The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Chapter 2: The Red-Headed League #arthurconandoyle
Welcome to Storytime Classics! In this video, we present the second story from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Red-Headed League, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Published in 1891, this fascinating mystery is one of the most beloved in the Sherlock Holmes series. While this is Part 2 of our audiobook series, viewers can absolutely watch The Red-Headed League as a standalone story without needing to see the previous video, A Scandal in Bohemia. However, if you’re curious to watch the first part, you can find it on our Dailymotion and YouTube channel as well!
In this story, Holmes and Dr. Watson are called to investigate a peculiar case involving a mysterious job offer for men with red hair, which leads to a far deeper and more devious plot. As always, Sherlock Holmes uses his legendary powers of deduction to crack the case in a way that only he can!
📚 About The Red-Headed League:
First published in The Strand Magazine in August 1891, The Red-Headed League is a highly regarded mystery from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The story revolves around Jabez Wilson, a pawnbroker who is recruited into a strange organization purely for the color of his hair. When the "league" suddenly disbands, Wilson seeks the help of Sherlock Holmes to uncover the truth behind the bizarre job offer. Holmes, of course, unravels a much more sinister plot, showcasing his unparalleled investigative skills.
✨ Trivia and Interesting Facts:
The Red-Headed League was ranked as the second-best Sherlock Holmes short story by Conan Doyle himself.
The plot is loosely based on a real-life hoax involving unusual employment schemes.
Holmes’ ability to instantly judge character based on appearance and behavior is a key element in this story, demonstrating his unique approach to solving crimes.
The story has been adapted into various media over the years, including radio dramas, television episodes, and plays.
Listen to "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" on Spotify! 🎧
Immerse yourself in the world of mystery and deduction with Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective.
Stream Chapter 2 – The Red-Headed League now on Spotify: [ https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ribXvwWXsg6WSV5f0uFFz ]
🔔 Why Watch?
The Red-Headed League is a classic Sherlock Holmes mystery filled with humor, suspense, and clever plot twists. Whether you're a devoted fan of Holmes or new to these stories, this audiobook brings to life the intellect and intrigue that define the detective's most famous adventures. Follow along as Holmes and Watson navigate an eccentric case that hides a dark and dangerous secret. Don’t forget to check out the first part, A Scandal in Bohemia, on our channel as well!
📺 Watch more classics on YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCznxCmlOUiHjaGrQDZijbZA]
#sherlockholmes #TheRedHeadedLeague #detectivefiction #arthurconandoyle #classicmystery #audiobook
Welcome to Storytime Classics! In this video, we present the second story from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, The Red-Headed League, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Published in 1891, this fascinating mystery is one of the most beloved in the Sherlock Holmes series. While this is Part 2 of our audiobook series, viewers can absolutely watch The Red-Headed League as a standalone story without needing to see the previous video, A Scandal in Bohemia. However, if you’re curious to watch the first part, you can find it on our Dailymotion and YouTube channel as well!
In this story, Holmes and Dr. Watson are called to investigate a peculiar case involving a mysterious job offer for men with red hair, which leads to a far deeper and more devious plot. As always, Sherlock Holmes uses his legendary powers of deduction to crack the case in a way that only he can!
📚 About The Red-Headed League:
First published in The Strand Magazine in August 1891, The Red-Headed League is a highly regarded mystery from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. The story revolves around Jabez Wilson, a pawnbroker who is recruited into a strange organization purely for the color of his hair. When the "league" suddenly disbands, Wilson seeks the help of Sherlock Holmes to uncover the truth behind the bizarre job offer. Holmes, of course, unravels a much more sinister plot, showcasing his unparalleled investigative skills.
✨ Trivia and Interesting Facts:
The Red-Headed League was ranked as the second-best Sherlock Holmes short story by Conan Doyle himself.
The plot is loosely based on a real-life hoax involving unusual employment schemes.
Holmes’ ability to instantly judge character based on appearance and behavior is a key element in this story, demonstrating his unique approach to solving crimes.
The story has been adapted into various media over the years, including radio dramas, television episodes, and plays.
Listen to "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes" on Spotify! 🎧
Immerse yourself in the world of mystery and deduction with Arthur Conan Doyle’s legendary detective.
Stream Chapter 2 – The Red-Headed League now on Spotify: [ https://open.spotify.com/episode/1ribXvwWXsg6WSV5f0uFFz ]
🔔 Why Watch?
The Red-Headed League is a classic Sherlock Holmes mystery filled with humor, suspense, and clever plot twists. Whether you're a devoted fan of Holmes or new to these stories, this audiobook brings to life the intellect and intrigue that define the detective's most famous adventures. Follow along as Holmes and Watson navigate an eccentric case that hides a dark and dangerous secret. Don’t forget to check out the first part, A Scandal in Bohemia, on our channel as well!
📺 Watch more classics on YouTube: [https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCznxCmlOUiHjaGrQDZijbZA]
#sherlockholmes #TheRedHeadedLeague #detectivefiction #arthurconandoyle #classicmystery #audiobook
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00:00The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
00:03The Red-Headed League
00:04I called upon my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, one day in the autumn of last year, and found
00:10him in deep conversation with a very stout, florid-faced, elderly gentleman with fiery
00:15red hair.
00:16With an apology for my intrusion, I was about to withdraw when Holmes pulled me abruptly
00:21into the room and closed the door behind me.
00:24You could not possibly have come at a better time, my dear Watson, he said cordially.
00:28I was afraid that you were engaged, so I am, very much so.
00:33Then I can wait in the next room, not at all.
00:36This gentleman, Mr. Wilson, has been my partner and helper in many of my most successful cases,
00:42and I have no doubt that he will be of the utmost use to me and yours also.
00:46The stout gentleman half rose from his chair and gave a bob of greeting, with a quick little
00:51questioning glance from his small, fat, encircled eyes.
00:54Try the settee, said Holmes, relapsing into his armchair and putting his fingertips together,
01:01as was his custom when in judicial moods.
