No. 10 The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor by Arthur Conan Doyle
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unfettered by any sort of traditions . she_is impetuous-- volcanic, i_was about to_say . she_is swift in making up her mind and fearless in carrying out her resolutions . on_the other hand, i_would_not have given her the name which I_have the honour to bear"-- he_gave a little stately cough--" had_not i_thought her to_be at bottom a noble woman .I believe that she_is capable of heroic self- sacrifice and_that anything dishonourable would_be repugnant to her ."

" have_you her photograph ? "

"I brought this with me ." he opened a locket and showed us the full face of a very lovely woman . it_was not a photograph but an ivory miniature, and_the artist had brought out the full effect of_the lustrous black hair, the large dark eyes, and_the exquisite mouth .Holmes gazed long and earnestly at it . then he closed the locket and handed it back to lord St .Simon .

" the young lady came to London, then, and you renewed your acquaintance ? "

" yes, her father brought her over for_this last London season .I met her several_times, became engaged to her, and_have now married her ."

" she brought, I understand, a considerable dowry ? "

"A fair dowry . not more than is usual in my family ."

" and this, of_course, remains to_you, since_the marriage is afait accompli ? "

"I really have_made no inquiries on_the_subject ."

" very naturally not . did you_see miss Doran on_the day before_the wedding ? "

" yes ."

" was she in good spirits ? "

" never better . she kept talking of what we_should do in_our future lives ."

" indeed ! that_is very interesting . and on_the morning of_the wedding ? "

" she was as bright as possible-- at_least until after_the ceremony ."

" and did you observe any change in her then ? "

" well, to_tell the truth, I_saw then the first signs that I had ever seen that her temper was just a little sharp . the incident however, was too trivial to relate and can_have no possible bearing upon_the case ."

" pray let_us_have it, for all that ."

"Oh, it_is childish . she dropped her bouquet as_we went towards the vestry . she was passing the front pew at_the_time, and it fell over into_the pew . there_was a moment's delay, but the gentleman in_the pew handed it up_to her again, and it did_not appear to_be the worse for_the fall . yet when I spoke to her of_the matter, she answered me abruptly; and in_the carriage, on_our way home, she seemed absurdly agitated over this trifling cause ."

" indeed ! you say that there_was a gentleman in_the pew . some_of_the general public were present, then ? "

"Oh, yes . it_is impossible to exclude them when_the church is open ."

" this gentleman was not one of your wife's friends ? "

" no, no; I call him a gentleman by courtesy, but he_was quite a common- looking person .I hardly noticed his appearance . but really i_think that we_are wandering rather far from_the point ."

" lady St .Simon, then, returned from_the wedding in a less cheerful frame of mind than she had gone to_it . what did she do on re-entering her father's house ? "

" I_saw her in conversation with her maid ."

" and who_is her maid ? "

"Alice is her name . she_is an American and came from California with her ."

"A confidential servant ? "

"A little too_much so . it seemed to_me that her mistress allowed her to_take great liberties . still, of_course, in America they look upon these things in a different way ."

" how long did she speak to_this Alice ? "

"Oh, a few_minutes .I had something else to_think of ."

" you_did_not overhear what they said ? "

" lady St .Simon said something about 'jumping a claim .' she was accustomed to use slang of_the kind . I_have no idea what she meant ."

" American slang is very expressive sometimes . and what did your wife do when she finished speaking to her maid ? "

" she walked into_the breakfast- room ."

" on_your arm ? "

" no, alone . she was very independent in little matters like that . then, after we had sat down for ten minutes or so, she rose hurriedly, muttered some words of apology, and left the room . she never came back ."

" but this maid, Alice, as I understand, deposes that she went to her room, covered her bride's dress with a long ulster, put on a bonnet, and went out ."

" quite so . and she was afterwards seen walking into Hyde park in company with Flora Millar, a woman who_is now in custody, and who had already made a disturbance at Mr Doran's house that morning ."

"Ah, yes . i_should like a few particulars as_to_this young lady, and your relations to her ."

lord St .Simon shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows ." we_have_been on a friendly footing for_some_years-- I_may say on a very friendly footing . she used to_be at_the allegro . I_have_not treated her ungenerously, and she had no just cause of complaint against me, but you_know what women are, Mr Holmes .Flora was a dear little thing, but exceedingly hot- headed and devotedly attached to_me . she wrote me dreadful letters when she heard that i_was about to_be married, and, to_tell the truth, the reason why I had the marriage celebrated so quietly was_that I feared lest there_might_be a scandal in_the church . she came to Mr Doran's door just after we returned, and she endeavoured to push her way in, uttering very abusive expressions towards my wife, and even threatening her, but I had foreseen the possibility of something of_the sort, and I had two police fellows there in private clothes, who soon pushed her out again . she was quiet when she saw that there_was no good in making a row ."

