Welcome to Storytime Classics! In this video, we present The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb, the ninth story from The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes, written by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and first published in 1892. This story stands out from many of Holmes' other adventures because it is one of the few cases where the detective investigates a violent crime after it has already occurred. It features a young hydraulic engineer, Mr. Victor Hatherley, who seeks out Dr. Watson's medical help after a terrifying encounter that cost him his thumb. As Sherlock Holmes investigates the bizarre case, he uncovers a sinister criminal operation involving counterfeit money and a brutal attack.
Although this is Part 9 of our audiobook series, viewers can watch The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb as a standalone story. If you're interested, you can also check out the previous stories on our channel, such as The Adventure of the Speckled Band and The Man with the Twisted Lip.
📚 About The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb:
The story begins with Victor Hatherley arriving at Dr. Watson’s practice, bleeding and in shock after a horrifying incident. Hatherley recounts how he was hired to repair a hydraulic press, only to find himself in the midst of a nefarious scheme that nearly cost him his life. Sherlock Holmes is intrigued by the case, particularly because it centers on a hidden criminal enterprise involving a counterfeiting operation. As Holmes pieces together the engineer’s harrowing experience, he must work quickly to bring the criminals to justice.
Credits: an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer and Jose Menendez
Text sourced from Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org).
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Although this is Part 9 of our audiobook series, viewers can watch The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb as a standalone story. If you're interested, you can also check out the previous stories on our channel, such as The Adventure of the Speckled Band and The Man with the Twisted Lip.
📚 About The Adventure of the Engineer’s Thumb:
The story begins with Victor Hatherley arriving at Dr. Watson’s practice, bleeding and in shock after a horrifying incident. Hatherley recounts how he was hired to repair a hydraulic press, only to find himself in the midst of a nefarious scheme that nearly cost him his life. Sherlock Holmes is intrigued by the case, particularly because it centers on a hidden criminal enterprise involving a counterfeiting operation. As Holmes pieces together the engineer’s harrowing experience, he must work quickly to bring the criminals to justice.
Credits: an anonymous Project Gutenberg volunteer and Jose Menendez
Text sourced from Project Gutenberg (www.gutenberg.org).
#sherlockholmes #TheEngineersThumb #detectivefiction #arthurconandoyle #classicmystery #audiobook #IndustrialMystery #victorianmystery #crimefiction #storytimeclassics #sherlockholmesaudiobook #fullaudiobook #literaryclassics
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00:00The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle
00:03The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
00:06Of all the problems which have been submitted to my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, for solution
00:10during the years of our intimacy, there were only two which I was the means of introducing
00:15to his notice, that of Mr. Hatherley's thumb, and that of Colonel Warburton's madness.
00:20Of these the latter may have afforded a finer field for an acute and original observer,
00:25but the other was so strange in its inception, and so dramatic in its details, that it may
00:30be the more worthy of being placed upon record, even if it gave my friend fewer openings for
00:35those deductive methods of reasoning, by which he achieved such remarkable results.
00:40The story has, I believe, been told more than once in the newspapers, but like all such
00:45narratives, its effect is much less striking when set forth in block in a single half-column
00:50of print than when the facts slowly evolve before your own eyes.
00:54And the mystery clears gradually away, as each new discovery furnishes a step which leads
01:00on to the complete truth.
01:02At the time, the circumstances made a deep impression upon me, and the lapse of two years
01:07has hardly served to weaken the effect.
01:09It was in the summer of 89, not long after my marriage, that the events occurred which I
01:14am now about to summarize.
01:16I had returned to civil practice, and had finally abandoned Holmes in his Baker Street rooms.
01:21Although I continually visited him, and occasionally even persuaded him to forego his bohemian habits
01:27so far as to come and visit us.
01:30My practice had steadily increased, and, as I happened to live at no very great distance
01:36from Paddington Station, I got a few patients from among the officials.
01:39One of these, whom I had cured of a painful and lingering disease, was never weary of advertising
01:46my virtues, and of endeavoring to send me on every sufferer over whom he might have any
01:52influence.
01:53One morning, at a little before seven o'clock, I was awakened by the maid tapping at the door
01:58to announce that two men had come from Paddington and were waiting in the consulting room.
02:02I dressed hurriedly, for I knew by experience that railway cases were seldom trivial and
02:08hastened downstairs.
02:10As I descended, my old ally, the guard, came out of the room and closed the door tightly
02:16behind him.
02:17I've got him here, he whispered, jerking his thumb over his shoulder.
02:21He's all right.
02:22What is it then?
02:24I asked, for his manner suggested that it was some strange creature which he had caged up
02:29in my room.
02:30It's a new patient, he whispered.
02:32I thought I'd bring him round myself.
02:34Then he couldn't slip away.
02:36There he is, all safe and sound.
02:38I must go now, doctor.
02:40I have my due to eyes, just the same as you.
02:43And off he went, this trusty tout, without even giving me time to thank him.
02:48I entered my consulting room and found a gentleman seated by the table.
02:52He was quietly dressed in a suit of heather tweed with a soft cloth cap which he had laid
02:56down upon my books.
02:57Round one of his hands, he had a handkerchief wrapped, which was mottled all over with blood
03:03stains.
03:04He was young, not more than five and twenty, I should say, with a strong, masculine face.
03:10But he was exceedingly pale and gave me the impression of a man who was suffering from
03:15some strong agitation, which it took all his strength of mind to control.
03:19I am sorry to knock you up so early, doctor, said he, but I have had a very serious accident
03:25during the night.
03:26I came in by train this morning, and on inquiring at Paddington as to where I might find a doctor,
03:32a worthy fellow very kindly escorted me here.
03:35I gave the maid a card, but I see that she has left it upon the side table.
03:39I took it up and glanced at it.
03:41Mr. Victor Hatherley, hydraulic engineer, 16A, Victoria Street, third floor.
03:47That was the name, style, and abode of my morning visitor.
03:51I regret that I have kept you waiting, said I, sitting down in my library chair.
03:56You are fresh from a night journey, I understand, which is in itself a monotonous occupation.
04:01Oh, my night could not be called monotonous, said he and laughed.
04:05He laughed very heartily, with a high, ringing note, leaning back in his chair and shaking
04:12his sides.
04:13All my medical instincts rose up against that laugh.
04:16Stop it, I cried.
04:18Pull yourself together, and I poured out some water from a carafe.
04:22It was useless, however.
04:24He was often one of those hysterical outbursts which come upon a strong nature when some great
04:28crisis is over and gone.
04:30Presently, he came to himself, once more, very weary and pale-looking.
04:36I have been making a fool of myself, he gasped.
04:39Not at all.
04:40Drink this.
04:41I dashed some brandy into the water, and the color began to come back to his bloodless cheeks.
04:47That's better, said he.
04:48And now, doctor, perhaps you would kindly attend to my thumb, or rather to the place where my
04:54thumb used to be.
04:55He unwound the handkerchief and held out his hand.
04:57It gave even my hardened nerves a shudder to look at it.
05:02There were four protruding fingers and a horrid red, spongy surface where the thumb should have
05:07been.