01:04I know, my dear Watson, that you share my love of all that is bizarre and outside the
01:09conventions and humdrum routine of everyday life.
01:12You have shown your relish for it by the enthusiasm which has prompted you to chronicle, and if you
01:17will excuse my saying so, somewhat to embellish so many of my own little adventures.
01:23Your cases have indeed been of the greatest interest to me, I observed.
01:27You will remember that I remarked the other day, just before we went into the very simple
01:32problem presented by Miss Mary Sutherland, that for strange effects and extraordinary
01:36combinations we must go to life itself, which is always far more daring than any effort of
01:42the imagination, a proposition which I took the liberty of doubting.
01:46You did, doctor, but nonetheless you must come round to my view, for otherwise I shall
01:51keep on piling fact upon fact on you, until your reason breaks down under them and acknowledges
01:56me to be right.
01:58Now, Mr. Jabez Wilson here has been good enough to call upon me this morning, and to begin
02:02a narrative which promises to be one of the most singular which I have listened to for some
02:07time.
02:07You have heard me remark that the strangest and most unique things are very often connected
02:12not with the larger, but with the smaller crimes, and occasionally, indeed, where there
02:18is room for doubt whether any positive crime has been committed.
02:21As far as I have heard, it is impossible for me to say whether the present case is an instance
02:26of crime or not, but the course of events is certainly among the most singular that I have
02:31ever listened to.
02:32Perhaps, Mr. Wilson, you would have the great kindness to recommence your narrative.
02:37I ask you not merely because my friend Dr. Watson has not heard the opening part, but
02:42also because the peculiar nature of the story makes me anxious to have every possible detail
02:48from your lips.
02:49As a rule, when I have heard some slight indication of the course of events, I am able to guide
02:54myself by the thousands of other similar cases which occur to my memory.
02:58In the present instance, I am forced to admit that the facts are, to the best of my belief,
03:04unique.
03:05The portly client puffed out his chest with an appearance of some little pride and pulled
03:09a dirty and wrinkled newspaper from the inside pocket of his greatcoat.
03:14As he glanced down the advertisement column, with his head thrust forward and the paper flattened
03:19out upon his knee, I took a good look at the man and endeavored, after the fashion of my
03:24companion, to read the indications which might be presented by his dress or appearance.
03:28I did not gain very much, however, by my inspection.
03:33Our visitor bore every mark of being an average commonplace British tradesman, obese, pompous,
03:39and slow.
03:40He wore rather baggy, gray shepherd's check trousers, a not-overcleaned black frock coat,
03:46unbuttoned in the front, and a drab waistcoat with a heavy brassy Albert chain, and a square
03:51pierced bit of metal dangling down as an ornament.
03:54A frayed top hat and a faded brown overcoat with a wrinkled velvet collar lay upon a chair
03:59beside him.
04:01Altogether, look as I would.
04:02There was nothing remarkable about the man save his blazing red head, and the expression
04:07of extreme chagrin and discontent upon his features.
04:11Sherlock Holmes quick I took in my occupation, and he shook his head with a smile as he noticed
04:16my questioning glances.
04:18Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time done manual labor, that he takes snuff,
04:23that he is a Freemason, that he has been in China, and that he has done a considerable
04:27amount of writing lately, I can deduce nothing else.
04:30Mr. Jabez Wilson started up in his chair, with his forefinger upon the paper, but his eyes
04:35upon my companion.
04:37How, in the name of good fortune, did you know all that, Mr. Holmes?
04:41He asked.
04:42How did you know, for example, that I did manual labor?
04:45It's as true as gospel, for I began as a ship's carpenter.
04:49Your hands, my dear sir.
04:51Your right hand is quite a size larger than your left.
04:54You have worked with it, and the muscles are more developed.
04:57Well, the snuff, then, and the Freemasonry.
05:00I won't insult your intelligence by telling you how I read that, especially as, rather
05:05against the strict rules of your order.
05:08You use an arcing compass breast pin.
05:11Ah, of course I forgot that.
05:13But the writing?
05:13What else can be indicated by that right cuff, so very shiny for 5 inches, and the left one
05:20with a smooth patch near the elbow, where you rested upon the desk?
05:24Well, but China?
05:25The fish that you have tattooed immediately above your right wrist could only have been
05:29done in China.
05:30I have made a small study of tattoo marks, and have even contributed to the literature
05:34of the subject.
05:36That trick of staining the fish's scales of a delicate pink is quite peculiar to China.
05:41When, in addition, I see a Chinese coin hanging from your watch, Shane, the matter becomes
05:47even more simple.
05:49Mr. Jabez Wilson laughed heavily.
05:51Well, I never, said he.
05:53I thought at first that you had done something clever, but I see that there was nothing in
05:57it after all.
05:58I begin to think, Watson, said Holmes, that I make a mistake in explaining.
06:03Omni ignotum pro magnifico, you know?
06:07And my poor little reputation, such as it is, will suffer shipwreck if I am so candid.
06:12Can you not find the advertisement, Mr. Wilson?
06:15Yes, I have got it now, he answered with his thick red finger planted halfway down the
06:20column.
06:21Here it is.
06:22This is what began it all.
06:23You just read it for yourself, sir.
06:25I took the paper from him and read as follows.
06:28Well, said he, showing me the advertisement, you can see for yourself that the League has
06:33a vacancy, and there is the address where you should apply for particulars.
06:37As far as I can make out, the League was founded by an American millionaire, Ezekiah Hopkins,
06:43who was very peculiar in his ways.
06:45He was himself redheaded, and he had a great sympathy for all redheaded men.
06:51So, when he died, it was found that he had left his enormous fortune in the hands of trustees,
06:57with instructions to apply the interest to the providing of easy births to men whose hair
07:01is of that color.
07:02From all I hear, it is splendid pay, and very little to do.
07:07But, said I, there would be millions of redheaded men who would apply.
