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22 May 1859, Edinburgh M.D., Kt, D.L., LL.D., Sportsman, Writer, Poet, Politician, Justicer, Spiritualist Crowborough, 7 July 1930

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The Adventure of the Blanched Soldier

 

1 The ideas of my friend Watson, though limited, are exceedingly pertinacious. 2 For a long time he has worried me to write an experience of my own. 3 Perhaps I have rather invited this persecution, since I have often had occasion to point out to him how superficial are his own accounts and to accuse him of pandering to popular taste instead of confining himself rigidly to fact and figures. 4 'Try it yourself, Holmes!' he has retorted, and I am compelled to admit that, having taken my pen in my hand, I do begin to realize that the matter must be presented in such a way as may interest the reader. 5 The following case can hardly fail to do so, as it is among the strangest happenings in my collection, though it chanced that Watson had no note of it in his collection. 6 Speaking of my old friend and biographer, I would take this opportunity to remark that if I burden myself with a companion in my various little inquiries it is not done out of sentiment or caprice, but it is that Watson has some remarkable characteristics of his own, to which in his modesty he has given small attention amid his exaggerated estimates of my own performances. 7 A confederate who foresees your conclusions and course of action is always dangerous, but one to whom each development comes as a perpetual surprise, and to whom the future is always a closed book, is, indeed, an ideal helpmate.
8 I find from my notebook that it was in January 1903, just after the conclusion of the Boer War, that I had my visit from Mr James M. Dodd, a big, fresh, sunburned, upstanding Briton. 9 The good Watson had at that time deserted me for a wife, the only selfish action which I can recall in our association. 10 I was alone.
11
It is my habit to sit with my back to the window and to place my visitors in the opposite chair, where the light falls full upon them. 12 Mr James M. Dodd seemed somewhat at a loss how to begin the interview. 13 I did not attempt to help him, for his silence gave me more time for observation. 14 I have found it wise to impress clients with a sense of power, and so I gave him some of my conclusions.
15 'From South Africa, sir, I perceive.'
16 'Yes, sir,' he answered, with some surprise.
17 'Imperial Yeomanry, I fancy.'
18 'Exactly.'
19 'Middlesex Corps, no doubt.'
20 'That is so. 21 Mr Holmes, you are a wizard.'
22 I smiled at his bewildered expression.
23 'When a gentleman of virile appearance enters my room with such tan upon his face as an English sun could never give, and with his handkerchief in his sleeve instead of in his pocket, it is not difficult to place him. 24 You wear a short beard, which shows that you were not a regular. 25 You have the cut of a riding-man. 26 As to Middlesex, your card has already shown me that you are a stockbroker from Throgmorton Street. 27 What other regiment would you join?'
28 'You see everything.'
29 'I see no more than you, but I have trained myself to notice what I see. 30 However, Mr Dodd, it was not to discuss the science of observation that you called upon me this morning. 31 What has been happening at Tuxbury Old Park?'
32 'Mr Holmes-!'
33 'My dear sir, there is no mystery. 34 Your letter came with that heading, and as you fixed this appointment in very pressing terms, it was clear that something sudden and important had occurred.'
35 'Yes, indeed. 36 But the letter was written in the afternoon, and a good deal has happened since then. 37 If Colonel Emsworth had not kicked me out-'
39 'Well, that was what it amounted to. 39 'Kicked you out!'
40 He is a hard nail, is Colonel Emsworth. 41 The greatest martinet in the Army in his day, and it was a day of rough language, too. 42 I couldn't have stuck the Colonel if it had not been for Godfrey's sake.'
43 I lit my pipe and leaned back in my chair.
44 'Perhaps you will explain what you are talking about.'
45 My client grinned mischievously.
46 'I had got into the way of supposing that you knew everything without being told,' said he. 47 'But I will give you the facts, and I hope to God that you will be able to tell me what they mean. 48 I've been awake all night puzzling my brain, and the more I think the more incredible does it become.
49 'When I joined up in January, 1901 - just two years ago - young Godfrey Emsworth had joined the same squadron. 50 He was Colonel Emsworth's only son - Emsworth, the Crimean VC - and he had the fighting blood in him, so it is no wonder he volunteered. 51 There was not a finer lad in the regiment. 52 We formed a friendship - the sort of friendship which can only be made when one lives the same life and shares the same joys and sorrows. 53 He was my mate - and that means a good deal in the Army. 54 We took the rough and the smooth together for a year of hard fighting. 55 The he was hit with a bullet from an elephant gun in the action near Diamond Hill outside Pretoria. 56 I got one letter from the hospital at Cape Town and one from Southampton. 57 Since then not a word - not one word, Mr Holmes, for six months and more, and he my closest pal.
