The Adventure of the Red Circle* by Arthur Conan Doyle
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blow . beside his right hand a most formidable horn- handled, two- edged dagger lay upon_the floor, and near it a black kid glove .

" by George ! it's black Gorgiano himself ! " cried the American detective ." someone has got ahead of us this_time ."

here_is_the candle in_the window, Mr Holmes," said Gregson ." why, whatever are_you doing ? "

Holmes had stepped across, had lit the candle, and was passing it backward and forward across the window-panes . then he peered into_the darkness, blew the candle out, and threw it on_the floor .

"I rather think that_will_be helpful," said he . he_came over and stood in deep thought while the two professionals were examining the body ." you say that three people came out from_the flat while you were waiting downstairs," said he at last ." did you observe them closely ? "

" yes, I_did ."

" was there a fellow about thirty, black- bearded, dark, of middle size ? "

" yes; he was_the last to_pass me ."

" that_is your man, I fancy . I_can give_you his description, and we_have a very excellent outline of_his footmark . that should_be enough for_you ."

" not much, Mr Holmes, among_the millions of London ."

" perhaps not . that_is why i_thought it best to summon this lady to your aid ."

we all turned round at_the words . there, framed in_the doorway, was a tall and beautiful woman- the mysterious lodger of Bloomsbury . slowly she advanced, her face pale and drawn with a frightful apprehension, her eyes fixed and staring, her terrified gaze riveted upon_the dark figure on_the floor .

" you_have killed him ! " she muttered ."Oh, Dio mio, you_have killed him ! " then I heard a sudden sharp intake of her breath, and she sprang into_the air with a cry of joy . round and round the room she danced, her hands clapping, her dark eyes gleaming with delighted wonder, and a thousand pretty Italian exclamations pouring from her lips . it_was terrible and amazing to_see such a woman so convulsed with joy at such a sight . suddenly she stopped and gazed at us all with aquestioning stare .

" but you ! you_are police, are_you not ? you_have killed Giuseppe Gorgiano . is_it not so ? "

" we_are police, madam ."

she looked round into_the shadows of_the room .

" but where, then, is Gennaro ? " she asked ." he_is my husband, Gennaro Lucca .am Emilia Lucca, and we_are both from New_York . where is Gennaro ? he_called me this moment from_this window, and I ran with all my speed ."

" it_was I who called," said Holmes .

" you ! how could you call ? "

" your cipher was not difficult, madam . your presence here was desirable . I_knew that I had only to flash "Vieni" and you_would surely come ."

the beautiful Italian looked with awe at my companion .

" I_do_not understand how you_know these things," she said ."Giuseppe Gorgiano- how did he--" she paused, and then suddenly her face lit up with pride and delight ." now I_see it ! my Gennaro ! my splendid, beautiful Gennaro, who has guarded me safe from all harm, he_did it, with_his own strong hand he killed the monster ! Oh, Gennaro, how wonderful you_are ! what woman could ever be worthy of_such a man ? "

" well, Mrs Lucca," said the prosaic Gregson, laying his hand upon_the lady's sleeve with as little sentiment as_if she were aNotting hill hooligan, " I_am not very clear yet who you_are or what you_are; but you've said enough to_make it very clear that we_shall want you at_the yard ."

" one moment, Gregson," said Holmes ."I rather fancy that_this lady may_be as anxious to_give us information as we_can_be to_get it . you understand, madam, that your husband will_be arrested and tried for_the death of_the man who lies before_us ? what you say may_be used in evidence . but if_you_think that he has acted from motives which are_not criminal, and which he_would wish to_have known, then you_cannot serve him better than by telling us the whole story ."

" now that Gorgiano is dead we fear nothing," said the lady ." he_was a devil and a monster, and there can_be no judge in_the_world who_would punish my husband for having killed him ."

" in_that case," said Holmes, " my suggestion is_that we lock this door, leave things as we_found them, go with_this lady to her room, and form our opinion after we_have heard what it is_that she has_to say to_us ."

half an hour later we were seated, all four, in_the small sitting- room of Signora Lucca, listening to her remarkable narrative of_those sinister events, the ending of_which we had chanced to witness . she spoke in rapid and fluent but very unconventional English, which, for_the sake of clearness, i_will make grammatical .

" i_was born in Posilippo, near Naples," said she, " and was_the daughter of Augusto Barelli, who was_the chief lawyer and once the deputy of_that part .Gennaro was in my father's employment, and I_came to love him, as any woman must . he had neither money nor position- nothing but his beauty and strength and energy- so my father forbade the match . we fled together, were married at Bari, and sold my jewels to gain the money which would take us to America . this_was four years_ago, and we_have_been in New_York ever_since .

" fortune was very_good to_us at first .Gennaro was able to_do a service to an Italian gentleman- he saved him from some ruffians in_the place called the Bowery, and so made a powerful friend . his name was Tito Castalotte, and he was_the senior partner of_the great firm of Castalotte and Zamba, who_are the chief fruit importers of New_York .Signor Zamba is an invalid, and_our new friend Castalotte has all power within_the firm, which employs more than three hundred men . he_took my husband into his employment, made him head of a department, and showed his good- will towards him in every way .Signor Castalotte was a bachelor, and I believe that he_felt as_if Gennaro was his son, and both my husband and I loved him as_if he were our father . we had taken and furnished a little house in Brooklyn, and_our whole future seemed assured when_that black cloud appeared which_was soon to overspread our sky .

" one night, when Gennaro returned from_his work, he brought a fellow- countryman back with_him . his name was Gorgiano, and he had come also from Posilippo . he_was a huge man, as_you_can testify, for you_have looked upon his corpse . not_only was his body that of a giant but everything about him was grotesque, gigantic, and terrifying . his voice was like thunder in_our little house . there_was scarce room for_the whirl of_his great arms as he talked . his thoughts, his emotions, his passions, all were exaggerated and monstrous . he talked, or rather roared, with_such energy that others could but sit and listen, cowed with_the mighty stream of words . his eyes blazed at you and held you at his mercy . he_was a terrible and wonderful man .I thank god that he_is dead !

