No. 11 The Adventure of the Naval Treaty by Arthur Conan Doyle
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fresh for whatever may await us to- morrow ."

i_was able at last to_persuade my companion to_take my advice, though I_knew from_his excited manner that there_was not much hope of sleep for him . indeed, his mood was infectious, for I lay tossing half the night myself, brooding over this strange problem, and inventing a hundred theories, each of which_was more impossible than_the last . why had Holmes remained at Woking ? why had he asked miss Harrison to remain in_the sick- room all day ? why had he been so careful not to inform the people at Briarbrae that he intended to remain near them ? I cudgelled my brains until I fell asleep in_the endeavour to_find some explanation which would cover all these facts .

it_was seven o'clock when I awoke, and I set off at once for Phelps's room, to_find him haggard and spent after a sleepless night . his first question was whether Holmes had arrived yet .

" he'll be here when he promised," said I, " and not an instant sooner or later ."

and my words were true, for shortly after eight a hansom dashed up_to_the door and_our friend got out of it .Standing in_the window we saw that his left_hand was swathed in abandage and_that his face was very grim and pale . he entered the house, but it_was some little time before he_came upstairs .

" he looks like a beaten man," cried Phelps .

i_was forced to confess that he_was right ." after all," said I, " the clue of_the matter lies probably here in town ."

Phelps gave a groan .

"I don't know how it_is," said he, " but I had hoped for so_much from_his return . but surely his hand was not tied up like that yesterday . what can_be the matter ? "

" you_are_not wounded, Holmes ? " I asked, as my friend entered the room .

"Tut, it_is only a scratch through my own clumsiness," he answered, nodding his good- mornings to_us ." this_case of yours, Mr Phelps, is certainly one_of_the darkest which I_have ever investigated ."

"I feared that you_would find it beyond you ."

" it_has_been a most remarkable experience ."

" that bandage tells of adventures," said I ." won't you tell us what has happened ? "

" after breakfast, my dear Watson . remember that I_have breathed thirty mile of surrey air this_morning .I suppose that there_has_been no answer from my cabman advertisement ? well, well, we_cannot expect to score every time ."

the table was all laid, and just as i_was about to ring Mrs Hudson entered wit the tea and coffee .a few_minutes later she brought in three covers, and we all drew up_to_the table, Holmes ravenous, I curious, and Phelps in_the gloomiest state of depression .

" Mrs Hudson has risen to_the occasion," said Holmes, uncovering a dish of curried chicken ." her cuisine is a little limited, but she has as good an idea of breakfast as a Scotch- woman . what have_you here, Watson ? "

" ham and eggs," I answered .

" good ! what_are you going to_take, Mr Phelps--curried fowl or eggs, or will_you help yourself ? "

" thank_you . I_can eat nothing," said Phelps .

"Oh, come ! try the dish before_you ."

" thank_you, i_would really rather not ."

" well, then," said Holmes, with a mischievous twinkle, "I suppose that you_have no objection to helping me ? "

Phelps raised the cover, and as hi did so he uttered a scream, and sat there staring with a face as white as_the plate upon_which he looked . across the centre of it_was lying a little cylinder of blue-grey paper . he caught it up, devoured it with_his eyes, and then danced madly about_the room, passing it to_his bosom and shrieking out in_his delight . then he fell back into an arm- chair so limp and exhausted with_his own emotions that we had to pour brandy down his throat to_keep him from fainting .

" there ! there ! " said Holmes, soothing, patting him upon_the shoulder ." it_was too bad to spring it on you like this, but Watson here will tell you that I never can resist a touch of_the dramatic ."

Phelps seized his hand and kissed it ." god bless you ! " he cried ." you_have saved my honour ."

" well, my own was at stake, you_know," said Holmes ."I assure you it_is just as hateful to_me to fail in a case as it can_be to_you to blunder over a commission ."

Phelps thrust away the precious document into_the innermost pocket of_his coat .