07:11Not so many as you might think, he answered.
07:14You see, it is really confined to Londoners and to grown men.
07:17This American had started from London when he was young, and he wanted to do the old
07:21town a good turn.
07:23Then again, I have heard it is no use your applying if your hair is light red, or dark
07:27red, or anything but real bright, blazing, fiery red.
07:31Now, if you cared to apply, Mr. Wilson, you would just walk in, but perhaps it would hardly
07:37be worth your while to put yourself out of the way for the sake of a few hundred pounds.
07:41Now, it is a fact, gentlemen, as you may see for yourselves, that my hair is of a very
07:46full and rich tint, so that it seemed to me that if there was to be any competition in
07:51the matter, I stood as good a chance as any man that I had ever met.
07:55Vincent Spalding seemed to know so much about it that I thought he might prove useful.
07:58So, I just ordered him to put up the shutters for the day and to come right away with me.
08:03He was very willing to have a holiday, so we shut the business up and started off for
08:08the address that was given us in the advertisement.
08:10I never hoped to see such a sight as that again, Mr. Holmes.
08:14From north, south, east, and west, every man who had a shade of red in his hair had tramped
08:20into the city to answer the advertisement.
08:22Fleet Street was choked with red-headed folk, and Pope's court looked like a coster's orange
08:28barrow.
08:29I should not have thought there were so many in the whole country as were brought together
08:33by that single advertisement.
08:35Every shade of color they were, straw, lemon, orange, brick, Irish setter, liver, clay.
08:41But, as Spalding said, there were not many who had the real vivid flame-colored tint.
08:46When I saw how many were waiting, I would have given it up in despair, but Spalding would
08:52not hear of it.
08:53How he did it I could not imagine, but he pushed and pulled and butted until he got me through
08:57the crowd, and right up to the steps which led to the office.
09:00There was a double stream upon the stair, some going up in hope, and some coming back dejected.
09:07But we wedged in as well as we could, and soon found ourselves in the office.
09:11Your experience has been a most entertaining one, remarked Holmes as his client paused and
09:17refreshed his memory, with a huge pinch of snuff.
09:20Pray continue your very interesting statement.
09:23There was nothing in the office but a couple of wooden chairs and a deal table, behind which
09:28sat a small man with a head that was even redder than mine.
09:31He said a few words to each candidate as he came up, and then he always managed to find
09:36some fault in them which would disqualify them.
09:38Getting a vacancy did not seem to be such a very easy matter, after all.
09:43However, when our turn came the little man was much more favorable to me than to any of
09:47the others, and he closed the door as we entered, so that he might have a private word with us.
09:53This is Mr. Jabez Wilson, said my assistant, and he is willing to fill a vacancy in the league,
09:59and he is admirably suited for it, the other answered.
10:02He has every requirement.
10:03I cannot recall when I have seen anything so fine.
10:08He took a step backward, cocked his head on one side, and gazed at my hair until I felt
10:13quite bashful.
10:14Then suddenly he plunged forward, wrung my hand, and congratulated me warmly on my success.
10:21It would be injustice to hesitate, said he.
10:24You will, however, I am sure, excuse me for taking an obvious precaution.
10:29With that he seized my hair in both his hands, and tugged until I yelled with the pain.
10:35There is water in your eyes, said he as he released me.
10:38I perceive that all is as it should be.
10:41But we have to be careful, for we have twice been deceived by wigs and once by paint.
10:47I could tell you tales of Cobbler's wax which would disgust you with human nature.
10:51He stepped over to the window and shouted through it at the top of his voice that the vacancy
10:56was filled.
10:57A groan of disappointment came up from below, and the folk all trooped away in different
11:02directions until there was not a redhead to be seen except my own and that of the manager.
11:06My name, said he, is Mr. Duncan Ross, and I am myself one of the pensioners upon the fund
11:12left by our noble benefactor.
11:15Are you a married man, Mr. Wilson?
11:17Have you a family?
11:18I answered that I had not.
11:19His face fell immediately.
11:21Dear me, he said gravely, that is very serious indeed.
11:26I am sorry to hear you say that.
11:28The fund was, of course, for the propagation and spread of the redheads as well as for their
11:34maintenance.
11:35It is exceedingly unfortunate that you should be a bachelor.
11:38My face lengthened at this, Mr. Holmes, for I thought that I was not to have the vacancy
11:42after all.
11:44But after thinking it over for a few minutes, he said that it would be all right.
11:47In the case of another, said he, the objection might be fatal, but we must stretch a point
11:53in favor of a man with such a head of hair as yours.
11:56When shall you be able to enter upon your new duties?
11:59Well, it is a little awkward, for I have a business already, said I.
12:04Oh, never mind about that, Mr. Wilson, said Vincent Spaulding.
12:07I should be able to look after that for you.
12:09What would be the hours?
12:11I asked.
12:12Ten to two.
12:12Now, a pawnbroker's business is mostly done of an evening, Mr. Holmes, especially Thursday
12:18and Friday evening, which is just before payday.
12:21So it would suit me very well to earn a little in the mornings.
12:25Besides, I knew that my assistant was a good man and that he would see to anything that
12:30turned up.
12:31That would suit me very well, said I.
12:33And the pay is four pounds a week.
12:35And the work is purely nominal.
12:39What do you call purely nominal?
12:40Well, you have to be in the office, or at least in the building, the whole time.
12:44If you leave, you forfeit your whole position forever.
12:48The will is very clear upon that point.
12:50You don't comply with the conditions if you budge from the office during that time.
12:54It's only four hours a day, and I should not think of leaving, said I.
12:59No excuse will avail, said Mr. Duncan Ross.
13:02Neither sickness, nor business, nor anything else.
13:06Though you must stay, or you lose your billet.
13:08And the work is to copy out the Encyclopedia Britannica.
13:12There is the first volume of it in that press.
13:15You must find your own ink, pens, and blotting paper.
13:18But we provide this table and chair.