05:08It had been hacked or torn right out from the roots.
05:11Good heavens!
05:12I cried.
05:13This is a terrible injury.
05:15It must have bled considerably.
05:16Yes, it did.
05:18I fainted when it was done, and I think that I must have been senseless for a long time.
05:22When I came to, I found that it was still bleeding.
05:25So I tied one end of my handkerchief very tightly round the wrist and braced it up with
05:29a twig.
05:30Excellent.
05:31You should have been a surgeon.
05:32It is a question of hydraulics, you see, and came within my own province.
05:37This has been done, said I, examining the wound, by a very heavy and sharp instrument.
05:44A thing like a cleaver, said he.
05:47An accident?
05:48I presume?
05:49By no means.
05:50What?
05:51A murderous attack.
05:53Very murderous indeed.
05:54You horrify me.
05:56I sponged the wound, cleaned it, dressed it, and finally covered it over with cotton wadding
06:01and Carbalese bandages.
06:03He lay back without wincing, though he bit his lip from time to time.
06:07How is that?
06:08I asked when I had finished.
06:10Capital, between your brandy and your bandage, I feel a new man.
06:15I was very weak, but I have had a good deal to go through.
06:18Perhaps you had better not speak of the matter.
06:21It is evidently trying to your nerves.
06:23Oh no, not now.
06:24I shall have to tell my tale to the police.
06:26But between ourselves, if it were not for the convincing evidence of this wound of mine,
06:31I should be surprised if they believe my statement, for it is a very extraordinary one,
06:36and I have not much in the way of proof with which to back it up.
06:40And even if they believe me, the clues which I can give them are so vague that it is a question
06:45whether justice will be done.
06:46Ha! cried I.
06:48If it is anything in the nature of a problem which you desire to see solved,
06:52I should strongly recommend you to come to my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes,
06:56before you go to the official police.
06:58Oh, I have heard of that fellow, answered my visitor,
07:01and I should be very glad if he would take the matter up,
07:04though of course I must use the official police as well.
07:08Would you give me an introduction to him?
07:09I'll do better.
07:10I'll take you round him myself.
07:12I should be immensely obliged to you.
07:15We'll call a cab and go together.
07:17We shall just be in time to have a little breakfast with him.
07:19Do you feel equal to it?
07:21Yes.
07:22I shall not feel easy until I have told my story.
07:25Then my servant will call a cab, and I shall be with you in an instant.
07:29I rushed upstairs, explained the matter shortly to my wife,
07:34and in five minutes was inside a handsome, driving with my new acquaintance to Baker Street.
07:39Sherlock Holmes was, as I expected, lounging about his sitting room in his dressing gown,
07:44reading the agony column of the Times, and smoking his before-breakfast pipe,
07:48which was composed of all the plugs and doddles left from his smokes of the day before,
07:53all carefully dried and collected on the corner of the mantelpiece.
07:57He received us in his quietly genial fashion,
08:00ordered fresh rashers and eggs, and joined us in a hearty meal.
08:04When it was concluded, he settled our new acquaintance upon the sofa,
08:08placed a pillow beneath his head,
08:10and laid a glass of brandy and water within his reach.
08:13It is easy to see that your experience has been no common one, Mr. Hatherley, said he.
08:19Pray, lie down there, and make yourself absolutely at home.
08:23Tell us what you can, but stop when you are tired,
08:26and keep up your strength with a little stimulant.
08:28Thank you, said my patient,
08:30but I have felt another man since the doctor bandaged me,
08:33and I think that your breakfast has completed the cure.
08:36I shall take up as little of your valuable time as possible.
08:40So I shall start at once upon my peculiar experiences,
08:44Holmes sat in his big armchair with a weary, heavy-lidded expression
08:47which veiled his keen and eager nature,
08:50while I sat opposite to him,
08:52and we listened in silence to the strange story which our visitor detailed to us.
08:57You must know, said he, that I am an orphan and a bachelor,
09:01residing alone in lodgings in London.
09:04By profession, I am a hydraulic engineer,
09:06and I have had considerable experience of my work
09:09during the seven years that I was apprenticed to Vinner & Matheson,
09:12the well-known firm of Greenwich.
09:14Two years ago, having served my time,
09:17and having also come into a fair sum of money through my poor father's death,
09:21I determined to start in business for myself,
09:23and took professional chambers in Victoria Street.
09:26I suppose that everyone finds his first independent start in business
09:30a dreary experience.
09:32To me, it has been exceptionally so.
09:34During two years, I have had three consultations,
09:37and one small job,
09:39and that is absolutely all that my profession has brought me.
09:42My gross takings amount to 27 pounds tens.
09:46Every day, from 9 in the morning until 4 in the afternoon,
09:50I waited in my little den,
09:52until at last my heart began to sink,
09:54and I came to believe that I should never have any practice at all.
09:58Yesterday, however,
09:59just as I was thinking of leaving the office,
10:02my clerk entered to say
10:04there was a gentleman waiting
10:05who wished to see me upon business.
10:08He brought up a card, too,
10:10with the name of Colonel Lysander Stark
10:12engraved upon it.
10:14Close at his heels came the colonel himself,
10:16a man rather over the middle size,
10:19but of an exceeding thinness.
10:21I do not think that I have ever seen
10:23so thin a man.
10:24His whole face sharpened away
10:26into nose and chin,
10:28and the skin of his cheeks
10:29was drawn quite tense
10:30over his outstanding bones.
10:33Yet this emaciation
10:34seemed to be his natural habit,
10:36and due to no disease,
10:38for his eye was bright,
10:39his step brisk,
10:40and his bearing assured.
10:42He was plainly but neatly dressed,
10:44and his age,
10:45I should judge,
10:46would be nearer forty than thirty.
10:49Mr. Hatherley,
10:50said he,
10:50with something of a German accent,
10:52You have been recommended to me,
10:54Mr. Hatherley,
10:55as being a man
10:56who is not only proficient
10:57in his profession,
10:58but is also discreet
11:00and capable of preserving a secret.
11:02I bowed,
11:03feeling as flattered
11:04as any young man
11:06would at such an address.
11:07May I ask who it was
11:09who gave me so good a character?
11:11Well, perhaps it is better
11:12that I should not tell you
11:13that just at this moment.
11:14I have it from the same source
11:15that you are both an orphan
11:17and a bachelor,
11:18and are residing alone in London.
11:20That is quite correct,
11:21I answered.
11:22But you will excuse me
11:24if I say that I cannot see
11:25how all this bears
11:27upon my professional qualifications.
11:29I understand
11:30that it was on a professional matter
11:32that you wished to speak to me.
11:34Undoubtedly so.
11:35But you will find
11:36that all I say
11:37is really to the point.
11:39I have a professional commission for you,
11:40but absolute secrecy
11:41is quite essential.
11:44Absolute secrecy.
11:45You understand?
11:46And of course we may expect
11:47that more from a man
11:48who is alone
11:49than from one who lives
11:50in the bosom of his family.
11:52If I promise to keep a secret,
11:54said I,
11:55you may absolutely depend
11:56upon my doing so.