" did your wife hear all this ? "

" no, thank goodness, she did_not ."

" and she was seen walking with_this very woman afterwards ? "

" yes . that_is what Mr Lestrade, of Scotland yard, looks upon as so serious . it_is thought that Flora decoyed my wife out and laid some terrible trap for her ."

" well, it_is a possible supposition ."

" you_think so, too ? "

" I_did_not_say a probable one . but you_do_not yourself look upon_this as likely ? "

" I_do_not_think Flora would hurt a fly ."

" still, jealousy is a strange transformer of characters . pray what_is your own theory as_to what took place ? "

" well, really, I_came to seek a theory, not to propound one . I_have_given you all the facts . since you ask me, however, I_may say that_it has occurred to_me as possible that_the excitement of_this affair, the consciousness that she had made so immense a social stride, had the effect of causing some little nervous disturbance in my wife ."

" in short, that she had become suddenly deranged ? "

" well, really, when I consider that she has turned her back-- i_will_not say upon me, but upon so_much that many have aspired to without success-- I_can hardly explain it in any_other fashion ."

" well, certainly that_is also aconceivable hypothesis," said Holmes, smiling ." and now, lord St .Simon, i_think that I_have nearly all my data . may I ask whether you were seated at_the breakfast- table so_that you_could_see out_of_the window ? "

" we could_see the other side of_the road and_the park ."

" quite so . then I_do_not_think that I_need to detain you longer . I_shall communicate with_you ."

" should you be fortunate enough to solve this problem," said our client, rising .

" I_have solved it ."

"Eh ? what_was that ? "

" I_say that I_have solved it ."

" where, then, is my wife ? "

" that_is a detail which I_shall speedily supply ."

lord St .Simon shook his head ." I_am afraid that_it_will take wiser heads than yours or mine," he remarked, and bowing in a stately, old- fashioned manner he departed .

" it_is very_good of lord St .Simon to honour my head by putting it on a level with_his own," said Sherlock Holmes, laughing ." i_think that I_shall_have a whisky and soda and a cigar after all this cross-questioning .I had formed my conclusions as_to_the case before our client came into_the room ."

" my dear Holmes ! "

" I_have notes of several similar cases, though none, as I remarked before, which were quite as prompt . my whole examination served to_turn my conjecture into a certainty . circumstantial evidence is occasionally very convincing, as when_you find a trout in_the milk, to quote Thoreau's example ."

" but I_have heard all that you_have heard ."

" without, however, the knowledge of pre-existing cases which serves me so_well . there_was a parallel instance in Aberdeen some_years back, and something on very_much the same lines at Munich the year after_the Franco- Prussian war . it_is one_of_these cases-- but, hello, here_is Lestrade ! good- afternoon, Lestrade ! you_will_find an extra tumbler upon_the sideboard, and there_are cigars in_the box ."

the official detective was attired in a pea- jacket and cravat, which gave him a decidedly nautical appearance, and he carried a black canvas bag in_his hand . with a short greeting he seated himself and lit the cigar which had_been offered to him .

" what's up, then ? " asked Holmes with a twinkle in_his eye ." you look dissatisfied ."

" and I_feel dissatisfied . it is_this infernal St .Simon marriage case . I_can make neither head nor tail of_the business ."

" really ! you surprise me ."

" who ever heard of_such a mixed affair ? every clew seems to slip through my fingers . I_have_been at work upon it all day ."

" and very wet it seems to have_made you," said Holmes laying his hand upon_the arm of_the pea- jacket .

" yes, I_have_been dragging the serpentine ."

" in heaven's name, what for ? "

" in search of_the body of lady St .Simon ."

Sherlock Holmes leaned back in_his chair and laughed heartily .

" have_you dragged the basin of Trafalgar square fountain ? " he asked .

" why ? what do_you_mean ? "

" because you_have just as good a chance of finding this lady in_the one as in_the other ."

Lestrade shot an angry glance at my companion ."I suppose you_know all about_it," he snarled .

" well, I_have only just heard the facts, but my mind is made up ."

"Oh, indeed ! then you_think that_the serpentine plays no part in_the manner ? "

" i_think it very unlikely ."