13:21Will you be ready tomorrow?
13:22Certainly, I answered.
13:24Then, goodbye, Mr. Jabez Wilson.
13:27And let me congratulate you once more on the important position which you have been fortunate
13:31enough to gain.
13:32He bowed me out of the room, and I went home with my assistant, hardly knowing what to say
13:36or do.
13:37I was so pleased at my own good fortune.
13:40Well, I thought over the matter all day.
13:42And by evening I was in low spirits again.
13:45For I had quite persuaded myself that the whole affair must be some great hoax or fraud, though
13:50what its object might be I could not imagine.
13:53It seemed altogether past belief that anyone could make such a will, or that they would
13:57pay such a sum for doing anything so simple as copying out the Encyclopedia Britannica.
14:03Vincent Spalding did what he could to cheer me up, but by bedtime I had reasoned myself
14:08out of the whole thing.
14:10However, in the morning I determined to have a look at it anyhow, so I bought a penny bottle
14:14of ink, and with a quill pen and seven sheets of fool's cap paper, I started off for Pope's
14:19court.
14:20Well, to my surprise and delight, everything was as right as possible.
14:25The table was set out ready for me, and Mr. Duncan Ross was there to see that I got fairly
14:30to work.
14:31He started me off upon the letter A, and then he left me, but he would drop in from
14:35time to time to see that all was right with me.
14:38At two o'clock he bade me good day, complimented me upon the amount that I had written, and
14:43locked the door of the office after me.
14:45This went on day after day, Mr. Holmes, and on Saturday the manager came in and planked
14:50down four golden sovereigns for my week's work.
14:53It was the same next week, and the same the week after.
14:56Every morning I was there at ten, and every afternoon I left at two.
15:01By degrees, Mr. Duncan Ross took to coming in only once of a morning, and then, after
15:06a time, he did not come in at all.
15:08Still, of course, I never dared to leave the room for an instant, for I was not sure when
15:12he might come, and the billet was such a good one, and suited me so well that I would
15:17not risk the loss of it.
15:19Eight weeks passed away like this, and I had written about abbots, and archery and armor,
15:23and architecture in Attica, and hoped with diligence that I might get on to the B's
15:28before very long.
15:29It cost me something in fool's cap, and I had pretty nearly filled a shelf with my writings.
15:35And then suddenly the whole business came to an end.
15:37To an end?
15:38Yes, sir.
15:40And no later than this morning.
15:41I went to my work as usual at ten o'clock, but the door was shut and locked, with a little
15:46square of cardboard hammered on to the middle of the panel with a tack.
15:50Here it is, and you can read for yourself.
15:53He held up a piece of white cardboard about the size of a sheet of notepaper.
15:57It read in this fashion,
15:59The red-headed league is dissolved.
16:01October 9th, 1890.
16:04Sherlock Holmes and I surveyed this curt announcement and the rueful face behind it, until the comical
16:10side of the affair so completely overtopped every other consideration that we both burst
16:16out into a roar of laughter.
16:17I cannot see that there is anything very funny, cried our client, flushing up to the roots
16:23of his flaming head.
16:25If you can do nothing better than laugh at me, I can go elsewhere.
16:29No, no, cried Holmes, shoving him back into the chair from which he had half-risen.
16:34I really wouldn't miss your case for the world.
16:36It is most refreshingly unusual.
16:38But there is, if you will excuse my saying so, something just a little funny about it.
16:43Pray what steps did you take when you found the cart upon the door?
16:46I was staggered, sir.
16:47I did not know what to do.
16:49Then I called at the office's round, but none of them seemed to know anything about it.
16:53Finally, I went to the landlord, who was an accountant living on the ground floor, and
16:58I asked him if he could tell me what had become of the red-headed league.
17:01He said that he had never heard of any such body.
17:04Then I asked him who Mr. Duncan Ross was.
17:06He answered that the name was new to him.
17:09Well, said I, the gentleman at number four.
17:12What?
17:13The red-headed man?
17:14Yes.
17:14Oh, said he, his name was William Morris.
17:18He was a solicitor and was using my room as a temporary convenience until his new premises
17:24were ready.
17:25He moved out yesterday.
17:26Where could I find him?
17:28Oh, at his new offices.
17:30He did tell me the address.
17:32Yes, 17, King Edward Street, near St. Paul's.
17:36I started off, Mr. Holmes, but when I got to that address, it was a manufactory of artificial
17:41kneecaps.
17:42And no one in it had ever heard of either Mr. William Morris or Mr. Duncan Ross.
17:46And what did you do then?
17:48Asked Holmes.
17:49I went home to Saks-Coburg Square, and I took the advice of my assistant.
17:53But he could not help me in any way.
17:56He could only say that if I waited I should hear by post.
17:59But that was not quite good enough, Mr. Holmes.
18:02I did not wish to lose such a place without a struggle.
18:04So, as I had heard that you were good enough to give advice to poor folk who were in need
18:09of it, I came right away to you.
18:11And you did very wisely, said Holmes.
18:14Your case is an exceedingly remarkable one, and I shall be happy to look into it.
18:19From what you have told me, I think that it is possible that graver issues hang from it
18:24than might at first sight appear.
18:26Grave enough, said Mr. Jabez Wilson.
18:29Why?
18:30I have lost four pounds a week.
18:31As far as you are personally concerned, remarked Holmes, I do not see that you have any grievance
18:37against this extraordinary league.
18:39On the contrary, you are, as I understand, richer by some thirty pounds, to say nothing
18:45of the minute knowledge which you have gained on every subject which comes under the letter
18:49A.
18:50You have lost nothing by them.
18:52No, sir.
18:53But I want to find out about them, and who they are, and what their object was in playing
18:57this prank, if it was a prank upon me.
18:59It was a pretty expensive joke for them, for it cost them two and thirty pounds.
19:04We shall endeavor to clear up these points for you.
19:07And first, one or two questions, Mr. Wilson.
