No. 10 The Adventure of the Noble Bachelor by Arthur Conan Doyle
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that I hear his step now upon_the stairs ."

it_was indeed our visitor of_the afternoon who came bustling in, dangling his glasses more vigorously than ever, and with a very perturbed expression upon his aristocratic features .

" my messenger reached you, then ? " asked Holmes .

" yes, and I confess that_the contents startled me beyond measure . have_you good authority for what you say ? "

" the best possible ."

lord St .Simon sank into a chair and passed his hand over his forehead .

" what_will the duke say," he murmured, " when he hears that one_of_the family has_been subjected to such humiliation ? "

" it_is_the purest accident . I_cannot allow that_there_is any humiliation ."

"Ah, you look on_these things from another standpoint ."

"I fail to_see that anyone is to blame . I_can hardly see how the lady could_have acted otherwise, though her abrupt method of doing it_was undoubtedly to_be regretted .Having no mother, she had no one to advise her at such a crisis ."

" it_was a slight, sir, a public slight," said lord St .Simon, tapping his fingers upon_the table .

" you_must make allowance for_this poor girl, placed in so unprecedented a position ."

" i_will make no allowance . I_am very angry indeed, and I_have_been shamefully used ."

" i_think that I heard a ring," said Holmes ." yes, there_are steps on_the landing . if I_cannot persuade you to_take a lenient view of_the matter, lord St .Simon, I_have brought an advocate here who_may_be more successful ." he opened the door and ushered in a lady and gentleman ." lord St .Simon," said he " allow me to introduce you to Mr and Mrs Francis hay Moulton . the lady, i_think, you_have already met ."

at_the sight of_these newcomers our client had sprung from_his seat and stood very erect, with_his eyes cast down and_his hand thrust into_the breast of_his frock- coat, a picture of offended dignity . the lady had taken a quick step forward and had held out her hand to him, but he still refused to raise his eyes . it_was as_well for_his resolution, perhaps, for her pleading face was one which it_was hard to resist .

" you're angry, Robert," said she ." well, I guess you_have every cause to_be ."

" pray make no apology to_me," said lord St .Simon bitterly .

"Oh, yes, I_know that I_have treated you real bad and_that i_should_have spoken to_you before I went; but i_was kind of rattled, and from_the time when I_saw frank here again I just didn't know what i_was doing or saying .I only wonder I didn't fall down and do a faint right there before_the altar ."

" perhaps, Mrs Moulton, you_would like my friend and me to leave the room while you explain this_matter ? "

" if I_may give an opinion," remarked the strange gentleman, " we've had just a little too_much secrecy over this business already . for_my part, i_should like all Europe and America to hear the rights of it ." he_was a small, wiry, sunburnt man, clean-shaven, with a sharp face and alert manner .

" then I'll tell our story right away," said the lady ." frank here and I met in '84, in McQuire's camp, near the Rockies, where pa was working a claim . we were engaged to each_other, frank and I; but then one day father struck a rich pocket and made a pile, while poor frank here had a claim that petered out and came to nothing . the richer pa grew the poorer was frank; so at last pa wouldn't hear of_our engagement lasting any longer, and he_took me away to 'Frisco . frank wouldn't throw up his hand, though; so he followed me there, and he_saw me without pa knowing anything about_it . it would only have_made him mad to_know, so we just fixed it all up for ourselves . frank said that he_would go and make his pile, too, and never come back to claim me until he had as_much as pa . so then I promised to wait for him to_the end of_time and pledged myself not to marry anyone else while he lived .' why shouldn't we be married right away, then,' said he, ' and then i_will feel sure of you; and I won't claim to_be your husband until I come back ? ' well, we talked it over, and he had fixed it all up so nicely, with a clergyman all ready in waiting, that we just did it right there; and then frank went off to seek his fortune, and I went back to pa .