" then perhaps you_will kindly explain how it is_that we_found this in_it ? " he opened his bag as he spoke, and tumbled onto the floor awedding- dress of watered silk, a pair of white satin shoes and a bride's wreath and veil, all discoloured and soaked in water ." there," said he, putting a new wedding- ring upon_the top of_the pile ." there_is a little nut for_you to crack, master Holmes ."

"Oh, indeed ! " said my friend, blowing blue rings into_the air ." you dragged them from_the serpentine ? "

" no . they were found floating near the margin by a park- keeper . they_have been identified as her clothes, and it seemed to_me that if_the clothes were there the body would_not_be far off ."

" by_the same brilliant reasoning, every man's body is_to_be found in_the neighbourhood of_his wardrobe . and pray what did you hope to arrive at through_this ? "

" at some evidence implicating Flora Millar in_the disappearance ."

" I_am afraid that you_will_find it difficult ."

" are_you, indeed, now ? " cried Lestrade with some bitterness ." I_am afraid, Holmes, that you_are_not very practical with your deductions and your inferences . you have_made two blunders in as_many minutes . this dress does implicate miss Flora Millar ."

" and how ? "

" in_the dress is a pocket . in_the pocket is a card- case . in_the card- case is a note . and here_is_the very note ." he slapped it down upon_the table in front of him ." listen to_this: ' you_will_see me when all is ready . come at once .F .H .M .' now my theory all along has_been that lady St .Simon was decoyed away by Flora Millar, and_that she, with confederates, no_doubt, was responsible for her disappearance . here, signed with her initials, is_the very note which_was no_doubt quietly slipped into her hand at_the door and which lured her within their reach ." Josef Friedrich, 1906

" very_good, Lestrade," said Holmes, laughing ." you really are very fine indeed . let me see it ." he_took up the paper in a listless way, but his attention instantly became riveted, and he_gave a little cry of satisfaction ." this_is indeed important," said he .

"Ha ! you find it so ? "

"Extremely so .I congratulate you warmly ."

Lestrade rose in_his triumph and bent his head to look ." why," he shrieked, " you're looking at_the wrong side ! "

" on_the contrary, this_is_the right side ."

" the right side ? you're mad ! here_is_the note written in pencil over here ."

" and over here_is what appears to_be the fragment of a hotel bill, which interests me deeply ."

" there's nothing in_it .I looked at it before," said Lestrade ."'Oct .4th, rooms 8s ., breakfast 2s .6d ., cocktail 1s ., lunch 2s .6d ., glass sherry, 8d .' I_see nothing in_that ."

" very likely not . it_is most important, all the same . as_to_the note, it_is important also, or at_least the initials are, so I congratulate you again ."

"I've wasted time enough," said Lestrade, rising ."I believe in hard work and not in sitting by_the fire spinning fine theories . good- day, Mr Holmes, and we_shall see which gets to_the bottom of_the matter first ." he gathered up the garments, thrust them into_the bag, and made for_the door .

" just one hint to_you, Lestrade," drawled Holmes before his rival vanished; " i_will tell you the true solution of_the matter . lady St .Simon is a myth . there_is not, and there never has_been, any such person ."

Lestrade looked sadly at my companion . then he turned to_me, tapped his forehead three times, shook his head solemnly, and hurried away .

he had hardly shut the door behind him when Holmes rose to_put on_his overcoat ." there_is something in what the fellow says about outdoor work," he remarked, " so i_think, Watson, that I_must leave you to your papers for a little ."

it_was after five o'clock when Sherlock Holmes left me, but I had no time to_be lonely, for within an hour there arrived a confectioner's man with a very large flat box . this he unpacked with_the help of a youth whom he had brought with_him, and presently, to my very great astonishment, a quite epicurean little cold supper began to_be laid out upon our humble lodging- house mahogany . there were a couple of brace of cold woodcock, a pheasant, apate de foie gras pie with a group of ancient and cobwebby bottles .Having laid out all these luxuries, my two visitors vanished away, like the genie of_the Arabian Nights, with no explanation save that_the things had_been paid for and were ordered to_this address .

just before nine o'clock Sherlock Holmes stepped briskly into_the room . his features were gravely set, but there_was a light in_his eye which made me think that he had_not_been disappointed in_his conclusions .

" they_have laid the supper, then," he_said, rubbing his hands .

" you seem to expect company . they_have laid for five ."

" yes, I fancy we_may_have some company dropping in," said he ." I_am surprised that lord St .Simon has_not already arrived .Ha ! I fancy that I

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