19:10This assistant of yours who first called your attention to the advertisement.
19:14How long had he been with you?
19:16About a month then.
19:17How did he come?
19:18In answer to an advertisement.
19:20Was he the only applicant?
19:22No, I had a dozen.
19:23Why did you pick him?
19:24Because he was handy, and would come cheap.
19:27At half wages, in fact.
19:29Yes.
19:30What is he like, this Vincent Spaulding?
19:32Small, stout-built.
19:34Very quick in his ways.
19:35No hair on his face, though he's not short of thirty.
19:39Has a white splash of acid upon his forehead.
19:42Holmes sat up in his chair, in considerable excitement.
19:45I thought as much, said he.
19:47Have you ever observed that his ears are pierced for earrings?
19:50Yes, sir.
19:51He told me that a gypsy had done it for him, when he was a lad.
19:55Hum, said Holmes, sinking back in deep thought.
19:59He is still with you?
20:00Oh, yes, sir.
20:01I have only just left him.
20:03And has your business been attended to in your absence?
20:06Nothing to complain of, sir.
20:07There's never very much to do of a morning.
20:10That will do, Mr. Wilson.
20:11I shall be happy to give you an opinion upon the subject in the course of a day or two.
20:16Today is Saturday, and I hope that by Monday we may come to a conclusion.
20:21Well, Watson, said Holmes when our visitor had left us.
20:24What do you make of it all?
20:26I make nothing of it, I answered frankly.
20:29It is a most mysterious business.
20:31As a rule, said Holmes, the more bizarre a thing is the less mysterious it proves to be.
20:38It is your commonplace.
20:39Featureless crimes which are really puzzling, just as a commonplace face is the most difficult
20:44to identify.
20:46But I must be prompt over this matter.
20:48What are you going to do, then?
20:49I asked.
20:50To smoke, he answered.
20:52It is quite a three-pipe problem, and I beg that you won't speak to me for fifty minutes.
20:57He curled himself up in his chair, with his thin knees drawn up to his hawk-like nose.
21:02And there he sat with his eyes closed and his black, clay pipe thrusting out like the
21:07bill of some strange bird.
21:08I had come to the conclusion that he had dropped to sleep, and indeed was nodding myself, when
21:14he suddenly sprang out of his chair with the gesture of a man who has made up his mind
21:18and put his pipe down upon the mantelpiece.
21:21Sarasate plays at the St. James' Hall this afternoon.
21:25He remarked.
21:26What do you think, Watson?
21:27Could your patience spare you for a few hours?
21:29I have nothing to do today.
21:31My practice is never very absorbing.
21:34Then put on your hat and come.
21:36I am going through the city first, and we can have some lunch on the way.
21:40I observe that there is a good deal of German music on the program, which is rather more
21:44to my taste than Italian or French.
21:47It is introspective, and I want to introspect.
21:50Come along.
21:51We traveled by the underground as far as Aldersgate, and a short walk took us to Saxe-Coburg Square,
21:57the scene of the singular story which we had listened to in the morning.
22:00It was a pokey, little shabby-genteel place, where four lines of dingy two-story brick houses
22:06looked out into a small, railed-in enclosure, where a lawn of weedy grass and a few clumps
22:11of faded laurel bushes made a hard fight against a smoke-laden and uncongenial atmosphere.
22:17Three gilt balls and a brown board with Jabez Wilson in white letters, upon a corner house,
22:23announced the place where our red-headed client carried on his business.
22:27Sherlock Holmes stopped in front of it with his head on one side and looked it all over,
22:32with his eyes shining brightly between puckered lids.
22:36Then he walked slowly up the street and then down again to the corner, still looking keenly
22:41at the houses.
22:42Finally, he returned to the pawnbrokers, and, having thumped vigorously upon the pavement
22:47with his stick two or three times.
22:49He went up to the door and knocked.
22:51It was instantly opened by a bright-looking, clean-shaven young fellow, who asked him to
22:56step in.
22:57Thank you, said Holmes.
22:59I only wished to ask you how you would go from here to the Strand.
23:02Third right, fourth left, answered the assistant promptly, closing the door.
23:07Smart fellow, that, observed Holmes as we walked away.
23:10He is, in my judgment, the fourth smartest man in London, and for daring I am not sure that
23:16he is not a claim to be third.
23:18I have known something of him before.
23:20Evidently, said I, Mr. Wilson's assistant counts for a good deal in this mystery of the
23:26red-headed league.
23:27I am sure that you inquired your way merely in order that you might see him.
23:31Not him.
23:32What then?
23:33The knees of his trousers.
23:35And what did you see?
23:36What I expected to see.
23:38Why did you beat the pavement?
23:40My dear doctor, this is a time for observation, not for talk.
23:44We are spies in an enemy's country.
23:47We know something of Saxe-Coburg Square.
23:50Let us now explore the parts which lie behind it.
23:53The road in which we found ourselves as we turned around the corner from the retired Saxe-Coburg
23:57Square presented as great a contrast to it as the front of a picture does to the back.
24:02It was one of the main arteries which conveyed the traffic of the city to the north and west.
24:07The roadway was blocked with the immense stream of commerce flowing in a double-tied
24:12inward and outward, while the footpaths were black with the hurrying swarm of pedestrians.
24:18It was difficult to realize as we looked at the line of fine shops and stately business
24:22premises that they really abutted on the other side upon the faded and stagnant square, which
24:28we had just quitted.
24:29Let me see, said Holmes, standing at the corner and glancing along the line.
24:34I should like just to remember the order of the houses here.
24:36It is a hobby of mine to have an exact knowledge of London.
24:40There is Mortimer's, the tobacconist, the little newspaper shop, the Coburg branch of
24:45the city and suburban bank, the vegetarian restaurant, and McFarlane's carriage building
24:49depot.
24:50That carries us right on to the other block.
24:52And now, doctor, we've done our work, so it's time we had some play.
24:56A sandwich and a cup of coffee.