" I_have_not the heart to interrupt your breakfast any further, and yet I_am dying to_know how you got it and where it_was ."

Sherlock Holmes swallowed a cup of coffee, and turned his attention to_the ham and eggs . then he rose, lit his pipe, and settled himself down into his chair .

"I'll tell you what I_did first, and how I_came to_do_it afterwards," said he ." after leaving you at_the station I went for acharming walk through some admirable surrey scenery to a pretty little village called Ripley, where I had my tea at an inn, and took the precaution of filling my flask and of putting a paper of sandwiches in my pocket . there I remained until evening, when I set off for Woking again, and found myself in_the high- road outside Briarbrae just after sunset .

" well, I waited until the road was clear-- it_is never a very frequented one at any_time, I fancy-- and then I clambered over the fence into_the grounds ."

" surely the gate was open ! " ejaculated Phelps .

" yes, but I_have a peculiar taste in_these matters .I chose the place where the three fir-trees stand, and behind their screen I got over without the least chance of any_one in_the house being able to_see me .I crouched down among_the bushes on_the other side, and crawled from one to_the other-- witness the disreputable state of_my trouser knees-- until I had reached the clump of rhododendrons just opposite to your bedroom window . there I squatted down and awaited developments .

" the blind was not down in your room, and I could_see miss Harrison sitting there reading by_the table . it_was quarter- past ten when she closed her book, fastened the shutters, and retired .

"I heard her shut the door, and felt quite_sure that she had turned the key in_the lock ."

" the key ! " ejaculated Phelps .

" yes; I had given miss Harrison instructions to lock the door on_the outside and take_the key with her when she went to bed . she carried out every_one of_my injunctions to_the letter, and certainly without her co-operation you_would_not_have that paper in you coat- pocket . she departed then and_the lights went out, and i_was left squatting in_the rhododendron- bush .

" the night was fine, but still it_was a very weary vigil . of_course it has_the sort of excitement about_it that_the sportsman feels when he lies beside the water- course and waits for_the big game . it_was very long, though-- almost as long, Watson, as when_you and I waited in_that deadly room when we looked into_the little problem of_the speckled band . there_was a church-clock down at Woking which struck the quarters, and i_thought more than once that_it had stopped . at last however about two in_the morning, I suddenly heard the gentle sound of a bolt being pushed back and_the creaking of a key .a moment later the servant's door was opened, and Mr Joseph Harrison stepped out into_the moonlight ."

" Joseph ! " ejaculated Phelps .

" he_was bare- headed, but he had a black coat thrown over his shoulder so_that he_could conceal his face in an instant if there were any alarm . he walked on tiptoe under the shadow of_the wall, and when he reached the window he worked a long-bladed knife through_the sash and pushed back the catch . then he flung open the window, and putting his knife through_the crack in_the shutters, he thrust the bar up and swung them open .

" from where I lay I had a perfect view of_the inside of_the room and of every_one of_his movements . he lit the two candles which stood upon_the mantelpiece, and then he proceeded to_turn back the corner of_the carpet in_the neighbourhood of_the door . presently he stopped and picked out a square piece of board, such as is usually left to enable plumbers to_get at_the joints of_the gas-pipes . this_one covered, as a matter of fact, the T joint which gives off the pipe which supplies the kitchen underneath . out of_this hiding- place he drew that little cylinder of paper, pushed down the board, rearranged the carpet, blew out the candles, and walked straight into my arms as I stood waiting for him outside the window .

" well, he has rather more viciousness than I_gave him credit for, has master Joseph . he flew at me with_his knife, and I had to grass him twice, and got a cut over the knuckles, before I had the upper hand of him . he looked murder out_of_the only eye he could_see with when we had finished, but he listened to reason and gave up the papers .Having got them I let my man go, but I wired full particulars to Forbes this_morning . if he_is quick enough to catch is bird, well and good . but if, as I shrewdly suspect, he finds the nest empty before he gets there, why, all the better for_the government .I fancy that lord Holdhurst for_one, and Mr Percy Phelps for another, would very_much rather that_the affair never got as far as a police- court .