11:58He looked very hard at me
11:59as I spoke,
12:00and it seemed to me
12:01that I had never seen
12:02so suspicious
12:03and questioning an eye.
12:05Do you promise then?
12:06said he at last.
12:07Yes, I promise.
12:09Absolute and complete silence
12:11before,
12:12during,
12:12and after.
12:13No reference to the matter at all,
12:16either in word or writing.
12:17I have already given you my word.
12:20Very good.
12:20He suddenly sprang up,
12:22and darting like lightning
12:23across the room,
12:24he flung open the door.
12:26The passage outside was empty.
12:28That's all right,
12:29said he coming back.
12:31I know that clerks
12:32are sometimes curious
12:33as to their master's affairs.
12:35Now we can talk in safety.
12:37He drew up his chair
12:38very close to mine
12:39and began to stare at me again
12:40with the same questioning
12:42and thoughtful look.
12:43A feeling of repulsion,
12:45and of something akin to fear,
12:47had begun to rise within me
12:49at the strange antics
12:50of this fleshless man.
12:52Even my dread of losing a client
12:54could not restrain me
12:56from showing my impatience.
12:58I beg that you will
12:58state your business, sir,
13:00said I.
13:01My time is of value.
13:03Heaven forgive me
13:03for that last sentence,
13:04but the words came to my lips.
13:06How would 50 guineas
13:07for a night's work suit you?
13:09He asked.
13:10Most admirably,
13:11I say a night's work,
13:12but an hour's
13:13would be nearer the mark.
13:14I simply want your opinion
13:15about a hydraulic stamping machine
13:17which has got out of gear.
13:19If you show us what is wrong,
13:21we shall soon
13:21set it right ourselves.
13:23What do you think
13:23of such a commission as that?
13:25The work appears to be light
13:26and the pay munificent.
13:28Precisely so.
13:30We shall want you
13:30to come tonight
13:31by the last train.
13:33Where do?
13:33To Aford in Berkshire.
13:35It is a little place
13:36near the borders
13:37of Oxfordshire
13:38and within seven miles
13:40of reading.
13:41There is a train
13:41from Paddington,
13:42which would bring you there
13:43at about 11.15.
13:45Very good.
13:46I shall come down
13:47in a carriage to meet you.
13:49There is a drive then?
13:50Yes,
13:50our little place
13:51is quite out in the country.
13:53It is a good seven miles
13:54from Aford Station.
13:56Then we can hardly get there
13:57before midnight.
13:58I suppose there would be
13:59no chance of a train back.
14:01I should be compelled
14:02to stop the night.
14:03Yes,
14:03we could easily
14:04give you a shakedown.
14:05That is very awkward.
14:07Could I not come
14:07at some more convenient hour?
14:09We have judged it best
14:10that you should come late.
14:11It is to recompense you
14:13for any inconvenience
14:14that we are paying to you,
14:16a young and unknown man,
14:18a fee which would buy
14:19an opinion
14:20from the very heads
14:21of your profession.
14:22Still,
14:22of course,
14:23if you would like
14:23to draw out of the business,
14:25there is plenty
14:25of time to do so.
14:27I thought of the 50 guineas
14:28and of how very useful
14:30they would be to me.
14:31Not at all,
14:32said I.
14:33I shall be very happy
14:34to accommodate myself
14:35to your wishes.
14:36I should like,
14:37however,
14:37to understand
14:38a little more clearly
14:39what it is
14:40that you wish me to do.
14:41Quite so.
14:43It is very natural
14:44that the pledge of secrecy,
14:46which we have exacted from you,
14:47should have aroused
14:48your curiosity.
14:50I have no wish
14:51to commit you to anything
14:52without your having it
14:53all laid before you.
14:54I suppose that we are
14:55absolutely safe
14:56from eavesdroppers.
14:58Entirely,
14:59then the matter
15:00stands thus.
15:01You are probably aware
15:02that Fuller's Earth
15:03is a valuable product
15:05and that it is only found
15:06in one or two places
15:07in England.
15:08I have heard so.
15:10Some little time ago,
15:11I bought a small place,
15:12a very small place,
15:14within ten miles of reading.
15:16I was fortunate enough
15:17to discover
15:17that there was a deposit
15:18of Fuller's Earth
15:20in one of my fields.
15:21On examining it,
15:22however,
15:23I found that this deposit
15:24was a comparatively small one
15:26and that it formed
15:27a link between two
15:29very much larger ones
15:30upon the right
15:31and left,
15:32both of them,
15:33however,
15:33in the grounds
15:34of my neighbors.
15:34These good people
15:36were absolutely ignorant
15:37that their land contained
15:39that which was quite
15:40as valuable
15:41as a gold mine.
15:42Naturally,
15:43it was to my interest
15:44to buy their land
15:45before they discovered
15:46its true value,
15:47but unfortunately,
15:49I had no capital
15:50by which I could do this.
15:51I took a few of my friends
15:52into the secret,
15:53however,
15:54and they suggested
15:55that we should quietly
15:56and secretly work
15:57our own little deposit
15:59and that in this way
16:00we should earn the money
16:01which would enable us
16:02to buy the neighboring fields.
16:03This we have now
16:05been doing for some time
16:06and in order to help us
16:07in our operations
16:08we erected a hydraulic press.
16:10This press,
16:11as I have already explained,
16:13has got out of order
16:14and we wish your advice
16:15upon the subject.
16:16We guard our secret
16:17very jealously,
16:19however,
16:20and if it once became known
16:21that we had hydraulic engineers
16:22coming to our little house,
16:24it would soon rouse inquiry
16:25and then if the facts came out
16:27it would be goodbye
16:28to any chance
16:29of getting these fields
16:30and carrying out our plans.
16:32That is why
16:32I have made you promise me
16:33that you will not tell
16:34a human being
16:35that you are going
16:36to Aferd tonight.
16:37I hope that I make it all plain.
16:39I quite follow you,
16:40said I.
16:41The only point
16:42which I could not
16:42quite understand
16:43was what use you could make
16:44of a hydraulic press
16:46in excavating Fuller's Earth,
16:48which as I understand
16:49is dug out
16:50like gravel from a pit.
16:51Ah,
16:52said he carelessly,
16:53we have our own process.
16:55We compress the earth
16:56into bricks
16:57so as to remove them
16:59without revealing
16:59what they are.
17:00But that is a mere detail.
17:02I have taken you
17:03fully into my confidence now,
17:05Mr. Hatherley,
17:06and I have shown you
17:07how I trust you.
17:08He rose as he spoke.
17:09I shall expect you.
17:11Then,
17:12at Aferd,
17:13at 11.15,
17:14I shall certainly be there,
17:16and not a word
17:17to a soul.
17:18He looked at me
17:18with a last long,
17:20questioning gaze,
17:21and then,
17:22pressing my hand
17:23in a cold,
17:24dank grasp,
17:25he hurried from the room.
17:26Well,
17:27when I came to think
17:28it all over
17:29in cool blood,
17:30I was very much astonished,
17:32as you may both think,
17:33at this sudden commission
17:34which had been entrusted to me.