24:58And then off to violin land, where all is sweetness and delicacy and harmony, and there are no
25:04red-headed clients to vex us with their conundrums.
25:07My friend was an enthusiastic musician, being himself not only a very capable performer,
25:13but a composer of no ordinary merit.
25:16All the afternoon, he sat in the stalls wrapped in the most perfect happiness, gently waving
25:22his long, thin fingers in time to the music, while his gently smiling face and his languid
25:27dreamy eyes were as unlike those of Holmes the sleuth-hound, Holmes the relentless, keen-witted,
25:34ready-handed criminal agent, as it was possible to conceive.
25:38In his singular character, the dual nature alternately asserted itself, and his extreme exactness
25:44and astuteness represented, as I have often thought, the reaction against the poetic and
25:49contemplative mood which occasionally predominated in him.
25:53The swing of his nature took him from extreme languor to devouring energy.
25:57And as I knew well, he was never so truly formidable as when.
26:02For days on end, he had been lounging in his armchair amid his improvisations and his black-letter
26:07editions.
26:08Then it was that the lust of the chase would suddenly come upon him, and that his brilliant
26:13reasoning power would rise to the level of intuition, until those who were unacquainted
26:17with his methods would look askance at him as on a man whose knowledge was not that of
26:22other mortals.
26:23When I saw him that afternoon, so enwrapped in the music at St. James's Hall, I felt that
26:29an evil time might be coming upon those whom he had set himself to hunt down.
26:33You want to go home?
26:35No doubt, doctor, he remarked as we emerged.
26:38Yes, it would be as well.
26:40And I have some business to do which will take some hours.
26:42This business at Coburg Square is serious.
26:45Why serious?
26:47A considerable crime is in contemplation.
26:50I have every reason to believe that we shall be in time to stop it.
26:54But today, being Saturday, rather complicates matters.
26:58I shall want your help tonight.
26:59At what time?
27:00Ten will be early enough.
27:02I shall be at Baker Street at ten.
27:04Very well.
27:05And I say, doctor, there may be some little danger, so kindly put your army revolver in
27:10your pocket.
27:10He waved his hand, turned on his heel, and disappeared in an instant among the crowd.
27:16I trust that I am not more dense than my neighbors, but I was always oppressed with a sense of
27:21my own stupidity in my dealings with Sherlock Holmes.
27:25Here I had heard what he had heard.
27:27I had seen what he had seen.
27:28And yet from his words it was evident that he saw clearly not only what had happened,
27:32but what was about to happen.
27:34While to me the whole business was still confused and grotesque.
27:37As I drove home to my house in Kensington, I thought over it all, from the extraordinary
27:43story of the red-headed copier of the encyclopedia down, to the visit to Saxe-Coburg Square, and
27:49the ominous words with which he had parted from me.
27:52What was this nocturnal expedition, and why should I go armed?
27:55Where were we going?
27:56And what were we to do?
27:58I had the hint from Holmes that this smooth-faced pawnbroker's assistant was a formidable
28:02man.
28:03A man who might play a deep game.
28:05I tried to puzzle it out, but gave it up in despair, and set the matter aside, until
28:10night should bring an explanation.
28:12It was a quarter past nine when I started from home and made my way across the park, and
28:17so through Oxford Street to Baker Street.
28:20Two Hansoms were standing at the door, and as I entered the passage, I heard the sound
28:24of voices from above.
28:26On entering his room, I found Holmes in animated conversation with two men, one of whom I recognized
28:32as Peter Jones, the official police agent, while the other was a long, thin, sad-faced
28:38man with a very shiny hat and oppressively respectable frock coat.
28:43Huh.
28:44Our party is complete, said Holmes, buttoning up his pea jacket and taking his heavy hunting
28:49crop from the rack.
28:51Watson, I think you know Mr. Jones of Scotland Yard.
28:54Let me introduce you to Mr. Merriweather, who is to be our companion in tonight's adventure.
29:00We're hunting in couples again, doctor, you see, said Jones in his consequential way.
29:05Our friend here is a wonderful man for starting a chase.
29:09All he wants is an old dog to help him to do the running down.
29:13I hope a wild goose may not prove to be the end of our chase, observed Mr. Merriweather
29:18gloomily.
29:19You may place considerable confidence in Mr. Holmes, sir, said the police agent loftily.
29:24He has his own little methods, which are, if you won't mind my saying so, just a little
29:29too theoretical and fantastic.
29:31But he has the makings of a detective in him.
29:34It is not too much to say that once or twice, as in that business of the Sholto murder and
29:39the agri-treasure, he has been more nearly correct than the official force.
29:44Oh, if you say so, Mr. Jones.
29:46It is all right, said the stranger with deference.
29:49Still, I confess that I miss my rubber.
29:51It is the first Saturday night for seven and twenty years that I have not had my rubber.
29:57I think you will find, said Sherlock Holmes, that you will play for a higher stake tonight
30:01than you have ever done yet, and that the play will be more exciting.
30:05For you, Mr. Merriweather, the stake will be some thirty thousand pounds.
30:10And for you, Jones, it will be the man upon whom you wish to lay your hands.
30:15John Clay, the murderer, thief, smasher, and forger.
30:19He is a young man, Mr. Merriweather, but he is at the head of his profession, and I would
30:24rather have my bracelets on him than on any criminal in London.
30:28He is a remarkable man, is young John Clay.
30:31His grandfather was a royal duke, and he himself has been to Eden and Oxford.
30:36His brain is as cunning as his fingers, and though we meet signs of him at every turn,
30:41we never know where to find the man himself.
30:44He will crack a crib in Scotland one week, and be raising money to build an orphanage
30:49in Cornwall the next.
30:50I have been on his track for years, and have never set eyes on him yet.
30:54I hope that I may have the pleasure of introducing you tonight.
30:57I have had one or two little turns also with Mr. John Clay, and I agree with you that he is
31:02at the head of his profession.
31:04It is past ten, however, in quite time that we started.