" the next I heard of frank was_that he_was in Montana, and then he went prospecting in Arizona, and then I heard of him from New_Mexico . after_that came a long newspaper story about how aminers' camp had_been attacked by Apache Indians, and there_was my frank's name among_the killed .I fainted dead away, and i_was very sick for months after .Pa thought I had a decline and took me to half the doctors in 'Frisco . not a word of news came for a year and more, so_that I never doubted that frank was really dead . then lord St .Simon came to 'Frisco, and we came to London, and a marriage was arranged, and pa was very pleased, but I_felt all the time that no man on_this earth would ever take_the place in my heart that had_been given to my poor frank .

" still, if I had married lord St .Simon, of_course I'd have_done my duty by him . we_can't command our love, but we_can our actions .I went to_the altar with_him with_the intention to_make him just as good a wife as it_was in me to_be . but you_may imagine what I_felt when, just as I_came to_the altar rails, I glanced back and saw frank standing and looking at me out_of_the first pew . i_thought it_was his ghost at first; but when I looked again there he_was still, with a kind of question in_his eyes, as_if to ask me whether I were glad or sorry to_see him .I wonder I didn't drop . I_know that everything was turning round, and_the words of_the clergyman were just like the buzz of a bee in my ear .I didn't know what to_do . should I stop the service and make ascene in_the church ? I glanced at him again, and he_seemed to_know what i_was thinking, for he raised his finger to_his lips to_tell me to_be still . then I_saw him scribble on a piece of paper, and I_knew that he_was writing me a note . as I passed his pew on_the way out I dropped my bouquet over to him, and he slipped the note into my hand when he returned me the flowers . it_was only a line asking me to join him when he_made the sign to_me to_do_so . of_course I never doubted for a moment that my first duty was now to him, and I determined to_do just whatever he might direct .

" when I got back i_told my maid, who had known him in California, and had always been his friend .I ordered her to_say nothing, but to_get a few things packed and my ulster ready . I_know I ought_to_have spoken to lord St .Simon, but it_was dreadful hard before his mother and all those great people .I just made up my mind to run away and explain afterwards .I hadn't been at_the table ten minutes before I_saw frank out_of_the window at_the other side of_the road . he beckoned to_me and then began walking into_the park .I slipped out, put on my things, and followed him . some woman came talking something or other about lord St .Simon to_me-- seemed to_me from_the little I heard as_if he had a little secret of_his own before marriage also-- but I managed to_get away from her and soon overtook frank . we got into a cab together, and away we drove to some lodgings he had taken in Gordon square, and_that was my true wedding after all those years of waiting . frank had_been a prisoner among_the Apaches, had escaped, came on to 'Frisco, found that I had given him up for dead and had gone to England, followed me there, and had come upon me at last on_the very morning of_my second wedding ."

" I_saw it in a paper," explained the American ." it gave the name and_the church but not where the lady lived ."

" then we had a talk as_to what we_should do, and frank was all for openness, but i_was so ashamed of it all that I_felt as_if i_should like to vanish away and never see any of_them again-- just sending a line to pa, perhaps, to show him that i_was alive . it_was awful to_me to_think of all those lords and ladies sitting round that breakfast- table and waiting for_me to_come back . so frank took my wedding- clothes and things and made a bundle of_them, so_that I should_not_be traced, and dropped them away somewhere where no one could find them . it_is likely that we_should_have gone on to Paris to- morrow, only that_this good gentleman, Mr Holmes, came round to_us this evening, though how he_found us is more than I_can think, and he showed us very clearly and kindly that i_was wrong and_that frank was right, and_that we_should_be putting ourselves in_the wrong if_we were so secret . then he offered to_give us a chance of talking to lord St .Simon alone, and so we came right away round to_his rooms at once . now, Robert, you_have heard it all, and I_am very sorry if I_have_given you pain, and I_hope_that you_do_not think very meanly of me ."

lord St .Simon had by no means relaxed his rigid attitude, but had listened with afrowning brow and acompressed lip to_this long narrative .

" excuse me," he_said, " but it_is_not my custom to discuss my most intimate personal affairs in_this public manner ." Josef Friedrich, 1906

" then you won't forgive me ? you won't shake hands before I go ? "

"Oh, certainly, if_it would give_you any pleasure ." he put out his hand and coldly grasped that which she extended to him .