58 'Well, when the war was over, and we all got back, I wrote to his father and asked where Godfrey was. 59 No answer. 60 I waited a bit and then I wrote again. 61 This time I had a reply, short and gruff. 62 Godfrey had gone on a voyage round the world, and it was not likely that he would be back for a year. 63 That was all.
64 'I wasn't satisfied, Mr Holmes. 65 The whole thing seemed to me so damned unnatural. 66 He was a good lad and he would not drop a pal like that. 67 It was not like him. 68 Then, again, I happened to know that he was heir to a lot of money, and also that his father and he did not always hit it off too well. 69 The old man was sometimes a bully, and young Godfrey had too much spirit to stand it. 70 No, I wasn't satisfied, and I determined that I would get to the root of the matter. 71 It happened, however, that my own affairs needed a lot of straightening out, after two years' absence, and so it is only this week that I have been able to take up Godfrey's case again. 72 But since I have taken it up I mean to drop everything in order to see it through.'
73 Mr James M. Dodd appeared to be the sort of person whom it would be better to have as a friend than as an enemy. 74 His blue eyes were stern and his square jaw had set hard as he spoke.
75 'Well, what have you done?' I asked.
76 'My first move was to get down to his home, Tuxbury Old Park, near Bedford, and to see for myself how the ground lay. 77 I wrote to the mother, therefore - I had had quite enough of the curmudgeon of a father - and I made a clean frontal attack: 78 Godfrey was my chum, I had a great deal of interest which I might tell her of our common experiences, I should be in the neighbourhood, would there be any objection, et cetera? 79 In reply I had quite an amiable answer from her and an offer to put me up for the night. 80 That was what took me down on Monday.
81 'Tuxbury Old Hall is inaccessible - five miles from anywhere. 82 There was no trap at the station, so I had to walk, carrying my suit-case, and it was nearly dark before I arrived. 83 It is a great wandering house, standing in a considerable park. 84 I should judge it was of all sorts of ages and styles, starting on a half-timbered Elizabethan foundation and ending in a Victorian portico. 85 Inside it was all panelling and tapestry and half-effaced old pictures, a house of shadows and mystery. 86 There was a butler, old Ralph, who seemed about the same age as the house, and there was his wife, who might have been older. 87 She had been Godfrey's nurse, and I had heard him speak of her as second only to his mother in his affections, so I was drawn to her in spite of her queer appearance. 88 The mother I liked also - a gentle little white mouse of a woman. 89 It was only the Colonel himself whom I barred.
90 'We had a bit of a barney right away, and I should have walked back to the station if I had not felt that it might be playing his game for me to do so. 91 I was shown straight into his study, and there I found him, a huge, bow-backed man with a smoky skin and a straggling grey beard, seated behind his littered desk. 92 A red-veined nose jutted out like a vulture's beak, and two fierce grey eyes glared at me from under tufted brows. 93 I could understand now why Godfrey seldom spoke of his father.
94 '"Well, sir," said he in a rasping voice. 95 "I should be interested to know the real reasons for this visit."
96 'I answered that I had explained them in my letter to his wife.
97 '"Yes, yes, you said that you had known Godfrey in Africa. 98 We have, of course, only your word for that."
99 '"I have his letters to me in my pocket."
100 '"Kindly let me see them."
101 'He glanced at the two which I handed him, and then he tossed them back.
102 '"Well, what then?" he asked.
103 '"I was fond of your son Godfrey, sir. 104 Many ties and memories united us. 105 Is it not natural that I should wonder at his sudden silence and should wish to know what has become of him?"
106 '"I have some recollection, sir, that I had already corresponded with you and had told you what had become of him. 107 He has gone upon a voyage round the world. 108 His health was in a poor way after his African experiences, and both his mother and I were of opinion that complete rest and change were needed. 109 Kindly pass that explanation on to any other friends who may be interested in the matter."
110 '"Certainly," I answered. 111 "But perhaps you would have the goodness to let me have the name of the steamer and of the line by which he sailed, together with the date. 112 I have no doubt that I should be able to get a letter through to him."
113 'My request seemed both to puzzle and to irritate my host. 114 His great eyebrows came down over his eyes and he tapped his fingers impatiently on the table. 115 He looked up at last with the expression of one who has seen his adversary make a dangerous move at chess, and has decided how to meet it.
116 '"Many people, Mr Dodd," said he, "would take offence at your infernal pertinacity and would think that this insistence had reached the point of damned impertinence."
117 '"You must put it down, sir, to my real love for your son."