31:07If you two will take the first handsome, Watson and I will follow in the second.
31:11Sherlock Holmes was not very communicative during the long drive, and lay back in the
31:16cab, humming the tunes which he had heard in the afternoon.
31:19We rattled through an endless labyrinth of gas-lit streets until we emerged into Farrington
31:24Street.
31:25We are close there now, my friend remarked.
31:28This fellow Merriweather is a bank director, and personally interested in the matter.
31:33I thought it is well to have Jones with us also.
31:36He is not a bad fellow, though an absolute imbecile in his profession.
31:40He has one positive virtue.
31:42He is as brave as a bulldog and as tenacious as a lobster if he gets his claws upon anyone.
31:48Here we are, and they are waiting for us.
31:51We had reached the same crowded thoroughfare in which we had found ourselves in the morning.
31:55Our cabs were dismissed, and following the guidance of Mr. Merriweather, we passed down
32:01a narrow passage and through a side door, which he opened for us.
32:05Within there was a small corridor, which ended in a very massive iron gate.
32:09This also was opened, and led down a flight of winding stone steps, which terminated at
32:16another formidable gate.
32:17Mr. Merriweather stopped to light a lantern, and then conducted us down a dark, earth-smelling
32:23passage.
32:24And so, after opening a third door, into a huge vault or cellar, which was piled all round
32:30with crates and massive boxes.
32:33You are not very vulnerable from above, Holmes remarked as he held up the lantern and gazed
32:38about him.
32:39Nor from below, said Mr. Merriweather, striking his stick upon the flags which lined the floor.
32:45Why, dear me, it sounds quite hollow, he remarked, looking up in surprise.
32:49I must really ask you to be a little more quiet, said Holmes severely.
32:53You have already imperiled the whole success of our expedition.
32:56Might I beg that you would have the goodness to sit down upon one of those boxes, and not
33:01to interfere?
33:02The solemn Mr. Merriweather perched himself upon a crate, with a very injured expression
33:07upon his face.
33:09While Holmes fell upon his knees upon the floor, and, with a lantern and a magnifying lens,
33:15began to examine minutely the cracks between the stones.
33:18A few seconds sufficed to satisfy him, for he sprang to his feet again and put his glass
33:23in his pocket.
33:24We have at least an hour before us, he remarked, for they can hardly take any steps until the
33:30good pawnbroker is safely in bed.
33:32Then they will not lose a minute, for the sooner they do their work the longer time they
33:37will have for their escape.
33:38We are at present, doctor, as no doubt you have divined, in the cellar of the city branch
33:44of one of the principal London banks.
33:46Mr. Merriweather is the chairman of directors, and he will explain to you that there are reasons
33:51why the more daring criminals of London should take a considerable interest in this cellar
33:56at present.
33:57It is our French gold, whispered the director.
34:00We have had several warnings that an attempt might be made upon it.
34:03Your French gold?
34:04Yes.
34:05We had occasion some months ago to strengthen our resources and borrowed, for that purpose,
34:1130,000 Napoleons from the Bank of France.
34:14It has become known that we have never had occasion to unpack the money, and that it is
34:18still lying in our cellar. The crate upon which I sit contains 2,000 Napoleons packed between
34:24layers of lead foil. Our reserve of bullion is much larger at present than is usually kept
34:31in a single branch office, and the directors have had misgivings upon the subject, which
34:35were very well justified, observe Holmes. And now it is time that we arranged our little
34:41plans. I expect that within an hour matters will come to a head. In the meantime, Mr. Merriweather,
34:47we must put the screen over that dark lantern, and sit in the dark? I am afraid so. I had brought
34:53a pack of cards in my pocket, and I thought that, as we were a party carry, you might have
34:59your rubber after all. But I see that the enemy's preparations have gone so far that we cannot
35:04risk the presence of a light. And, first of all, we must choose our positions. These are daring
35:11men. And though we shall take them at a disadvantage, they may do us some harm unless we are careful.
35:17I shall stand behind this crate. And do you conceal yourselves behind those? Then, when I flash a
35:24light upon them, close and swiftly, if they fire, Watson, have no compunction about shooting them
35:30down, I place my revolver, cocked, upon the top of the wooden case behind which I crouched.
35:36Holmes shot the slide across the front of his lantern and left us in pitch darkness, such an
35:42absolute darkness as I have never before experienced. The smell of hot metal remained to assure us that
35:49the light was still there, ready to flash out at a moment's notice. To me, with my nerves worked up to
35:55a pitch of expectancy, there was something depressing and subduing in the sudden gloom and in the cold,
36:02dank air of the vault. They have but one retreat, whispered Holmes. That is back through the house
36:08into Saxcoburg Square. I hope that you have done what I asked you, Jones. I have an inspector and
36:14two officers waiting at the front door. Then we have stopped all the holes, and now we must be silent
36:20and wait. What a time it seemed. From comparing notes afterwards, it was but an hour and a quarter.
36:26Yet it appeared to me that the night must have almost gone, and the dawn be breaking above us.
36:31My limbs were weary and stiff, for I feared to change my position. Yet my nerves were worked up
36:38to the highest pitch of tension, and my hearing was so acute that I could not only hear the gentle
36:43breathing of my companions, but I could distinguish the deeper, heavier in-breath of the bulky Jones from
36:49the thin, sighing no to the bank director. From my position, I could look over the case in the direction
36:55of the floor. Suddenly my eyes caught the glint of a light. At first it was but a lurid spark upon the
37:02stone pavement. Then it lengthened out until it became a yellow line. And then, without any warning
37:08or sound, a gash seemed to open, and a hand appeared, a white, almost womanly hand, which felt
37:15about in the center of the little area of light. For a minute or more the hand, with its writhing
37:21fingers, protruded out of the floor. Then it was withdrawn as suddenly as it appeared, and all was
37:27dark again, save the single lurid spark which marked a chink between the stones. Its disappearance,
37:33however, was but momentary. With a rending, tearing sound, one of the broad, white stones turned over
37:41upon its side, and left a square, gaping hole, through which streamed the light of a lantern.
