him on_the couch and patted him kindly on_the shoulder .

if_you leave it to a court of law to clear the matter up, said he, of_course you_can hardly avoid publicity . on_the other hand, if_you convince the police authorities that_there_is no possible case against you, I_do_not know that_there_is any reason that_the details should find their way into_the papers . inspector Bradstreet would, I_am_sure, make notes upon anything which you_might tell us and submit it to_the proper authorities . the case would then never go into court at all .

god bless you ! cried the prisoner passionately . i_would_have endured imprisonment, ay, even execution, rather than have left my miserable secret as a family blot to my children .

you_are the first who_have ever heard my story . my father was a school- master in chesterfield, where I received an excellent education .I travelled in my youth, took to_the stage, and finally became a reporter on an evening paper in London . one day my editor wished to_have a series of articles upon begging in_the metropolis, and I volunteered to supply them . there_was the point from_which all my adventures started . it_was only by trying begging as an amateur that I_could get the facts upon_which to base my articles . when an actor I had, of_course, learned all the secrets of making up, and had_been famous in_the greenroom for_my skill . i_took advantage now of_my attainments .I painted my face, and to_make myself as pitiable as possible I_made a good scar and fixed one side of_my lip in a twist by_the aid of a small slip of flesh-coloured plaster . then with a red head of hair, and an appropriate dress, i_took my station in_the business part of_the city, ostensibly as a match- seller but really as a beggar . for seven hours I plied my trade, and when I returned home in_the evening I_found to my surprise that I had received no less_than 26s .4d .

i_wrote my articles and thought little more of_the matter until, some_time later, I backed a bill for a friend and had a writ served upon me for 25 pounds . i_was at my wits end where to_get the money, but a sudden idea came to_me .I begged afortnights grace from_the creditor, asked for a holiday from my employers, and spent the time in begging in_the city under my disguise . in ten days I had the money and had paid the debt .

well, you_can imagine how hard it_was to settle down to arduous work at 2 pounds a week when I_knew that I_could earn as_much in a day by smearing my face with a little paint, laying my cap on_the ground, and sitting still . it_was a long fight between my pride and_the money, but the dollars won at last, and I threw up reporting and sat day after day in_the corner which I had first chosen, inspiring pity by my ghastly face and filling my pockets with coppers . only_one man knew my secret . he was_the keeper of a low den in_which I used to lodge in Swandam Lane, where I_could every morning emerge as a squalid beggar and in_the evenings transform myself into a well- dressed man about town . this fellow, a lascar, was well paid by me for_his rooms, so_that I_knew that my secret was safe in_his possession .

well, very_soon I_found that i_was saving considerable sums of money . I_do_not mean that any beggar in_the streets of London could earn 700 pounds a year- which_is less_than my average takings- but I had exceptional advantages in my power of making up, and also in a facility of repartee, which improved by practice and made me quite arecognised character in_the city . all day a stream of pennies, varied by silver, poured in upon me, and it_was a very bad day in_which I failed to_take 2 pounds .

as I grew richer I grew more ambitious, took a house in_the country, and eventually married, without anyone having a suspicion as_to my real occupation . my dear wife knew that I had business in_the city . she little knew what .

last Monday I had finished for_the day and was dressing in my room above the opium den when I looked out of_my window and saw, to my horror and astonishment, that my wife was standing in_the street, with her eyes fixed full upon me . I_gave a cry of surprise, threw up my arms to_cover my face, and, rushing to my confidant, the lascar, entreated him to_prevent anyone from coming up to_me .I heard her voice downstairs, but I_knew that she_could_not ascend . swiftly I threw off my clothes, pulled on those of a beggar, and put on my pigments and wig . even awifes eyes could_not pierce so complete a disguise . but then it occurred to_me that there_might_be a search in_the room, and_that the clothes might betray me .I threw open the window, reopening by my violence a small cut which I had inflicted upon myself in_the bedroom that morning . then I seized my coat, which_was weighted by_the coppers which I had just transferred to_it from_the leather bag in_which I carried my takings .I hurled it out_of_the window, and it disappeared into_the Thames . the other clothes would_have followed, but at_that moment there_was a rush of constables up the stair, and a few_minutes after I_found, rather, I confess, to my relief, that instead of being identified as Mr Neville St .Clair, i_was arrested as his murderer .

I_do_not know that_there_is anything else for_me to explain . i_was determined to preserve my disguise as long as possible, and hence my preference for a dirty face .Knowing that my wife would_be terribly anxious, I slipped off my ring and confided it to_the lascar at a moment when no constable was watching me, together with ahurried scrawl, telling her that she had no cause to fear .

that note only reached her yesterday, said Holmes .

good god ! what a week she must_have spent !

the police have watched this lascar, said inspector Bradstreet, and I_can quite understand that he might find it difficult to post a letter unobserved . probably he handed it to some sailor customer of_his, who forgot all about_it for some days .

that was_it, said Holmes, nodding approvingly; I_have no_doubt of it . but have_you never been prosecuted for begging ?

many_times; but what_was a fine to_me ?

it must stop here, however, said Bradstreet . if_the police are to hush this thing up, there_must_be no more of Hugh Boone .

I_have sworn it by_the most solemn oaths which a man can take .

in_that case i_think that_it_is probable that no further steps may_be taken . but if_you_are found again, then all must come out . I_am_sure, Mr Holmes, that we_are very_much indebted to_you for having cleared the matter up . i_wish I_knew how you reach your results .

I reached this_one, said my friend, by sitting upon five pillows and consuming an ounce of shag . i_think, Watson, that if_we drive to baker street we_shall just be in_time for breakfast .

Section [1 | 2 | 3 | 4]