118 '"Exactly. 119 I have already made every allowance upon that score. 120 I must ask you, however, to drop these inquiries. 121 Every family has its own inner knowledge and its own motives, which cannot always be made clear to outsiders, however well-intentioned. 122 My wife is anxious to hear something of Godfrey's past which you are in a position to tell her, but I would ask you to let the present and the future alone. 123 Such inquiries serve no useful purpose, sir, and place us in a delicate and difficult position."
124 'So I came to a dead end, Mr Holmes. 125 There was no getting past it. 126 I could only pretend to accept the situation and register a vow inwardly that I would never rest until my friend's fate had been cleared up. 127 It was a dull evening. 128 We dined quietly, the three of us, in a gloomy, faded old room. 129 The lady questioned me eagerly about her son, but the old man seemed morose and depressed. 130 I was so bored by the whole proceeding that I made an excuse as soon as I decently could and retired to my bedroom. 131 It was a large, bare room on the ground floor, as gloomy as the rest of the house, but after a year of sleeping upon the veldt, Mr Holmes, one is not too particular about one's quarters. 132 I opened the curtains and looked out into the garden, remarking that it was a fine night with a bright half-moon. 133 Then I sat down by the roaring fire with the lamp on a table beside me, and endeavoured to distract my mind with a novel. 134 I was interrupted, however, by Ralph, the old butler, who came in with a fresh supply of coals.
135 '"I thought you might run short in the night-time, sir. 136 It is bitter weather and these rooms are cold."
137 'He hesitated before leaving the room, and when I looked round he was standing facing me with a wistful look upon his wrinkled face.
138 '"Beg your pardon, sir, but I could not help hearing what you said of young Master Godfrey at dinner. 139 You know, sir, that my wife nursed him, and so I may say I am his foster-father. 140 It's natural we should take an interest. 141 And you say he carried himself well, sir?"
142 '"There was no braver man in the regiment. 143 He pulled me out once from under the rifles of the Boers, or maybe I should not be here."
144 'The old butler rubbed his skinny hands.
145 '"Yes, sir, yes, that is Master Godfrey all over. 146 He was always courageous. 147 There's not a tree in the park, sir, that he has not climbed. 148 Nothing would stop him. 149 He was a fine boy - and oh, sir, he was a fine man."
150 'I sprang to my feet.
151 '"Look here!" I cried. 152 "You say he was. 153 You speak as if he were dead. 154 What is all this mystery? 155 What has become of Godfrey Emsworth?"
156 'I gripped the old man by the shoulder, but he shrank away.
157 '"I don't know what you mean, sir. 158 Ask the master about Master Godfrey. 159 He knows. 160 It is not for me to interfere."
161 'He was leaving the room, but I held his arm.
162 '"Listen," I said. 163 "You are going to answer one question before you leave if I have to hold you all night. 164 Is Godfrey dead?"
165 'He could not face my eyes. 166 He was like a man hypnotized. 167 The answer was dragged from his lips. 168 It was a terrible and unexpected one.
169 '"I wish to God he was!" he cried, and, tearing himself free, he dashed from the room.
170 'You will think, Mr Holmes, that I returned to my chair in no very happy state of mind. 171 The old man's words seemed to me to bear only one interpretation. 172 Clearly my poor friend had become involved in some criminal, or, at the least, disreputable, transaction which touched the family honour. 173 That stern old man had sent his son away and hidden him from the world lest some scandal should come to light. 174 Godfrey was a reckless fellow. 175 He was easily influenced by those around him. 176 No doubt he had fallen into bad hands and been misled to his ruin. 177 It was a piteous business, if it was indeed so, but even now it was my duty to hunt him out and see if I could aid him. 178 I was anxiously pondering the matter when I looked up, and there was Godfrey Emsworth standing before me.'
179 My client had paused as one in deep emotion.
180 'Pray continue,' I said. 181 'Your problem presents some very unusual features.'
182 'He was outside the window, Mr Holmes, with his face pressed against the glass. 183 I have told you that I looked out at the night. 184 When I did so, I left the curtains partly open. 185 His figure was framed in this gap. 186 The window came down to the ground and I could see the whole length of it, but it was his face which held my gaze. 187 He was deadly pale-never have I seen a man so white. 188 I reckon ghosts may look like that, but his eyes met mine, and they were the eyes of a living man. 189 He sprang back when he saw that I was looking at him, and he vanished into the darkness.
190 'There was something shocking about the man, Mr Holmes. 191 It wasn't merely that ghastly face glimmering as white as cheese in the darkness. 192 It was more subtle than that-something slinking, something furtive, something guilty-something very unlike the frank, manly lad that I had known. 193 It left a feeling of horror in my mind.
194 'But when a man has been soldiering for a year or two with brother Boer as a playmate, he keeps his nerve and acts quickly. 195 Godfrey had hardly vanished before I was at the window. 196 There was an awkward catch, and I was some little time before I could throw it up. 197 Then I nipped through and ran down the garden path in the direction that I thought he might have taken.
