No. 4 The Adventure of the Three Gables by Arthur Conan Doyle
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lady was not at home ." then we_shall wait until she_is," said Holmes cheerfully .

the machine broke down .

" not at home means not at home to_you," said the footman .

" good," Holmes answered ." that means that we shall_not_have to wait . kindly give this note to your mistress ."

he scribbled three or four words upon a sheet of_his notebook, folded it, and handed it to_the man .

" what did you say, Holmes ? " I asked .

"I simply wrote: ' shall it be the police, then ? ' i_think that should pass us in ."

it did -- with amazing celerity .a minute later we were in an Arabian Nights drawing- room, vast and wonderful, in a half gloom, picked out with an occasional pink electric light . the lady had come, I_felt, to that_time of life when even the proudest beauty finds the half light more welcome . she rose from a settee as_we entered: tall, queenly, a perfect figure, a lovely mask- like face, with two wonderful Spanish eyes which looked murder at us both .

" what_is this intrusion -- and this insulting message ? " she asked, holding up the slip of paper .

" I_need not explain, madame . I_have too_much respect for your intelligence to_do_so -- though I confess that intelligence has_been surprisingly at fault of late ."

" how so, sir ? "

" by supposing that your hired bullies could frighten me from my work . surely no man would take up my profession if_it were_not that danger attracts him . it_was you, then, who forced me to examine the case of young Maberley ."

" I_have no idea what you_are talking about . what have I to_do with hired bullies ? "

Holmes turned away wearily .

" yes, I_have underrated your intelligence . well, good- afternoon ! "

" stop ! where are_you going ? "

" to Scotland yard ."

we had_not got halfway to_the door before she had overtaken us and was holding his arm . she had turned in a moment from steel to velvet .

" come and sit down, gentlemen . let_us talk this_matter over . I_feel that I_may_be frank with_you, Mr Holmes . you_have the feelings of a gentleman . how quick a woman's instinct is to_find it out . i_will treat you as a friend ."

" I_cannot promise to reciprocate, madame . I_am not the law, but I represent justice so_far as my feeble powers go . I_am ready to listen, and then i_will tell you how i_will act ."

" no_doubt it_was foolish of me to threaten a brave man like yourself ."

" what_was really foolish, madame, is_that you_have placed yourself in_the power of a band of rascals who_may blackmail or give_you away ."

" no, no ! I_am not so simple . since I_have promised to_be frank, I_may say that no one, save Barney Stockdale and Susan, his wife, have the least idea who their employer is . as to_them, well, it_is_not the first --" she smiled and nodded with acharming coquettish intimacy .

"l see . you've tested them before ."

" they_are good hounds who run silent ."

" such hounds have a way sooner or later of biting the hand that feeds them . they_will_be arrested for_this burglary . the police are already after them ."

" they_will take what comes to_them . that_is what they_are paid for . I_shall_not appear in_the matter ."

" unless I bring you into_it ."

" no, no, you_would_not . you_are a gentleman . it_is a woman's secret ."

" in_the first place, you_must give back this manuscript ."

she broke into a ripple of laughter and walked to_the fireplace . there_was a calcined mass which she broke up with_the poker ." shall I_give this back ? " she asked . so roguish and exquisite did she look as she stood before_us with achallenging smile that I_felt of all Holmes's criminals this_was the one whom he_would find it hardest to_face . however, he_was immune from sentiment .

" that seals your fate," he_said coldly ." you_are very prompt in your actions, madame, but you_have overdone it on_this occasion ."

she threw the poker down with a clatter .

" how hard you_are ! " she cried ." may I tell you the whole story ? "

"I fancy I_could tell it to_you ."

" but you_must look at it with my eyes, Mr Holmes . you_must realize it from_the point of view of a woman who sees all her life's ambition about to_be ruined at_the last moment . is such a woman to_be blamed if she protects herself ? "

" the original sin was yours ."

" yes, yes ! I admit it . he_was a dear boy, Douglas, but it so chanced that he_could_not fit into my plans . he_wanted marriage - marriage, Mr Holmes -- with a penniless commoner . nothing less would serve him . then he became pertinacious . because I had given he_seemed to_think that I still must give, and to him only . it_was intolerable . at last I had to_make him realize it ."

" by hiring ruffians to beat him under your own window ."

" you_do indeed seem to_know everything . well, it_is true .Barney and_the boys drove him away, and were, I admit, a little rough in doing_so . but what did he do then ? could I_have believed that a gentleman would do such an act ? he wrote a book in_which he described his own story .I, of_course, was_the wolf; he the lamb . it_was all there, under different names, of_course; but who in all London would_have failed to recognize it ? what do_you say to_that, Mr Holmes ? "

" well, he_was within his rights ."

" it_was as if_the air of Italy had got into his blood and brought with it the old cruel Italian spirit . he wrote to_me and sent me a copy of_his book that I_might_have the torture of anticipation . there were two copies, he_said -- one for_me, one for_his publisher ."

" how did you_know the publisher's had_not reached him ? "

" I_knew who his publisher was . it_is_not his only novel, you_know . I_found out that he had_not heard from Italy . then came Douglas's sudden death . so_long as_that other manuscript was in_the_world there_was no safety for_me . of_course, it must_be among his effects, and these would_be returned to_his mother .I set the gang at work . one_of_them got into_the house as servant . i_wanted to_do_the thing honestly .I really and truly did . i_was ready to_buy the house and everything in_it .I offered any price she cared to ask .I only tried the other way when everything else had failed . now, Mr Holmes, granting that i_was too hard on Douglas -- and, god knows, I_am sorry for_it ! -- what else could I_do with my whole future at stake ? "

Sherlock Holmes shrugged his shoulders .

" well, well," said he, "I suppose I_shall_have to compound a felony as usual . how_much does it cost to_go round the world in first- class style ? "

the lady stared in amazement .

" could it be_done on five thousand pounds ? "

" well, i_should think so, indeed ! "

" very_good . i_think you_will sign me a check for_that, and i_will_see that_it comes to Mrs Maberley . you owe her a little change of air . meantime, lady" -- he wagged a cautionary forefinger -- " have a care ! have a care ! you_can't play with edged tools forever without cutting those dainty hands ."

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