“But he has a struggle to keep up his position. He is far from richand has many calls. You noticed, of course, that his boots had beenresoled. Now, Watson, I won’t detain you from your legitimatework any longer. I shall do nothing more to-day, unless I havean answer to my cab advertisement. But I should be extremelyobliged to you if you would come down with me to Woking tomorrow,by the same train which we took yesterday.”
I met him accordingly next morning and we traveled down toWoking together. He had had no answer to his advertisement,he said, and no fresh light had been thrown upon the case. Hehad, when he so willed it, the utter immobility of countenanceof a red Indian, and I could not gather from his appearancewhether he was satisfied or not with the position of the case.
His conversation, I remember, was about the Bertillon system ofmeasurements, and he expressed his enthusiastic admiration ofthe French savant.
We found our client still under the charge of his devoted nurse,but looking considerably better than before. He rose from thesofa and greeted us without difficulty when we entered.
“Any news?” he asked, eagerly.
“My report, as I expected, is a negative one,” said Holmes. “Ihave seen Forbes, and I have seen your uncle, and I have set oneor two trains of inquiry upon foot which may lead to something.”
“You have not lost heart, then?”
“By no means.”
“God bless you for saying that!” cried Miss Harrison. “If wekeep our courage and our patience the truth must come out.”
“We have more to tell you than you have for us,” said Phelps,reseating himself upon the couch.
“I hoped you might have something.”
“Yes, we have had an adventure during the night, and one whichmight have proved to be a serious one.” His expression grew verygrave as he spoke, and a look of something akin to fear sprang upin his eyes. “Do you know,” said he, “that I begin to believe thatI am the unconscious centre of some monstrous conspiracy, andthat my life is aimed at as well as my honor?”
“Ah!” cried Holmes.
“It sounds incredible, for I have not, as far as I know, an enemyin the world. Yet from last night’s experience I can come to noother conclusion.”
“Pray let me hear it.”
“You must know that last night was the very first night that Ihave ever slept without a nurse in the room. I was so much betterthat I thought I could dispense with one. I had a night-lightburning, however. Well, about two in the morning I had sunk intoa light sleep when I was suddenly aroused by a slight noise. It waslike the sound which a mouse makes when it is gnawing a plank,and I lay listening to it for some time under the impression thatit must come from that cause. Then it grew louder, and suddenlythere came from the window a sharp metallic snick. I sat up inamazement. There could be no doubt what the sounds were now.
The first ones had been caused by some one forcing an instrumentthrough the slit between the sashes, and the second by the catchbeing pressed back.
“There was a pause then for about ten minutes, as if the personwere waiting to see whether the noise had awakened me. Then Iheard a gentle creaking as the window was very slowly opened. Icould stand it no longer, for my nerves are not what they used tobe. I sprang out of bed and flung open the shutters. A man wascrouching at the window. I could see little of him, for he was gonelike a flash. He was wrapped in some sort of cloak which cameacross the lower part of his face. One thing only I am sure of, andthat is that he had some weapon in his hand. It looked to me like along knife. I distinctly saw the gleam of it as he turned to run.”
“This is most interesting,” said Holmes. “Pray what did you dothen?”
“I should have followed him through the open window if I hadbeen stronger. As it was, I rang the bell and roused the house. Ittook me some little time, for the bell rings in the kitchen and theservants all sleep upstairs. I shouted, however, and that broughtJoseph down, and he roused the others. Joseph and the groomfound marks on the bed outside the window, but the weather hasbeen so dry lately that they found it hopeless to follow the trailacross the grass. There’s a place, however, on the wooden fencewhich skirts the road which shows signs, they tell me, as if someone had got over, and had snapped the top of the rail in doing so.
I have said nothing to the local police yet, for I thought I had besthave your opinion first.”
This tale of our client’s appeared to have an extraordinary effectupon Sherlock Holmes. He rose from his chair and paced aboutthe room in uncontrollable excitement.
“Misfortunes never come single,” said Phelps, smiling, though itwas evident that his adventure had somewhat shaken him.
“You have certainly had your share,” said Holmes. “Do you thinkyou could walk round the house with me?”
“Oh, yes, I should like a little sunshine. Joseph will come, too.”
“And I also,” said Miss Harrison.
“I am afraid not,” said Holmes, shaking his head. “I think I mustask you to remain sitting exactly where you are.”
The young lady resumed her seat with an air of displeasure. Herbrother, however, had joined us and we set off all four together. Wepassed round the lawn to the outside of the young diplomatist’swindow. There were, as he had said, marks upon the bed, but theywere hopelessly blurred and vague. Holmes stopped over them foran instant, and then rose shrugging his shoulders.
“I don’t think any one could make much of this,” said he. “Let usgo round the house and see why this particular room was chosenby the burglar. I should have thought those larger windows of thedrawing-room and dining-room would have had more attractionsfor him.”
“They are more visible from the road,” suggested Mr. JosephHarrison.
“Ah, yes, of course. There is a door here which he might haveattempted. What is it for?”
“It is the side entrance for trades-people. Of course it is lockedat night.”
“Have you ever had an alarm like this before?”
“Never,” said our client.
“Do you keep plate in the house, or anything to attract burglars?”
“Nothing of value.”