198 'It was a long path and the light was not very good, but it seemed to me something was moving ahead of me. 199 I ran on and called his name, but it was no use. 200 When I got to the end of the path there were several others branching in different directions to various outhouses. 201 I stood hesitating, and as I did so I heard distinctly the sound of a closing door. 202 It was not behind me in the house, but ahead of me, somewhere in the darkness. 203 That was enough, Mr Holmes, to assure me that what I had seen was not a vision. 204 Godfrey had run away from me and he had shut a door behind him. 205 Of that I was certain.
206 'There was nothing more I could do, and I spent an uneasy night turning the matter over in my mind and trying to find some theory which would cover the facts. 207 Next day I found the Colonel rather more conciliatory, and as his wife remarked that there were some places of interest in the neighbourhood, it gave me an opening to ask whether my presence for one more night would incommode them. 208 A somewhat grudging acquiescence from the old man gave me a clear day in which to make my observations. 209 I was already perfectly convinced that Godfrey was in hiding somewhere near, but where and why remained to be solved.
210 'The house was so large and so rambling that a regiment might be hid away in it and no one the wiser. 211 If the secret lay there, it was difficult for me to penetrate it. 212 But the door which I had heard close was certainly not in the house. 213 I must explore the garden and see what I could find. 214 There was no difficulty in the way, for the old people were busy in their own fashion and left me to my own devices.
215 'There were several small outhouses, but at the end of the garden there was a detached building of some size - large enough for a gardener's or a gamekeeper's residence. 216 Could this be the place whence the sound of that shutting door had come? 217 I approached it in a careless fashion, as though I were strolling aimlessly round the grounds. 218 As I did so, a small, brisk, bearded man in a black coat and bowler hat-not at all the gardener type - came out of the door. 219 To my surprise, he locked it after him and put the key in his pocket. 220 Then he looked at me with some surprise on his face.
221 '"Are you a visitor here?" he asked.
222 'I explained that I was and that I was a friend of Godfrey's.
223 '"What a pity that he should be away on his travels, for he would have so liked to see me," I continued.
224 '"Quite so. 225 Exactly," said he, with a rather guilty air. 226 "No doubt you will renew your visit at some more propitious time." 227 He passed on, but when I turned I observed that he was standing watching me, half-concealed by the laurels at the far end of the garden.
228 'I had a good look at the little house as I passed it, but the windows were heavily curtained, and, so far as one could see, it was empty. 229 I might spoil my own game, and even be ordered off the premises, if I were too audacious, for I was still conscious that I was being watched. 230 Therefore, I strolled back to the house and waited for night before I went on with my inquiry. 231 When all was dark and quiet, I slipped out of my window and made my way as silently as possible to the mysterious lodge.
232 'I have said that it was heavily curtained, but now I found that the windows were shuttered as well. 233 Some light, however, was breaking through one of them, so I concentrated my attention upon this. 234 I was in luck, for the curtain had not been quite closed, and there was a crack in the shutter so that I could see the inside of the room. 235 It was a cheery place enough, a bright lamp and a blazing fire. 236 Opposite to me was seated the little man whom I had seen in the morning. 237 He was smoking a pipe and reading a paper-'
238 'What paper?' I asked.
239 My client seemed annoyed at the interruption of his narrative.
240 'Can it matter?' he asked.
241 'It is most essential.'
242 'I really took no notice.'
243 'Possibly you observed whether it was a broad-leafed paper or of that smaller type which one associates with weeklies.'
244 'Now that you mention it, it was not large. 245 It might have been The Spectator. 246 However, I had little thought to spare upon such details, for a second man was seated with his back to the window, and I could swear that this second man was Godfrey. 247 I could not see his face, but I knew the familiar slope of his shoulders. 248 He was leaning upon his elbow in an attitude of great melancholy, his body turned towards the fire. 249 I was hesitating as to what I should do when there was a sharp tap on my shoulder, and there was Colonel Emsworth beside me.
250 '"This way, sir!" said he in a low voice. 251 He walked in silence to the house and I followed him into my own bedroom. 252 He had picked up a time-table in the hall.
253 '"There is a train to London at eight-thirty," said he. 254 "The trap will be at the door at eight."
255 'He was white with rage, and, indeed, I felt myself in so difficult a position that I could only stammer out a few incoherent apologies, in which I tried to excuse myself by urging my anxiety for my friend.
256 '"The matter will not bear discussion," said he, abruptly. 257 "You have made a most damnable intrusion into the privacy of our family. 258 You were here as a guest and you have become a spy. 259 I have nothing more to say, sir, save that I have no wish ever to see you again."