" my god ! " gasped our client ." do_you tell me that during these long ten weeks of agony the stolen papers were within_the very room with me all the time ? "

" so it_was ."

" and Joseph ! Joseph a villain and a thief ! "

" hum ! I_am afraid Joseph's character is a rather deeper and more dangerous one than one might judge from_his appearance . from what I_have heard from_him this_morning, I gather that he has lost heavily in dabbling with stocks, and_that he_is ready to_do anything on earth to better his fortunes . being an absolutely selfish man, when a chance presented itself he_did_not allow either his sister's happiness or your reputation to hold his hand ."

Percy Phelps sank back in_his chair ." my head whirls," said he ." your words have dazed me ."

" the principal difficulty in your case," remarked Holmes, in_his didactic fashion, "lay in_the fact of there being too_much evidence . what_was vital was overlaid and hidden by what_was irrelevant . of all the facts which were presented to_us we had to pick just those which we deemed to_be essential, and then piece them together in their order, so as_to reconstruct this very remarkable chain of events .I had already begun to suspect Joseph, from_the fact that you had intended to travel home with_him that night, and_that therefore it_was a likely enough thing that he_should call for_you, knowing the foreign office well, upon his way . when I heard that some one had_been so anxious to_get into_the bedroom, in_which no one but Joseph could_have concealed anything-- you told us in your narrative how you had turned Joseph out when_you arrived with_the doctor-- my suspicions all changed to certainties, especially as_the attempt was_made on_the first night upon_which the nurse was absent, showing that_the intruder was well acquainted with_the ways of_the house ."

" how blind I_have_been ! "

" the facts of_the case, as far as I_have worked them out, are these: this Joseph Harrison entered the office through_the Charles street door, and knowing his way he walked straight into your room the instant after you left it .Finding no one there he promptly rang the bell, and at_the instant that he_did so his eyes caught the paper upon_the table .a glance showed him that chance had put in_his way a state document of immense value, and in an instant he had thrust it into his pocket and was gone .a few_minutes elapsed, as_you remember, before_the sleepy commissionnaire drew your attention to_the bell, and those were just enough to_give the thief time to_make his escape .

" he_made his way to Woking by_the first train, and having examined his booty and assured himself that_it really was of immense value, he had concealed it in what he thought was a very safe place, with_the intention of taking it out again in a day_or_two, and carrying it to_the French embassy, or wherever he thought that a long price was to_be had . then came your sudden return . he, without a moment's warning, was bundled out of_his room, and from_that_time onward there were always at_least two of you there to_prevent him from regaining his treasure . the situation to him must_have been amaddening one . but at last he thought he_saw his chance . he tried to steal in, but was baffled by your wakefulness . you remember that you_did_not take your usual draught that night ."

"I remember ."

"I fancy that he had taken steps to_make that draught efficacious, and_that he quite relied upon your being unconscious . of_course, I understood that he_would repeat the attempt whenever it could_be_done with safety . your leaving the room gave him the chance he_wanted .I kept miss Harrison in_it all day so_that he_might_not anticipate us . then, having given him the idea that_the coast was clear, I kept guard as I_have described .I already knew that_the papers were probably in_the room, but I had no desire to rip up all the planking and skirting in search of_them .I let him take them, therefore, from_the hiding- place, and so saved myself an infinity of trouble . is_there any_other point which I_can make clear ? "

" why did he try the window on_the first occasion," I asked, " when he_might_have entered by_the door ? "

" in reaching the door he_would_have to_pass seven bedrooms . on_the other hand, he_could get out on to_the lawn with ease . anything else ? "

" you_do_not think," asked Phelps, " that he had any murderous intention ? the knife was only meant as a tool ."

" it may_be so," answered Holmes, shrugging his shoulders ." I_can only say for certain that Mr Joseph Harrison is a gentleman to whose mercy i_should_be extremely unwilling to trust ."

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