37:47Over the edge there peeped a clean-cut, boyish face, which looked keenly about it, and then,
37:53with a hand on either side of the aperture, drew itself shoulder-high and waist-high, until one knee
37:59rested upon the edge. In another instant he stood at the side of the hole, and was hauling after him
38:04a companion, live and small like himself, with a pale face and a shock of very red hair.
38:11It's all clear, he whispered. Have you the chisel in the bags? Great Scott! Jump! Archie, jump,
38:18and I'll swing for it. Sherlock Holmes had sprung out and seized the intruder by the collar.
38:23The other dived down the hole, and I heard the sound of rending cloth as Jones clutched at his skirts.
38:29The light flashed upon the barrel of a revolver, but Holmes' hunting crop came down on the man's
38:34wrist, and the pistol clinked upon the stone floor. It's no use, John Clay, said Holmes blandly.
38:41You have no chance at all. So I see. The other answered with the utmost coolness.
38:47I fancy that my pal is all right, though I see you've got his coattails. There are three men
38:52waiting for him at the door, said Holmes. Oh, indeed. You seem to have done the thing very
38:58completely. I must compliment you, and I you, Holmes answered. Your red-headed idea was very
39:04new and effective. You'll see your pal again presently, said Jones. He's quicker at climbing
39:10down holes than I am. Just hold out while I fix the derbies. I beg that you will not touch me with
39:16your filthy hands, remarked our prisoner as the handcuffs clattered upon his wrists. You may not
39:22be aware that I have royal blood in my veins. Have the goodness, also, when you address me always to
39:29say, sir, and please. All right, said Jones with a stare and a snigger. Well, would you please, sir,
39:37march upstairs, where we can get a cab to carry your highness to the police station? That is better,
39:43said John Clay serenely. He made a sweeping bow to the three of us and walked quietly off in the
39:48custody of the detective. Really, Mr. Holmes, said Mr. Merriweather as we followed them from the
39:53cellar, I do not know how the bank can thank you or repay you. There is no doubt that you have
39:59detected and defeated in the most complete manner one of the most determined attempts at bank robbery
40:04that have ever come within my experience. I have had one or two little scores of my own to settle
40:09with Mr. John Clay, said Holmes. I have been at some small expense over this matter, which I shall
40:15expect the bank to refund. But beyond that, I am amply repaid by having had an experience which is
40:21in many ways unique, and by hearing the very remarkable narrative of the redheaded league.
40:26You see, Watson, he explained in the early hours of the morning as we sat over a glass of whiskey
40:31and soda in Baker Street, it was perfectly obvious from the first that the only possible object of this
40:37rather fantastic business of the advertisement of the league and the copying of the encyclopedia
40:42must be to get this not-over-bright pawnbroker out of the way for a number of hours every day.
40:48It was a curious way of managing it, but really it would be difficult to suggest a better.
40:52The method was no doubt suggested to Clay's ingenious mind by the color of his accomplice's hair.
40:58The four pounds a week was a lure which must draw him. And what was it to them,
41:03who were playing for thousands? They put in the advertisement,
41:06One rogue has the temporary office. The other rogue incites the man to apply for it.
41:12And together they managed to secure his absence every morning in the week.
41:16From the time that I heard of the assistant having come for half wages,
41:20it was obvious to me that he had some strong motive for securing the situation.
41:24But how could you guess what the motive was? Had there been women in the house,
41:28I should have suspected a mere vulgar intrigue. That, however, was out of the question.
41:33The man's business was a small one, and there was nothing in his house which could account for such
41:38elaborate preparations and such an expenditure as they were at. It must then be something out of
41:44the house. What could it be? I thought of the assistant's fondness for photography and his trick
41:49of vanishing into the cellar. The cellar. There was the end of this tangled clue. Then I made
41:55inquiries as to this mysterious assistant and found that I had to deal with one of the coolest
42:00and most daring criminals in London. He was doing something in the cellar. Something which took many
42:06hours a day for months on end. What could it be once more? I could think of nothing save that he
42:11was running a tunnel to some other building. So far I had got when we went to visit the scene of
42:16action. I surprised you by beating upon the pavement with my stick. I was ascertaining whether
42:21the cellar stretched out in front or behind. It was not in front. Then I rang the bell,
42:27and, as I hoped, the assistant answered it. We have had some skirmishes, but we had never set
42:32eyes upon each other before. I hardly looked at his face. His knees were what I wished to see.
42:38You must yourself have remarked how worn, wrinkled, and stained they were. They spoke of those hours of
42:44burrowing. The only remaining point was what they were burrowing for. I walked around the corner,
42:49saw the city and suburban bank abutted on our friend's premises, and felt that I had solved
42:54my problem. When you drove home after the concert, I called upon Scotland Yard and upon the chairman
43:00of the bank directors. With the result that you have seen, and how could you tell that they would
43:05make their attempt tonight? I asked. Well, when they closed their league offices, that was a sign
43:10that they cared no longer about Mr. Jabez Wilson's presence. In other words, that they had completed
43:16their tunnel, but it was essential that they should use it soon, as it might be discovered,
43:21or the bullion might be removed. Saturday would suit them better than any other day,
43:26as it would give them two days for their escape. For all these reasons, I expected them to come
43:31tonight. You reasoned it out beautifully, I exclaimed in unfeigned admiration. It is so long a chain,
43:39and yet every link rings true. It saved me from ennui, he answered, yawning. Alas! I already feel
43:47it closing in upon me. My life is spent in one long effort to escape from the commonplaces of
43:53existence. These little problems help me to do so, and you are a benefactor of the race, said I.
44:00He shrugged his shoulders. Well, perhaps, after all, it is of some little use, he remarked.
44:05L'homme say rain. L'uver say tout, as Gustave Lebert wrote to George Sand.
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