260 'At this I lost my temper, Mr Holmes, and I spoke with some warmth.
261 '"I have seen your son, and I am convinced that for some reason of your own you are concealing him from the world. 262 I have no idea what your motives are in cutting him off in this fashion, but I am sure that he is no longer a free agent. 263 I warn you, Colonel Emsworth, that until I am assured as to the safety and well-being of my friend I shall never desist in my efforts to get to the bottom of the mystery, and I shall certainly not allow myself to be intimidated by anything which you may say or do."
264 'The old fellow looked diabolical, and I really thought he was about to attack me. 265 I have said that he was a gaunt, fierce old giant, and though I am no weakling I might have been hard put to it to hold my own against him. 266 However, after a long glare of rage he turned upon his heel and walked out of the room. 267 For my part, I took the appointed train in the morning, with the full intention of coming straight to you and asking for your advice and assistance at the appointment for which I had already written.'
268 Such was the problem which my visitor laid before me. 269 It presented, as the astute reader will have already perceived, few difficulties in its solution, for a very limited choice of alternatives must get to the root of the matter. 270 Still, elementary as it was, there were points of interest and novelty about it which may excuse my placing it upon record. 271 I now proceeded, using my familiar method of logical analysis, to narrow down the possible solutions.
272 'The servants,' I asked, 'how many were in the house?'
273 'To the best of my belief there were only the old butler and his wife. 274 They seemed to live in the simplest fashion.'
275 'There was no servant, then, in the detached house?'
276 'None, unless the little man with the beard acted as such. 277 He seemed, however, to be quite a superior person.'
278 'That seems very suggestive. 279 Had you any indication that food was conveyed from the one house to the other?'
280 'Now that you mention it, I did see old Ralph carrying a basket down the garden walk and going in the direction of this house. 281 The idea of food did not occur to me at the moment.'
282 'Did you make any local inquiries?'
283 'Yes, I did. 284 I spoke to the station-master and also to the innkeeper in the village. 285 I simply asked if they knew anything of my old comrade, Godfrey Emsworth. 286 Both of them assured me that he had gone for a voyage round the world. 287 He had come home and then had almost at once started off again. 288 The story was evidently universally accepted.'
289 'You said nothing of your suspicions?'
290 'Nothing.'
291 'That was very wise. 292 The matter should certainly be inquired into. 293 I will go back with you to Tuxbury Old Park.'
294 'To-day?'
295 It happened that at the moment I was clearing up the case which my friend Watson has described as that of the Abbey School, in which the Duke of Greyminster was so deeply involved. 296 I had also a commission from the Sultan of Turkey which called for immediate action, as political consequences of the gravest kind might arise from its neglect. 297 Therefore it was not until the beginning of the next week, as my diary records, that I was able to start forth on my mission to Bedfordshire in company with Mr James M. Dodd. 298 As we drove to Euston we picked up a grave and taciturn gentleman of iron-grey aspect, with whom I had made the necessary arrangements.
299 'This is an old friend,' said I to Dodd. 300 'It is possible that his presence may be entirely unnecessary, and, on the other hand, it may be essential. 301 It is not necessary at the present stage to go further into the matter.'
302 The narratives of Watson have accustomed the reader, no doubt, to the fact that I do not waste words or disclose my thoughts while a case is actually under consideration. 303 Dodd seemed surprised, but nothing more was said and the three of us continued our journey together. 304 In the train I asked Dodd one more question which I wished our companion to hear.
305 'You say that you saw your friend's face quite clearly at the window, so clearly that you are sure of his identity?'
306 'I have no doubt about it whatever. 307 His nose was pressed against the glass. 308 The lamplight shone full upon him.'
309 'It could not have been someone resembling him?'
310 'No, no, it was he.'
311 'But you say he was changed?'
312 'Only in colour. 313 His face was - how shall I describe it? - it was of a fish-belly whiteness. 314 It was bleached.'
315 'Was it equally pale all over?'
316 'I think not. 317 It was his brow which I saw so clearly as it was pressed against the window.'
318 'Did you call to him?'
319 'I was too startled and horrified for the moment. 320 Then I pursued him, as I have told you, but without result.'
