“I must explain to you, Mr. Holmes, that to-morrow is thefirst day of the examination for the Fortescue Scholarship. I amone of the examiners. My subject is Greek, and the first of thepapers consists of a large passage of Greek translation which thecandidate has not seen. This passage is printed on the examinationpaper, and it would naturally be an immense advantage if theThe Return of Sherlock Holmes 999 candidate could prepare it in advance. For this reason, great care istaken to keep the paper secret.
“To-day, about three o’clock, the proofs of this paper arrivedfrom the printers. The exercise consists of half a chapter ofThucydides. I had to read it over carefully, as the text must beabsolutely correct. At four-thirty my task was not yet completed.
I had, however, promised to take tea in a friend’s rooms, so I leftthe proof upon my desk. I was absent rather more than an hour.
“You are aware, Mr. Holmes, that our college doors aredouble—a green baize one within and a heavy oak one without. AsI approached my outer door, I was amazed to see a key in it. Foran instant I imagined that I had left my own there, but on feelingin my pocket I found that it was all right. The only duplicatewhich existed, so far as I knew, was that which belonged to myservant, Bannister—a man who has looked after my room for tenyears, and whose honesty is absolutely above suspicion. I foundthat the key was indeed his, that he had entered my room to knowif I wanted tea, and that he had very carelessly left the key in thedoor when he came out. His visit to my room must have beenwithin a very few minutes of my leaving it. His forgetfulness aboutthe key would have mattered little upon any other occasion, buton this one day it has produced the most deplorable consequences.
“The moment I looked at my table, I was aware that someonehad rummaged among my papers. The proof was in three longslips. I had left them all together. Now, I found that one of themwas lying on the floor, one was on the side table near the window,and the third was where I had left it.”
Holmes stirred for the first time.
“The first page on the floor, the second in the window, the thirdwhere you left it,” said he.
“Exactly, Mr. Holmes. You amaze me. How could you possiblyknow that?”
“Pray continue your very interesting statement.”
“For an instant I imagined that Bannister had taken theunpardonable liberty of examining my papers. He denied it,however, with the utmost earnestness, and I am convinced thathe was speaking the truth. The alternative was that someonepassing had observed the key in the door, had known that I wasout, and had entered to look at the papers. A large sum of moneyis at stake, for the scholarship is a very valuable one, and anunscrupulous man might very well run a risk in order to gain anadvantage over his fellows.
“Bannister was very much upset by the incident. He had nearlyfainted when we found that the papers had undoubtedly beentampered with. I gave him a little brandy and left him collapsed1000 The Complete Sherlock Holmes in a chair, while I made a most careful examination of the room. soon saw that the intruder had left other traces of his presencebesides the rumpled papers. On the table in the window wereseveral shreds from a pencil which had been sharpened. A brokentip of lead was lying there also. Evidently the rascal had copiedthe paper in a great hurry, had broken his pencil, and had beencompelled to put a fresh point to it.”
“Excellent!” said Holmes, who was recovering his good-humouras his attention became more engrossed by the case. “Fortune hasbeen your friend.”
“This was not all. I have a new writing-table with a fine surfaceof red leather. I am prepared to swear, and so is Bannister, that itwas smooth and unstained. Now I found a clean cut in it aboutthree inches long—not a mere scratch, but a positive cut. Notonly this, but on the table I found a small ball of black dough orclay, with specks of something which looks like sawdust in it. Iam convinced that these marks were left by the man who rifledthe papers. There were no footmarks and no other evidence asto his identity. I was at my wit’s end, when suddenly the happythought occurred to me that you were in the town, and I camestraight round to put the matter into your hands. Do help me,Mr. Holmes. You see my dilemma. Either I must find the man orelse the examination must be postponed until fresh papers areprepared, and since this cannot be done without explanation,there will ensue a hideous scandal, which will throw a cloud notonly on the college, but on the university. Above all things, I desireto settle the matter quietly and discreetly.”
“I shall be happy to look into it and to give you such advice ascan,” said Holmes, rising and putting on his overcoat. “The casenot entirely devoid of interest. Had anyone visited you in yourroom after the papers came to you?”
“Yes, young Daulat Ras, an Indian student, who lives on the samestair, came in to ask me some particulars about the examination.”
“For which he was entered?”
“Yes.”
“And the papers were on your table?”
“To the best of my belief, they were rolled up.”
“But might be recognized as proofs?”
“Possibly.”
“No one else in your room?”
“No.”
“Did anyone know that these proofs would be there?”
“No one save the printer.”
“Did this man Bannister know?”
“No, certainly not. No one knew.”
The Return of Sherlock Holmes 1001“Where is Bannister now?”
“He was very ill, poor fellow. I left him collapsed in the chair. Iwas in such a hurry to come to you.”
“You left your door open?”
“I locked up the papers first.”
“Then it amounts to this, Mr. Soames: that, unless the Indianstudent recognized the roll as being proofs, the man whotampered with them came upon them accidentally withoutknowing that they were there.”
“So it seems to me.”
Holmes gave an enigmatic smile.
“Well,” said he, “let us go round. Not one of your cases,Watson—mental, not physical. All right; come if you want to.
Now, Mr. Soames—at your disposal!”