17:36On the one hand,
17:37of course,
17:38I was glad,
17:39for the fee was at least
17:40tenfold what I should have asked
17:41had I set a price
17:42upon my own services,
17:43and it was possible
17:44that this order
17:45might lead to other ones.
17:47On the other hand,
17:48the face and manner
17:49of my patron
17:50had made an unpleasant
17:51impression upon me,
17:52and I could not think
17:54that his explanation
17:54of the Fuller's Earth
17:55was sufficient
17:56to explain the necessity
17:57for my coming at midnight,
17:59and his extreme anxiety,
18:01lest I should tell
18:02anyone of my errand.
18:04However,
18:04I threw all fears
18:06to the winds,
18:07ate a hearty supper,
18:08drove to Paddington,
18:10and started off,
18:11having obeyed
18:12to the letter
18:12the injunction
18:13as to holding my tongue.
18:15At reading,
18:15I had to change
18:16not only my carriage,
18:17but my station.
18:18However,
18:19I was in time
18:20for the last train
18:21to Aford,
18:21and I reached
18:22the little dim-lit station
18:24after eleven o'clock.
18:25I was the only passenger
18:27who got out there,
18:28and there was no one
18:29upon the platform
18:29save a single
18:31sleepy porter
18:32with a lantern.
18:33As I passed out
18:34through the wicket gate,
18:35however,
18:36I found my acquaintance
18:37of the morning
18:37waiting in the shadow
18:38upon the other side.
18:40Without a word,
18:41he grasped my arm
18:42and hurried me
18:43into a carriage,
18:44the door of which
18:45was standing open.
18:46He drew up the windows
18:47on either side,
18:48tapped on the woodwork,
18:50and away we went
18:51as fast as the horse
18:52could go.
18:52One horse interjected Holmes.
18:55Yes,
18:56only one.
18:57Did you observe the color?
18:58Yes,
18:59I saw it by the side lights
19:00when I was stepping
19:01into the carriage.
19:02It was a chestnut.
19:03Tired-looking
19:04or fresh?
19:05Oh,
19:06fresh and glossy.
19:09I am sorry
19:09to have interrupted you.
19:10Pray continue
19:11your most interesting statement.
19:13Away we went then,
19:14and we drove
19:15for at least an hour.
19:17Colonel Lysander Stark
19:18had said
19:18that it was only seven miles,
19:19but I should think
19:21from the rate
19:21that we seemed to go
19:22and from the time
19:23that we took
19:24that it must have been
19:25nearer twelve.
19:26He sat at my side
19:27in silence all the time,
19:29and I was aware
19:30more than once
19:31when I glanced
19:31in his direction
19:32that he was looking at me
19:33with great intensity.
19:35The country road
19:36seemed to be not very good
19:37in that part of the world,
19:38for we lurched
19:39and jolted terribly.
19:41I tried to look
19:41out of the windows
19:42to see something
19:43of where we were,
19:44but they were made
19:45of frosted glass,
19:46and I could make out
19:47nothing save
19:48the occasional bright blur
19:49of a passing light.
19:51Now,
19:52and then I hazarded
19:53some remark
19:54to break the monotony
19:55of the journey,
19:56but the colonel
19:57answered only
19:58in monosyllables,
19:59and the conversation
20:00soon flagged.
20:01At last,
20:02however,
20:03the bumping of the road
20:04was exchanged
20:04for the crisp smoothness
20:06of a gravel drive,
20:07and the carriage
20:08came to a stand.
20:09Colonel Lysander Stark
20:10sprang out,
20:12and,
20:12as I followed after him,
20:14pulled me swiftly
20:14into a porch
20:15which gaped in front of us.
20:17We stepped,
20:18as it were,
20:19right out of the carriage
20:20and into the hall,
20:21so that I failed
20:22to catch the most
20:23fleeting glance
20:24of the front of the house.
20:25The instant that I had
20:26crossed the threshold,
20:27the door slammed
20:28heavily behind us,
20:30and I heard faintly
20:31the rattle of the wheels
20:32as the carriage
20:33drove away.
20:34It was pitch dark
20:35inside the house,
20:36and the colonel
20:37fumbled about
20:37looking for matches
20:38and muttering
20:39under his breath.
20:41Suddenly a door
20:42opened at the other
20:43end of the passage,
20:44and a long,
20:45golden bar of light
20:46shot out
20:47in our direction.
20:48It grew broader,
20:49and a woman
20:50appeared with a lamp
20:51in her hand,
20:52which she held
20:52above her head,
20:54pushing her face
20:54forward
20:55and peering at us.
20:57I could see
20:57that she was pretty,
20:59and from the gloss
21:00with which the light
21:00shone upon her dark dress,
21:02I knew that it was
21:03a rich material.
21:04She spoke a few words
21:05in a foreign tongue,
21:07in a tone
21:07as though asking a question,
21:09and when my companion
21:10answered in a gruff
21:11monosyllable,
21:12she gave such a start
21:13that the lamp
21:14nearly fell from her hand.
21:15Colonel Stark
21:16went up to her,
21:17whispered something
21:18in her ear,
21:19and then,
21:20pushing her back
21:20into the room
21:21from when she had come,
21:22he walked towards me
21:23again with the lamp
21:24in his hand.
21:25Perhaps you will have
21:26the kindness to wait
21:27in this room
21:27for a few minutes,
21:29said he,
21:30throwing open
21:30another door.
21:31It was a quiet,
21:32little,
21:33plainly furnished room
21:34with a round table
21:36in the center,
21:37on which several
21:37German books
21:38were scattered.
21:39Colonel Stark
21:40laid down the lamp
21:41on the top
21:42of a harmonium
21:43beside the door.
21:44I shall not keep you
21:45waiting an instant,
21:46said he,
21:47and vanished
21:48into the darkness.
21:49I glanced at the books
21:50upon the table,
21:51and in spite of my
21:52ignorance of German,
21:53I could see that two
21:54of them were treatises
21:55on science,
21:56the others being
21:57volumes of poetry.
21:59Then I walked
22:00across to the window,
22:01hoping that I might
22:02catch some glimpse
22:03of the countryside,
22:04but an oak shutter,
22:05heavily barred,
22:06was folded across it.
22:08It was a wonderfully
22:09silent house.
22:10There was an old clock
22:11ticking loudly
22:12somewhere in the passage,
22:14but otherwise,
22:15everything was deadly still.
22:17A vague feeling
22:18of uneasiness
22:19began to steal over me.
22:21Who were these
22:22German people,
22:23and what were they
22:23doing living
22:24in this strange,
22:26out-of-the-way place?
22:27And where was the place?
22:29I was ten miles
22:30or so from Afford.
22:31That was all I knew,
22:33but whether north,
22:34south,
22:35east,
22:35or west,
22:36I had no idea.
22:37For that matter,
22:38reading,
22:39and possibly
22:40other large towns
22:41were within that radius,
22:43so the place
22:44might not be so secluded,
22:45after all.
22:46Yet it was quite certain
22:47from the absolute stillness
22:49that we were in the country.