321 My case was practically complete, and there was only one small incident needed to round it off. 322 When, after a considerable drive, we arrived at the strange old rambling house which my client had described, it was Ralph, the elderly butler, who opened the door. 323 I had requisitioned the carriage for the day and had asked my elderly friend to remain within it unless we should summon him. 324 Ralph, a little wrinkled old fellow, was in the conventional costume of black coat and pepper-and-salt trousers, with only one curious variant. 325 He wore brown leather gloves, which at sight of us he instantly shuffled off, laying them down on the hall table as we passed in. 326 I have, as my friend Watson may have remarked, an abnormally acute set of senses, and a faint but incisive scent was apparent. 327 It seemed to centre on the hall-table. 328 I turned, placed my hat there, knocked it off, stooped to pick it up, and contrived to bring my nose within a foot of the gloves. 329 Yes, it was undoubtedly from them that the curious tarry odour was oozing. 330 I passed on into the study with my case complete. 331 Alas, that I should have to show my hand so when I tell my own story! 332 It was by concealing such links in the chain that Watson was enabled to produce his meretricious finales.
333 Colonel Emsworth was not in his room, but he came quickly enough on receipt of Ralph's message. 334 We heard his quick, heavy step in the passage. 335 The door was flung open and he rushed in with bristling beard and twisted features, as terrible an old man as ever I have seen. 336 He held our cards in his hand, and he tore them up and stamped on the fragments.
337 'Have I not told you, you infernal busybody, that you are warned off the premises? 338 Never dare to show your damned face here again. 339 If you enter again without my leave I shall be within my rights if I use violence. 340 I'll shoot you, sir! 341 By God, I will! 342 As to you, sir,' turning upon me, 'I extend the same warning to you. 343 I am familiar with your ignoble profession, but you must take your reputed talents to some other field. 344 There is no opening for them here.'
345 'I cannot leave here,' said my client firmly, 'until I hear from Godfrey's own lips that he is under no restraint.'
346 Our involuntary host rang the bell.
347 'Ralph,' he said, 'telephone down to the county police and ask the inspector to send up two constables. 348 Tell him there are burglars in the house.'
349 'One moment,' said I. 350 'You must be aware, Mr Dodd, that Colonel Emsworth is within his rights and that we have no legal status within his house. 351 On the other hand, he should recognize that your action is prompted entirely by solicitude for his son. 352 I venture to hope that, if I were allowed to have five minutes' conversation with Colonel Emsworth, I could certainly alter his view of the matter.'

353 'I am not so easily altered,' said the old soldier. 354 'Ralph, do what I have told you. 355 What the devil are you waiting for? 356 Ring up the police!'
357 'Nothing of the sort,' I said, putting my back to the door.
358 'Any police interference would bring about the very catastrophe which you dread.' 359 I took out my notebook and scribbled one word upon a loose sheet. 360 'That', said I, as I handed it to Colonel Emsworth, 'is what has brought us here.'
361 He stared at the writing with a face from which every expression save amazement had vanished.
362 'How do you know?' he gasped, sitting down heavily in his chair.
364 'It is my business to know things. 365 That is my trade.' 366 He sat in deep thought, his gaunt hand tugging at his straggling beard. 367 Then he made a gesture of resignation.
368 'Well, if you wish to see Godfrey, you shall. 369 It is no doing of mine, but you have forced my hand. 370 Ralph, tell Mr Godfrey and Mr Kent that in five minutes we shall be with them.'
371 At the end of that time we passed down the garden path and found ourselves in front of the mystery house at the end. 372 A small bearded man stood at the door with a look of considerable astonishment upon his face.
373 'This is very sudden, Colonel Emsworth,' said he. 374 'This will disarrange all our plans.'
375 'I can't help it, Mr Kent. 376 Our hands have been forced. 377 Can Mr Godfrey see us?'
378 'Yes, he is waiting inside.' 379 He turned and led us into a large, plainly furnished front room. 380 A man was standing with his back to the fire, and at the sight of him my client sprang forward with outstretched hand.
381 'Why, Godfrey, old man, this is fine!'
382 But the other waved him back.
383 'Don't touch me, Jimmie. 384 Keep your distance. 385 Yes, you may well stare! 386 I don't quite look the smart Lance-Corporal Emsworth, of B Squadron, do I?'
387 His appearance was certainly extraordinary. 388 One could see that he had indeed been a handsome man with clear-cut features sunburned by an African sun, but mottled in patches over this darker surface were curious whitish patches which had bleached his skin.
389 'That's why I don't court visitors,' said he. 390 'I don't mind you, Jimmie, but I could have done without your friend. 391 I suppose there is some good reason for it, but you have me at a disadvantage.'
392 'I wanted to be sure that all was well with you, Godfrey. 393 I saw you that night when you looked into my window, and I could not let the matter rest till I had cleared things up.'
394 'Old Ralph told me you were there, and I couldn't help taking a peep at you. 395 I hoped you would not have seen me, and I had to run to my burrow when I heard the window go up.'
396 'But what in Heaven's name is the matter?'
397 'Well, it's not a long story to tell,' said he, lighting a cigarette. 398 'You remember that morning fight at Buffelsspruit, outside Pretoria, on the Eastern railway line? 399 You heard I was hit?'