"I had hoped," suggested Holmes, " that you_would_have joined us in a friendly supper ."

" i_think that there you ask a little too_much," responded his lordship ." I_may_be forced to acquiesce in_these recent developments, but I_can hardly be expected to_make merry over them . i_think that with your permission i_will now wish you all a very_good- night ." he included us all in asweeping bow and stalked out_of_the room .

" then I trust that you at_least will honour me with your company," said Sherlock Holmes ." it_is always a joy to meet an American, Mr Moulton, for I_am one of_those who believe that_the folly of a monarch and_the blundering of a minister in far- gone years will not prevent our children from being some day citizens of_the same world- wide country under a flag which shall be aquartering of_the Union jack with_the Stars and Stripes ."

" the case has_been an interesting one," remarked Holmes when our visitors had left us, " because it serves to show very clearly how simple the explanation may_be of an affair which at first sight seems_to_be almost inexplicable . nothing could_be more natural than_the sequence of events as narrated by_this lady, and nothing stranger than_the result when viewed, for instance by_Mr Lestrade, of Scotland yard ."

" you were_not yourself at fault at all, then ? "

" from_the first, two facts were very obvious to_me, the one that_the lady had_been quite willing to undergo the wedding ceremony, the other that she had repented of it within a few_minutes of returning home . obviously something had occurred during the morning, then, to cause her to_change her mind . what could that something be ? she_could_not have spoken to anyone when she was out, for she had_been in_the company of_the bridegroom . had she seen someone, then ? if she had, it must_be someone from America because she had spent so short a time in_this country that she_could hardly have allowed anyone to acquire so deep an influence over her that_the mere sight of him would induce her to_change her plans so completely . you_see we_have already arrived, by a process of exclusion, at_the idea that she might_have seen an American . then who_could this American be, and why should he possess so_much influence over her ? it might_be a lover; it might_be a husband . her young womanhood had, I_knew, been spent in rough scenes and under strange conditions . so_far I had got before I ever heard lord St .Simon's narrative . when he_told us of a man in a pew, of_the change in_the bride's manner, of so transparent a device for obtaining a note as_the dropping of a bouquet, of her resort to her confidential maid, and of her very significant allusion to claim-jumping-- which in miners' parlance means taking possession of_that which another person has a prior claim to-- the whole situation became absolutely clear . she had gone off with a man, and_the man was either a lover or was a previous husband-- the chances being in favour of_the latter ."

" and how in_the_world did you find them ? "

" it might_have_been difficult, but friend Lestrade held information in_his hands the value of_which he_did_not himself know . the initials were, of_course, of_the highest importance, but more valuable still was_it to_know that within a week he had settled his bill at one_of_the_most select London hotels ."

" how did you deduce the select ? "

" by_the select prices .Eight shillings for a bed and eight-pence for a glass of sherry pointed to one_of_the_most expensive hotels . there_are not many in London which charge at_that rate . in_the second one which I visited in Northumberland avenue, I learned by an inspection of_the book that Francis H .Moulton, an American gentleman, had left only the day before, and on looking over the entries against him, I_came upon_the very items which I had seen in_the duplicate bill . his letters were to_be forwarded to 226 Gordon square; so thither I travelled, and being fortunate enough to_find the loving couple at home, I ventured to_give them some paternal advice and to point out to_them that_it would_be better in every way that_they should make their position a little clearer both to_the general public and to lord St .Simon in_particular .I invited them to meet him here, and, as you_see, I_made him keep the appointment ."

" but with no very_good result," I remarked ." his conduct was certainly not very gracious ."

"Ah, Watson," said Holmes, smiling, " perhaps you_would_not_be very gracious either, if, after all the trouble of wooing and wedding, you found yourself deprived in an instant of wife and of fortune . i_think that we_may judge lord St .Simon very mercifully and thank our stars that we_are never likely to_find ourselves in_the same position . draw your chair up and hand me my violin, for_the only problem we_have still to solve is how to while away these bleak autumnal evenings ."

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