22:51I paced up and down the room,
22:53humming a tune
22:54under my breath
22:54to keep up my spirits
22:56and feeling that I was
22:57thoroughly earning
22:58my fifty guinea fee.
23:00Suddenly,
23:01without any preliminary sound
23:02in the midst
23:03of the utter stillness,
23:05the door of my room
23:06swung slowly open.
23:08The woman was standing
23:09in the aperture,
23:10the darkness of the hall
23:11behind her,
23:13the yellow light
23:13from my lamp
23:14beating upon her eager
23:16and beautiful face.
23:17I could see at a glance
23:18that she was sick with fear,
23:20and the sight sent a chill
23:22to my own heart.
23:23She held up one shaking finger
23:24to warn me to be silent,
23:26and she shot a few
23:27whispered words
23:28of broken English at me,
23:30her eyes glancing back
23:31like those of a frightened horse
23:33into the gloom behind her.
23:35I would go,
23:36said she,
23:37trying hard,
23:38as it seemed to me,
23:40to speak calmly.
23:41I would go.
23:42I should not stay here.
23:44There is no good
23:44for you to do.
23:46But, madam,
23:46said I,
23:47I have not yet done
23:48what I came for.
23:49I cannot possibly leave
23:51until I have seen the machine.
23:53It is not worth
23:53your while to wait,
23:54she went on.
23:55You can pass through the door.
23:57No one hinders.
23:58And then,
23:59seeing that I smiled
24:00and shook my head,
24:01she suddenly threw aside
24:03her constraint
24:03and made a step forward,
24:05with her hands wrung together.
24:07For the love of heaven,
24:09she whispered,
24:10get away from here
24:11before it is too late.
24:12But I am somewhat
24:13headstrong by nature
24:14and the more ready
24:16to engage in an affair
24:17when there is some
24:18obstacle in the way.
24:19I thought of my
24:20fifty guinea fee,
24:21of my wearisome journey,
24:23and of the unpleasant night
24:25which seemed to be
24:26before me.
24:27Was it all to go
24:27for nothing?
24:28Why should I slink away
24:30without having carried
24:31out my commission,
24:32and without the payment
24:33which was my due?
24:34This woman might,
24:35for all I knew,
24:36be a monomaniac,
24:38with a stout bearing.
24:39Therefore,
24:40though her manner
24:41had shaken me
24:42more than I cared
24:42to confess,
24:44I still shook my head
24:45and declared my intention
24:46of remaining
24:47where I was.
24:48She was about
24:49to renew her entreaties
24:50when a door
24:51slammed overhead,
24:52and the sound
24:53of several footsteps
24:54was heard upon the stairs.
24:56She listened
24:56for an instant,
24:58threw up her hands
24:58with a despairing gesture,
25:00and vanished
25:01as suddenly
25:02and as noiselessly
25:03as she had come.
25:04The newcomers
25:05were Colonel Lysander Stark
25:06and a short,
25:07thick man
25:08with a chinchilla beard
25:09growing out of the creases
25:11of his double chin,
25:12who was introduced
25:13to me
25:13as Mr. Ferguson.
25:15This is my secretary
25:16and manager,
25:17said the colonel.
25:18By the way,
25:19I was under the impression
25:20that I left this door
25:21shut just now.
25:23I fear that you
25:23have felt the draft.
25:25On the contrary,
25:26said I,
25:27I opened the door myself
25:28because I felt the room
25:29to be a little close.
25:31He shot one of his
25:32suspicious looks at me.
25:33Perhaps we had better
25:34proceed to business,
25:35then,
25:36said he.
25:37Mr. Ferguson,
25:38and I will take you up
25:39to see the machine.
25:40I had better put my hat on,
25:41I suppose.
25:42Oh no,
25:43it is in the house.
25:44What?
25:45You dig Fuller's Earth
25:46in the house?
25:47No, no.
25:48This is only where
25:48we compress it.
25:50But never mind that.
25:51All we wish you to do
25:52is to examine the machine
25:54and to let us know
25:55what is wrong with it.
25:56We went upstairs together,
25:57the colonel first
25:58with the lamp,
25:59the fat manager,
26:00and I behind him.
26:01It was a labyrinth
26:02of an old house
26:03with corridors,
26:04passages,
26:05narrow winding staircases,
26:07and little low doors,
26:09the thresholds of which
26:10were hollowed out
26:11by the generations
26:11who had crossed them.
26:13There were no carpets
26:14and no signs
26:15of any furniture
26:16above the ground floor
26:17while the plaster
26:18was peeling off the walls
26:19and the damp
26:20was breaking through
26:21in green,
26:22unhealthy blotches.
26:24I tried to put on
26:25as unconcerned an air
26:26as possible,
26:27but I had not forgotten
26:28the warnings of the lady,
26:30even though I disregarded them,
26:32and I kept a keen eye
26:33upon my two companions.
26:34Ferguson appeared
26:35to be a morose
26:36and silent man,
26:38but I could see
26:38from the little
26:39that he said
26:39that he was at least
26:40a fellow countryman.
26:42Colonel Lysander Stark
26:43stopped at last
26:44before a low door,
26:45which he unlocked.
26:46Within was a small,
26:48square room
26:48in which the three of us
26:50could hardly get
26:51at one time.
26:52Ferguson remained outside
26:54and the colonel
26:55ushered me in.
26:56We are now,
26:57said he,
26:58actually within
26:59the hydraulic press,
27:00and it would be
27:01a particularly unpleasant
27:02thing for us
27:03if anyone were
27:04to turn it on.
27:05The ceiling
27:05of this small chamber
27:06is really the end
27:08of the descending piston,
27:09and it comes down
27:10with the force
27:11of many tons
27:12upon this metal floor.
27:13There are small
27:14lateral columns
27:15of water outside
27:16which receive the force
27:17and which transmit
27:19and multiply it
27:20in the manner
27:20which is familiar to you.
27:21The machine goes
27:23readily enough,
27:24but there is some stiffness
27:25in the working of it,
27:26and it has lost
27:28a little of its force.
27:29Perhaps you will have
27:30the goodness
27:30to look it over
27:31and to show us
27:32how we can set it right.
27:34I took the lamp
27:35from him,
27:35and I examined
27:36the machine
27:37very thoroughly.
27:38It was indeed
27:39a gigantic one,
27:40incapable of exercising
27:42enormous pressure.
27:44When I passed outside,
27:45however,
27:46and pressed down
27:47the levers
27:47which controlled it,
27:48I knew at once
27:49by the wishing sound
27:50that there was
27:50a slight leakage
27:51which allowed
27:52a regurgitation of water
27:53through one of the
27:54side cylinders.
27:56An examination showed
27:57that one of the
27:57India rubber bands
27:58which was round the head
27:59of a driving rod
28:00had shrunk
28:01so as not quite
28:02to fill the socket
28:03along which it worked.
28:05This was clearly
28:05the cause of the loss
28:06of power,
28:07and I pointed it out
28:08to my companions,
28:09who followed my remarks
28:10very carefully
28:11and asked several
28:12practical questions
28:13as to how they should
28:14proceed to set it right.