400 'Yes, I heard that, but I never got particulars.'
401 'Three of us got separated from the others. 402 It was very broken country, you may remember. 403 There was Simpson - the fellow we called Baldy Simpson - and Anderson, and I. 404 We were clearing brother Boer, but he lay low and got the three of us. 405 The other two were killed. 406 I got an elephant bullet through my shoulder. 407 I stuck on to my horse, however, and he galloped several miles before I fainted and rolled off the saddle.
408 'When I came to myself it was nightfall, and I raised myself up, feeling very weak and ill. 409 To my surprise there was a house close behind me, a fairly large house with a broad stoep and many windows. 410 It was deadly cold. 411 You remember the kind of numb cold which used to come at evening, a deadly, sickening sort of cold, very different from a crisp healthy frost. 412 Well, I was chilled to the bone, and my only hope seemed to lie in reaching that house. 413 I staggered to my feet and dragged myself along, hardly conscious of what I did. 414 I have a dim memory of slowly ascending the steps, entering a wide-opened door, passing into a large room which contained several beds, and throwing myself down with a gasp of satisfaction upon one of them. 415 It was unmade, but that troubled me not at all. 416 I drew the clothes over my shivering body and in a moment I was in a deep sleep.
417 'It was morning when I wakened, and it seemed to me that instead of coming out into a world of sanity I had emerged into some extraordinary nightmare. 418 The African sun flooded through the big, curtainless windows, and every detail of the great, bare, whitewashed dormitory stood out hard and clear. 419 In front of me was standing a small, dwarflike man with a huge, bulbous head, who was jabbering excitedly in Dutch, waving two horrible hands which looked to me like brown sponges. 420 Behind him stood a group of people who seemed to be intensely amused by the situation, but a chill came over me as I looked at them. 421 Not one of them was a normal human being. 422 Every one was twisted or swollen or disfigured in some strange way. 423 The laughter of these strange monstrosities was a dreadful thing to hear.
424 'It seemed that none of them could speak English, but the situation wanted clearing up, for the creature with the big head was growing furiously angry and, uttering wild beast cries, he had laid his deformed hands upon me and was dragging me out of bed, regardless of the fresh flow of blood from my wound. 425 The little monster was as strong as a bull, and I don't know what he might have done to me had not an elderly man who was clearly in authority been attracted to the room by the hubbub. 426 He said a few stern words in Dutch and my persecutor shrank away. 427 Then he turned upon me, gazing at me in the utmost amazement.
428 '"How in the world did you come here?" he asked, in amazement. 429 "Wait a bit! 430 I see that you are tired out and that wounded shoulder of yours wants looking after. 431 I am a doctor, and I'll soon have you tied up. 432 But, man alive! 433 You are in far greater danger here than ever you were on the battlefield. 434 You are in the Leper Hospital, and you have slept in a leper's bed."
435 'Need I tell you more, Jimmie? 436 It seems that in view of the approaching battle all these poor creatures had been evacuated the day before. 437 Then, as the British advanced, they had been brought back by this, their medical superintendent, who assured me that, though he believed he was immune to the disease, he would none the less never have dared to do what I had done. 438 He put me in a private room, treated me kindly, and within a week or so I was removed to the general hospital at Pretoria.
439 'So there you have my tragedy. 440 I hoped against hope, but it was not until I had reached home that the terrible signs which you see upon my face told me that I had not escaped. 441 What was I to do? 442 I was in this lonely house. 443 We had two servants whom we could utterly trust. 444 There was a house where I could live. 445 Under pledge of secrecy, Mr Kent, who is a surgeon, was prepared to stay with me. 446 It seemed simple enough on those lines. 447 The alternative was a dreadful one - segregation for life among strangers with never a hope of release. 448 But absolute secrecy was necessary, or even in this quiet country-side there would have been an outcry, and I should have been dragged to my horrible doom. 449 Even you, Jimmie - even you had to be kept in the dark. 450 Why my father has relented I cannot imagine.'
451 Colonel Emsworth pointed to me.
452 'This is the gentleman who forced my hand.' 453 He unfolded the scrap of paper on which I had written the word 'Leprosy'. 454 'It seemed to me that if he knew so much as that it was safer that he should know all.'
455 'And so it was,' said I. 456 'Who knows but good may come of it? 457 I understand that only Mr Kent has seen the patient. 458 May I ask, sir, if you are an authority on such complaints, which are, I understand, tropical or semi-tropical in their nature?'
459 'I have the ordinary knowledge of the educated medical man,' he observed, with some stiffness.