" he_came again and again . yet i_was aware that Gennaro was no more happy than i_was in_his presence . my poor husband would sit pale and listless, listening to_the endless raving upon politics and upon social questions which made up our visitor's conversation .Gennaro said nothing, but I, who knew him so_well, could read in_his face some emotion which I had never seen there before . at first i_thought that_it_was dislike . and then, gradually, I understood that_it_was more than dislike . it_was fear- a deep, secret, shrinking fear . that night- the night that I_read his terror- I put my arms round him and I implored him by his love for_me and by all that he held dear to hold nothing from me, and to_tell me why this huge man overshadowed him so .

" he_told me, and my own heart grew cold as ice as I listened . my poor Gennaro, in_his wild and fiery days, when all the world seemed against him and_his mind was driven half mad by_the injustices of life, had joined a Neapolitan society, the red circle, which_was allied to_the old Carbonari . the oaths and secrets of_this brotherhood were frightful, but once within its rule no escape was possible . when we had fled to America Gennaro thought that he had cast it all off forever . what_was his horror one evening to meet in_the streets the very man who had initiated him in Naples, the giant Gorgiano, a man who had earned the name of ' death' in_the south of Italy, for he_was red to_the elbow in murder ! he had come to New_York to avoid the Italian police, and he had already planted a branch of_this dreadful society in_his new home . all this Gennaro told me and showed me asummons which he had received that very day, a red circle drawn upon_the head of it telling him that a lodge would_be held upon a certain date, and_that his presence at it_was required and ordered .

" that was bad enough, but worse was to_come .I had noticed for some_time that when Gorgiano came to_us, as he constantly did, in_the evening, he spoke much to_me; and even when his words were to my husband those terrible, glaring, wildbeast eyes of_his were always turned upon me . one night his secret came out .I had awakened what he_called ' love' within him- the love of a brute- a savage .Gennaro had_not yet returned when he_came . he pushed his way in, seized me in_his mighty arms, hugged me in_his bear's embrace, covered me with kisses, and implored me to_come away with_him . i_was struggling and screaming when Gennaro entered and attacked him . he struck Gennaro senseless and fled from_the house which he_was never more to enter . it_was a deadly enemy that we_made that night .

"A few_days later came the meeting .Gennaro returned from_it with a face which told me that something dreadful had occurred . it_was worse than we_could_have imagined possible . the funds of_the society were raised by blackmailing rich Italians and threatening them with violence should they refuse the money . it seems that Castalotte, our dear friend and benefactor, had_been approached . he had refused to yield to threats, and he had handed the notices to_the police . it_was resolved how that such an example should_be_made of him as would prevent any_other victim, from rebelling . at_the meeting it_was arranged that he and_his house should_be blown up with dynamite . there_was adrawing of lots as_to who_should carry out the deed .Gennaro saw our enemy's cruel face, smiling at him as he dipped his hand in_the bag . no_doubt it had_been prearranged in some fashion, for_it was_the fatal disc with_the red circle upon it, the mandate for murder, which lay upon his palm . he_was to kill his best friend, or he_was to expose himself and me to_the vengeance of_his comrades . it_was part of_their fiendish system to punish those whom they feared or hated by injuring not_only their own persons but those whom they loved, and it was_the knowledge of_this which hung as a terror over my poor Gennaro's head and drove him nearly crazy with apprehension .

" all that night we sat together, our arms round each_other, each strengthening each for_the troubles that lay before_us . the very next evening had_been fixed for_the attempt . by midday my husband and I were on_our way to London, but not before he had given our benefactor full warning of_his danger, and had also left such information for_the police as would safeguard his life for_the future .

" the rest, gentlemen, you_know for yourselves . we were_sure that_our enemies would_be behind us like our own shadows .Gorgiano had his private reasons for vengence, but in any case we_knew how ruthless, cunning, and untiring he_could be . both Italy and America are full of stories of_his dreadful powers . if ever they were exerted it would_be now . my darling made use of_the few clear days which our start had given us in arranging for a refuge for_me in_such a fashion that no possible danger could reach me . for_his own part, he_wished to_be free that he might communicate both with_the American and with_the Italian police . I_do_not myself know where he lived, or how . all that I learned was through_the columns of a newspaper . but once as I looked through my window, I_saw two Italians watching the house, and I understood that in some way Gorgiano had found out our retreat . finally Gennaro told me, through_the paper, that he_would signal to_me from a certain window, but when_the signals came they were nothing but warnings, which were suddenly interrupted . it_is very clear to_me now that he_knew Gorgiano to_be close upon him, and_that, thank god ! he_was ready for him when he_came . and now, gentlemen, i_would ask_you whether we_have anything to fear from_the law, or whether any judge upon earth would condemn my Gennaro for what he has_done ? "

" well, Mr Gregson," said the American, looking across at_the official, "I don't know what your British point of view may_be, but I guess that in New_York this lady's husband will receive a pretty general vote of thanks ."

" she will_have to_come with me and_see the chief," Gregson answered ." if what she says is corroborated, I_do_not_think she or her husband has much to fear . but what I_can't make head or tail of, Mr Holmes, is how on earth you got yourself mixed up in_the matter ."

" education, Gregson, education . still seeking knowledge at_the old university . well, Watson, you_have one more specimen of_the tragic and grotesque to add to your collection . by_the_way, it_is_not eight o'clock, and aWagner night at Covent garden ! if_we burry, we_might_be in_time for_the second act ."

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