28:16When I had made it
28:16clear to them,
28:18I returned to the
28:18main chamber
28:19of the machine
28:20and took a good look
28:21at it to satisfy
28:22my own curiosity.
28:23It was obvious
28:24at a glance
28:25that the story
28:25of the Fuller's Earth
28:26was the merest fabrication,
28:28for it would be absurd
28:29to suppose
28:30that so powerful
28:31an engine
28:32could be designed
28:33for so inadequate
28:34a purpose.
28:35The walls were of wood,
28:36but the floor
28:37consisted of a large
28:38iron trough,
28:40and when I came
28:40to examine it
28:41I could see
28:41a crust of metallic
28:42deposit all over it.
28:44I had stooped
28:45and was scraping
28:46at this
28:46to see exactly
28:47what it was
28:48when I heard
28:48a muttered exclamation
28:49in German
28:50and saw
28:51the cadaverous face
28:52of the colonel
28:53looking down at me.
28:54What are you doing there?
28:55He asked.
28:56I felt angry
28:57at having been tricked
28:58by so elaborate
28:59a story
29:00as that which
29:01he had told me.
29:02I was admiring
29:03your Fuller's Earth,
29:04said I.
29:05I think that I should
29:06be better able
29:06to advise you
29:07as to your machine
29:08if I knew
29:09what the exact purpose
29:10was for which
29:10it was used.
29:11The instant
29:12that I uttered
29:12the words,
29:13I regretted
29:14the rashness
29:15of my speech.
29:16His face set hard,
29:17and a baleful light
29:19sprang up
29:19in his gray eyes.
29:21Very well,
29:22said he,
29:23you shall know
29:23all about the machine.
29:25He took a step backward,
29:26slammed the little door,
29:28and turned the key
29:29in the lock.
29:30I rushed towards it
29:30and pulled at the handle,
29:32but it was quite secure
29:33and did not give in the least
29:35to my kicks and shoves.
29:37Hello!
29:37I yelled.
29:38Hello!
29:39Colonel!
29:40Let me out!
29:41And then suddenly
29:42in the silence
29:43I heard a sound
29:44which sent my heart
29:45into my mouth.
29:46It was the clank
29:47of the levers
29:48and the swish
29:49of the leaking cylinder.
29:50He had set the engine
29:51at work.
29:52The lamp still stood
29:53upon the floor
29:54where I had placed it
29:55when examining the trough.
29:56By its light,
29:57I saw that the black ceiling
29:59was coming down upon me,
30:01slowly,
30:02jerkily,
30:02but as none knew
30:03better than myself,
30:05with a force
30:05which must within a minute
30:07grind me
30:07to a shapeless pulp.
30:09I threw myself,
30:10screaming,
30:11against the door,
30:13and dragged with my nails
30:14at the lock.
30:15I implored the colonel
30:16to let me out,
30:17but the remorseless clanking
30:18of the levers
30:19drowned my cries.
30:21The ceiling was only
30:22a foot or two
30:23above my head,
30:24and with my hand
30:25upraised
30:25I could feel
30:26its hard,
30:27rough surface.
30:28Then it flashed
30:29through my mind
30:30that the pain
30:30of my death
30:31would depend
30:32very much
30:32upon the position
30:33in which I met it.
30:34If I lay on my face
30:36the weight
30:36would come upon my spine,
30:38and I shuddered
30:38to think
30:39of that dreadful snap.
30:41Easier the other way,
30:42perhaps.
30:43And yet,
30:43had I the nerve
30:44to lie and look up
30:45at that deadly black shadow
30:47wavering down upon me?
30:48Already I was unable
30:49to stand erect,
30:51when my eye caught
30:51something which brought
30:52a gush of hope
30:53back to my heart.
30:54I have said that
30:55though the floor
30:56and ceiling
30:57were of iron,
30:58the walls were of wood.
30:59As I gave a last
31:00hurried glance around,
31:01I saw a thin line
31:03of yellow light
31:04between two of the boards,
31:05which broadened
31:06and broadened
31:07as a small panel
31:08was pushed backward.
31:09For an instant,
31:10I could hardly believe
31:11that here was indeed
31:12a door which led
31:13away from death.
31:15The next instant,
31:15I threw myself through
31:17and lay half-fainting
31:18upon the other side.
31:20The panel had closed
31:21again behind me,
31:22but the crash of the lamp
31:23and a few moments
31:24afterwards the clang
31:26of the two slabs of metal
31:27told me how narrow
31:29had been my escape.
31:30I was recalled to myself
31:31by a frantic
31:32plucking at my wrist,
31:34and I found myself
31:34lying upon the stone floor
31:36of a narrow corridor
31:37while a woman
31:38bent over me
31:39and tugged at me
31:40with her left hand
31:41while she held a candle
31:42in her right.
31:43It was the same good friend
31:44whose warning
31:45I had so foolishly rejected.
31:48Come, come,
31:49she cried breathlessly.
31:51They will be here
31:52in a moment.
31:53They will see
31:53that you are not there.
31:55Oh, do not waste
31:56this so precious time,
31:58but come.
31:59This time,
32:00at least,
32:00I did not scorn her advice.
32:02I staggered to my feet
32:03and ran with her
32:04along the corridor
32:05and down a winding stair.
32:07The latter led
32:08to another broad passage,
32:10and just as we reached it
32:11we heard the sound
32:12of running feet
32:13and the shouting
32:14of two voices,
32:15one answering the other
32:16from the floor
32:17on which we were
32:18and from the one beneath.
32:20My guide stopped
32:20and looked about her
32:22like one
32:22who was at her wit's end.
32:24Then she threw open a door
32:25which led into a bedroom,
32:27through the window
32:27of which the moon
32:28was shining brightly.
32:30It is your only chance,
32:31said she.
32:32It is high,
32:33but it may be
32:33that you can jump it.
32:35As she spoke,
32:35a light sprang into view
32:37at the further end
32:37of the passage,
32:38and I saw the lean figure
32:40of Colonel Lysander Stark
32:41rushing forward
32:42with a lantern in one hand
32:44and a weapon
32:44like a butcher's cleaver
32:46in the other.
32:46I rushed across the bedroom,
32:48flung open the window,
32:50and looked out.
32:51How quiet and sweet
32:52and wholesome
32:53the garden looked
32:54in the moonlight,
32:55and it could not be
32:56more than thirty feet down.
32:58I clambered out
32:58upon the sill,
33:00but I hesitated to jump
33:01until I should have heard
33:02what passed
33:03between my savior
33:04and the ruffian
33:05who pursued me.
33:06If she were ill-used,
33:07then at any risks,
33:09I was determined
33:09to go back
33:10to her assistance.
33:11The thought had hardly
33:12flashed through my mind
33:14before he was at the door,
33:15pushing his way past her,
33:17but she threw her arms
33:18round him
33:18and tried to hold him back.
33:20Fritz!
33:21Fritz!
33:22She cried in English.
33:24Remember your promise
33:24after the last time.
33:26You said it should not be again.
33:27You will be silent.
33:29Oh!
33:30He will be silent.
33:31You are mad, Elise!
33:32He shouted,
33:33struggling to break away
33:34from her.