460 'I have no doubt, sir, that you are fully competent, but I am sure that you will agree that in such a case a second opinion is valuable. 461 You have avoided this, I understand, for fear that pressure should be put upon you to segregate the patient.'
462 'That is so,' said Colonel Emsworth.
463 'I foresaw this situation,' I explained, 'and I have brought with me a friend whose discretion may absolutely be trusted. 464 I was able once to do him a professional service, and he is ready to advise as a friend rather than as a specialist. 465 His name is Sir James Saunders.'
466 The prospect of an interview with Lord Roberts would not have excited greater wonder and pleasure in a raw subaltern than was now reflected upon the face of Mr Kent.
467 'I shall indeed be proud,' he murmured.
468 'Then I will ask Sir James to step this way. 469 He is at present in the carriage outside the door. 470 Meanwhile, Colonel Emsworth, we may perhaps assemble in your study, where I could give the necessary explanations.'
471 And here it is that I miss my Watson. 472 By cunning questions and ejaculations of wonder he could elevate my simple art, which is but systematized common sense, into a prodigy. 473 When I tell my own story I have no such aid. 474 And yet I will give my process of thought even as I gave it to my small audience, which included Godfrey's mother, in the study of Colonel Emsworth.
475 'That process', said I, 'starts upon the supposition that when you have eliminated all which is impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. 476 It may well be that several explanations remain, in which case one tries test after test until one or other of them has a convincing amount of support. 477 We will now apply this principle to the case in point. 478 As it was first presented to me, there were three possible explanations of the seclusion or incarceration of this gentleman in an outhouse of his father's mansion. 479 There was the explanation that he was in hiding for a crime, or that he was mad and that they wished to avoid an asylum, or that he had some disease which caused his segregation. 480 I could think of no other adequate solutions. 481 These, then, had to be sifted and balanced against each other.
482 'The criminal solution would not bear inspection. 483 No unsolved crime had been reported from that district. 484 I was sure of that. 485 If it were some crime not yet discovered, then clearly it would be to the interest of the family to get rid of the delinquent and send him abroad rather than keep him concealed at home. 486 I could see no explanation for such a line of conduct.
487 'Insanity was more plausible. 488 The presence of the second person in the outhouse suggested a keeper. 489 The fact that he locked the door when he came out strengthened the supposition and gave the idea of constraint. 490 On the other hand, this constraint could not be severe or the young man could not have got loose and come down to have a look at his friend. 491 You will remember, Mr Dodd, that I felt round for points, asking you, for example, about the paper which Mr Kent was reading. 492 Had it been The Lancet or The British Medical Journal it would have helped me. 493 It is not illegal, however, to keep a lunatic upon private premises so long as there is a qualified person in attendance and the authorities have been duly notified. 494 Why, then, all this desperate desire for secrecy? 495 Once again I could not get the theory to fit the facts.
496 'There remained the third possibility, into which, rare and unlikely as it was, everything seemed to fit. 497 Leprosy is not uncommon in South Africa. 498 By some extraordinary chance this youth might have contracted it. 499 His people would be placed in a very dreadful position, since they would desire to save him from segregation. 500 Great secrecy would be needed to prevent rumours from getting about and subsequent interference by the authorities. 501 A devoted medical man, if sufficiently paid, would easily be found to take charge of the sufferer. 502 There would be no reason why the latter should not be allowed freedom after dark. 503 Bleaching of the skin is a common result of the disease. 504 The case was a strong one - so strong that I determined to act as if it were actually proved. 505 When on arriving here I noticed that Ralph, who carries out the meals, had gloves which are impregnated with disinfectants, my last doubts were removed. 506 A single word showed you, sir, that your secret was discovered, and if I wrote rather than said it, it was to prove to you that my discretion was to be trusted.'
507 I was finishing this little analysis of the case when the door was opened and the austere figure of the great dermatologist was ushered in. 508 But for once his sphinx-like features had relaxed and there was a warm humanity in his eyes. 509 He strode up to Colonel Emsworth and shook him by the hand.
510 'It is often my lot to bring ill-tidings, and seldom good,' said he. 511 'This occasion is the more welcome. 512 It is not leprosy.'
513 'What?'
514 'A well-marked case of pseudo-leprosy or ichthyosis, a scale-like affection of the skin, unsightly, obstinate, but possibly curable, and certainly non-infective. 515 Yes, Mr Holmes, the coincidence is a remarkable one. 516 But is it coincidence? 517 Are there not subtle forces at work of which we know little? 518 Are we assured that the apprehension, from which this young man has no doubt suffered terribly since his exposure to its contagion, may not produce a physical effect which simulates that which it fears? 519 At any rate, I pledge my professional reputation - But the lady has fainted! 520 I think that Mr Kent had better be with her until she recovers from this joyous shock.'


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