33:35You will be the ruin of us.
33:37He has seen too much.
33:38Let me pass,
33:39I say.
33:41He dashed her to one side
33:42and,
33:44rushing to the window,
33:45cut at me
33:45with his heavy weapon.
33:47I had let myself go
33:48and was hanging
33:49by the hands
33:50to the sill
33:50when his blow fell.
33:52I was conscious
33:53of a dull pain,
33:54my grip loosened,
33:56and I fell
33:56into the garden below.
33:58I was shaken
33:59but not hurt
34:00by the fall,
34:01so I picked myself up
34:02and rushed off
34:03among the bushes
34:03as hard as I could run,
34:05for I understood
34:05that I was far
34:06from being out of danger yet.
34:08Suddenly, however,
34:09as I ran,
34:11a deadly dizziness
34:12and sickness
34:13came over me.
34:14I glanced down
34:15at my hand,
34:16which was throbbing painfully,
34:18and then,
34:18for the first time,
34:19saw that my thumb
34:20had been cut off
34:21and that the blood
34:22was pouring from my wound.
34:24I endeavored to tie
34:25my handkerchief round it,
34:26but there came
34:27a sudden buzzing
34:28in my ears,
34:28and next moment
34:30I fell in a dead,
34:31faint among the rose bushes.
34:33How long I remained
34:34unconscious,
34:35I cannot tell.
34:37It must have been
34:37a very long time,
34:39for the moon had sunk
34:40and a bright morning
34:42was breaking
34:42when I came to myself.
34:44My clothes
34:45were all sodden with dew,
34:47and my coat sleeve
34:48was drenched with blood
34:49from my wounded thumb.
34:50The smarting of it
34:51recalled in an instant
34:52all the particulars
34:54of my night's adventure,
34:55and I sprang to my feet
34:56with the feeling
34:57that I might hardly,
34:58yet be safe
34:59from my pursuers.
35:01But to my astonishment,
35:02when I came
35:03to look round me,
35:04neither house
35:05nor garden
35:05were to be seen.
35:07I had been lying
35:07in an angle of the hedge
35:08close by the high road,
35:10and just a little lower down
35:12was a long building,
35:13which proved,
35:14upon my approaching it,
35:15to be the very station
35:16at which I had arrived
35:17upon the previous night.
35:19Were it not
35:19for the ugly
35:20wound upon my hand,
35:22all that had passed
35:23during those dreadful hours
35:24might have been
35:25an evil dream.
35:26Half-dazed,
35:27I went into the station
35:28and asked about
35:29the morning train.
35:30There would be one
35:30to reading
35:31in less than an hour.
35:33The same porter
35:33was on duty,
35:34I found,
35:36as had been there
35:36when I arrived.
35:37I inquired of him
35:38whether he had ever heard
35:40of Colonel Lysander Stark.
35:42The name was strange to him.
35:43Had he observed
35:44a carriage the night
35:45before waiting for me?
35:46No, he had not.
35:48Was there a police station
35:49anywhere near?
35:50There was one
35:50about three miles off.
35:52It was too far
35:53for me to go,
35:53weak and ill as I was.
35:55I determined to wait
35:56until I got back to town
35:58before telling my story
35:59to the police.
36:00It was a little past six
36:01when I arrived,
36:02so I went first
36:03to have my wound dressed
36:04and then the doctor
36:05was kind enough
36:06to bring me along here.
36:07I put the case
36:08into your hands
36:09and shall do
36:10exactly what you advise.
36:12We both sat in silence
36:13for some little time
36:14after listening
36:15to this extraordinary narrative.
36:17Then Sherlock Holmes
36:18pulled down
36:19from the shelf
36:20one of the ponderous
36:21commonplace books
36:22in which he placed
36:23his cuttings.
36:23Here is an advertisement
36:25which will interest you,
36:26said he.
36:27It appeared in all the papers
36:28about a year ago.
36:29Listen to this.
36:30Lost on the ninth iced tea,
36:32Mr. Jeremiah Haling,
36:34age 26,
36:35a hydraulic engineer.
36:37Left his lodgings
36:38at 10 o'clock at night
36:39and has not been heard of since.
36:41Was dressed in,
36:42et cetera, et cetera.
36:44Huh.
36:45That represents the last time
36:46that the colonel needed
36:47to have his machine overhauled.
36:49I fancy.
36:50Good heavens,
36:51cried my patient.
36:51Then that explains
36:53what the girl said.
36:54Undoubtedly.
36:55It is quite clear
36:56that the colonel
36:56was a cool
36:57and desperate man
36:58who was absolutely determined
37:00that nothing should stand
37:01in the way
37:02of his little game.
37:03Like those out-and-out pirates
37:04who will leave
37:05no survivor
37:06from a captured ship.
37:07Well,
37:08every moment now
37:09is precious.
37:10So if you feel equal to it,
37:12we shall go down
37:13to Scotland Yard at once
37:14as a preliminary
37:15to starting for AFERD.
37:17Some three hours
37:18or so afterwards,
37:19we were all
37:19on the train together.
37:20Bound from Reading
37:21to the Little Berkshire Village.
37:23There were Sherlock Holmes,
37:25the hydraulic engineer,
37:26Inspector Bradstreet
37:28of Scotland Yard,
37:28a plainclothes man,
37:30and myself.
37:31Bradstreet had spread
37:32an ordinance map
37:34of the county
37:34out upon the seat
37:35and was busy
37:36with his compasses
37:37drawing a circle
37:38with AFERD
37:39for its center.
37:40There you are,
37:41said he.
37:42That circle is drawn
37:43at a radius
37:44of ten miles
37:45from the village.
37:46The place we want
37:47must be somewhere
37:47near that line.
37:48You said ten miles,
37:50I think, sir.
37:51It was an hour's good drive
37:52and you think
37:53that they brought you back
37:54all that way
37:54when you were unconscious?
37:56They must have done so.
37:58I have a confused memory,
37:59too,
38:00of having been lifted
38:01and conveyed somewhere.
38:03What I cannot understand,
38:05said I,
38:06is why they should have spared you
38:07when they found you
38:08lying fainting
38:09in the garden.
38:10Perhaps the villain
38:10was softened
38:11by the woman's entreaties.
38:13I hardly think
38:14that likely.
38:15I never saw
38:16the more inexorable
38:17face in my life.
38:18Oh,
38:19we shall soon
38:20clear up all that,
38:21said Bradstreet.
38:22Well,
38:23I have drawn my circle
38:24and I only wish
38:25I knew
38:26at what point
38:26upon it the folk
38:27that we are in search
38:28of are to be found.
38:29I think I could
38:30lay my finger on it,
38:31said Holmes quietly.
38:33Really now,
38:34cried the inspector,
38:35you have formed
38:36your opinion.
38:37Come,
38:38now,
38:38we shall see
38:39who agrees with you.
38:41I say it is south,
38:42for the country
38:43is more deserted there.
38:45And I say east,
38:46said my patient.
38:47I am for west,
38:48remarked the plainclothes man.
38:50There are several
38:51quiet little villages
38:52up there.
38:53And I am for north,
38:54said I,
38:55because there are
38:56no hills there.
38:57And our friend says
38:58that he did not notice
38:59the carriage go up any.
39:01Come,
39:01cried the inspector,
39:02laughing.
39:03It's a very pretty
39:04diversity of opinion.
39:06We have boxed
39:06the compass among us.
39:08Who do you give
39:09your casting vote to?
39:10You are all wrong.
39:11But we can't all be.
39:13Oh,
39:13yes,
39:13you can.
39:14This is my point.
39:15He placed his finger
39:16in the center of the circle.
39:18This is where we shall
39:19find them.
39:20But the twelve-mile drive
39:21gassed Hatherley.
39:23Six out
39:23and six back.
39:24Nothing simpler.
39:26You say yourself
39:27that the horse
39:27was fresh
39:28and glossy
39:29when you got in.
39:30How could it be
39:31that if it had gone
39:32twelve miles
39:32over heavy roads?
39:34Indeed,
39:35it is a likely
39:36ruse enough,
39:37observed Bradstreet
39:38thoughtfully.
39:39Of course,
39:40there can be no doubt
39:41as to the nature
39:42of this gang.
39:43None at all,
39:44said Holmes.
39:45They are coiners
39:46on a large scale
39:47and have used the machine
39:48to form the amalgam
39:50which has taken
39:50the place of silver.
39:52We have known
39:52for some time
39:53that a clever gang
39:54was at work,
39:55said the inspector.
39:56They have been turning out
39:57half-crowns
39:58by the thousand.
39:59We even traced them
40:00as far as reading,
40:01but could get no farther,
40:03for they had covered
40:04their traces in a way
40:05that showed
40:05that they were
40:06very old hands.
40:08But now,
40:08thanks to this lucky chance,
40:10I think that we have
40:11got them right enough.
40:12But the inspector
40:13was mistaken,
40:14for those criminals
40:15were not destined
40:16to fall into
40:17the hands of justice.
40:18As we rolled
40:19into Afford Station,
40:20we saw a gigantic
40:21column of smoke
40:22which streamed up
40:23from behind
40:24a small clump of trees
40:25in the neighborhood
40:26and hung like
40:27an immense ostrich feather
40:29over the landscape.
40:30A house on fire?
40:31Ask Bradstreet
40:32as the train
40:33steamed off again
40:34on its way.
40:35Yes, sir,
40:36said the station master.
40:37When did it break out?
40:38I hear that it was
40:39during the night, sir,
40:40but it has got worse
40:41and the whole place
40:43is in a blaze.
40:44Whose house is it?
40:45Dr. Boettcher's.
40:47Tell me,
40:48broke in the engineer,
40:49is Dr. Boettcher
40:50a German,
40:51very thin,
40:52with a long,
40:53sharp nose?
40:54The station master
40:55laughed heartily.
40:56No, sir,
40:57Dr. Boettcher
40:58is an Englishman
40:59and there isn't a man
41:00in the parish
41:01who has a better-lined
41:02waistcoat.
41:02But he has a gentleman
41:03staying with him,
41:05a patient,
41:05as I understand,
41:06who is a foreigner,
41:07and he looks
41:08as if a little good
41:09Berkshire beef
41:10would do him no harm.
41:11The station master
41:12had not finished
41:13his speech
41:14before we were all
41:15hastening in the direction
41:16of the fire.
41:17The road topped
41:18a low hill
41:19and there was a great
41:20widespread,
41:21whitewashed building
41:22in front of us,
41:23spouting fire
41:24at every chink
41:25and window,
41:26while in the garden
41:27in front three fire engines
41:28were vainly striving
41:29to keep the flames under.
41:31That's it,
41:32cried Hatherley
41:32in intense excitement.
41:34There is the gravel drive
41:35and there are the rose bushes
41:37where I lay.
41:38That second window
41:39is the one
41:40that I jumped from.
41:41Well,
41:42at least,
41:43said Holmes,
41:44you have had your revenge
41:45upon them.
41:46There can be no question
41:47that it was your oil lamp
41:48which,
41:49when it was crushed
41:50in the press,
41:51set fire
41:52to the wooden walls,
41:53though no doubt
41:54they were too excited
41:55in the chase after you
41:56to observe it at the time.
41:58Now keep your eyes open
41:59in this crowd
41:59for your friends
42:00of last night,
42:01though I very much fear
42:02that they are a good
42:03hundred miles off
42:04by now.
42:04And Holmes' fears
42:05came to be realized.
42:07For from that day
42:08to this,
42:09no word has ever been heard
42:10either of the beautiful woman,
42:12the sinister German,
42:13or the morose Englishman.
42:15Early that morning,
42:16a peasant had met
42:17a car containing
42:17several people
42:18and some very bulky boxes
42:20driving rapidly
42:22in the direction of reading.
42:23But their all traces
42:25of the fugitives disappeared,
42:26and even Holmes' ingenuity
42:28failed ever to discover
42:29the least clue
42:30as to their whereabouts.
42:32The firemen had been
42:33much perturbed
42:34at the strange arrangements
42:35which they had found within,
42:37and still more so
42:38by discovering
42:38a newly severed human thumb
42:40upon a windowsill
42:42of the second floor.
42:43About sunset,
42:44however,
42:45their efforts
42:45were at last successful,
42:47and they subdued the flames,
42:49but not before the roof
42:50had fallen in,
42:51and the whole place
42:52been reduced
42:53to such absolute ruin
42:54that,
42:55save some twisted cylinders
42:56and iron piping,
42:58not a trace remained
42:59of the machinery
43:00which had cost
43:00our unfortunate acquaintance
43:02so dearly.
43:03Large masses of nickel
43:04and of tin
43:05were discovered
43:06stored in an outhouse,
43:07but no coins
43:08were to be found,
43:10which may have explained
43:11the presence
43:11of those bulky boxes
43:12which have been
43:13already referred to.
43:14How our hydraulic engineer
43:15had been conveyed
43:16from the garden
43:17to the spot
43:18where he recovered
43:18his senses
43:19might have remained
43:20forever a mystery
43:21were it not
43:22for the soft mold,
43:23which told us
43:24a very plain tale.
43:26He had evidently
43:26been carried down
43:27by two persons,
43:29one of whom
43:29had remarkably small feet
43:31and the other
43:32unusually large ones.
43:34On the whole,
43:35it was most probable
43:36that the silent Englishman,
43:37being less bold
43:38or less murderous
43:40than his companion,
43:41had assisted the woman
43:42to bear the unconscious man
43:44out of the way of danger.
43:45Well,
43:46said our engineer
43:47ruefully
43:47as we took our seats
43:49to return
43:50once more to London,
43:51it has been
43:51a pretty business for me.
43:53I have lost my thumb
43:54and I have lost
43:55a 50 guinea fee.
43:56And what have I gained?
43:58Experience,
43:59said Holmes laughing.
44:01Indirectly,
44:01it may be of value.
44:03You know,
44:04you have only
44:05to put it into words
44:06to gain the reputation
44:07of being excellent company
44:08for the remainder
44:09of your existence.
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