“Let us be practical,” said he. “I understand you to say thatthere are three students who use this stair, and are in the habit ofpassing your door?”
“Yes, there are.”
“And they are all in for this examination?”
“Yes.”
“Have you any reason to suspect any one of them more than theothers?”
Soames hesitated.
“It is a very delicate question,” said he. “One hardly likes tothrow suspicion where there are no proofs.”
“Let us hear the suspicions. I will look after the proofs.”
“I will tell you, then, in a few words the character of the threemen who inhabit these rooms. The lower of the three is Gilchrist,1004 The Complete Sherlock Holmes
fine scholar and athlete, plays in the Rugby team and the cricketteam for the college, and got his Blue for the hurdles and the longjump. He is a fine, manly fellow. His father was the notorious SirJabez Gilchrist, who ruined himself on the turf. My scholar hasbeen left very poor, but he is hard-working and industrious. Hewill do well.
“The second floor is inhabited by Daulat Ras, the Indian. He isquiet, inscrutable fellow; as most of those Indians are. He is wellup in his work, though his Greek is his weak subject. He is steadyand methodical.
“The top floor belongs to Miles McLaren. He is a brilliantfellow when he chooses to work—one of the brightest intellectsof the university; but he is wayward, dissipated, and unprincipled.
He was nearly expelled over a card scandal in his first year. He hasbeen idling all this term, and he must look forward with dread tothe examination.”
“Then it is he whom you suspect?”
“I dare not go so far as that. But, of the three, he is perhaps theleast unlikely.”
“Exactly. Now, Mr. Soames, let us have a look at your servant,Bannister.”
He was a little, white-faced, clean-shaven, grizzly-haired fellowof fifty. He was still suffering from this sudden disturbance of thequiet routine of his life. His plump face was twitching with hisnervousness, and his fingers could not keep still.
“We are investigating this unhappy business, Bannister,” said hismaster.
“Yes, sir.”
“I understand,” said Holmes, “that you left your key in thedoor?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Was it not very extraordinary that you should do this on thevery day when there were these papers inside?”
“It was most unfortunate, sir. But I have occasionally done thesame thing at other times.”
“When did you enter the room?”
“It was about half-past four. That is Mr. Soames’ tea time.”
“How long did you stay?”
“When I saw that he was absent, I withdrew at once.”
“Did you look at these papers on the table?”
“No, sir—certainly not.”
“How came you to leave the key in the door?”
“I had the tea-tray in my hand. I thought I would come back forthe key. Then I forgot.”
“Has the outer door a spring lock?”
The Return of Sherlock Holmes 1005
“No, sir.”
“Then it was open all the time?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Anyone in the room could get out?”
“Yes, sir.”
“When Mr. Soames returned and called for you, you were verymuch disturbed?”
“Yes, sir. Such a thing has never happened during the many yearsthat I have been here. I nearly fainted, sir.”
“So I understand. Where were you when you began to feel bad?”
“Where was I, sir? Why, here, near the door.”
“That is singular, because you sat down in that chair over yondernear the corner. Why did you pass these other chairs?”
“I don’t know, sir, it didn’t matter to me where I sat.”
“I really don’t think he knew much about it, Mr. Holmes. Hewas looking very bad—quite ghastly.”
“You stayed here when your master left?”
“Only for a minute or so. Then I locked the door and went tomy room.”
“Whom do you suspect?”
“Oh, I would not venture to say, sir. I don’t believe there is anygentleman in this university who is capable of profiting by such anaction. No, sir, I’ll not believe it.”
“Thank you, that will do,” said Holmes. “Oh, one more word.
You have not mentioned to any of the three gentlemen whom youattend that anything is amiss?”
“No, sir—not a word.”
“You haven’t seen any of them?”
“No, sir.”
“Very good. Now, Mr. Soames, we will take a walk in the quadrangle,if you please.”
Three yellow squares of light shone above us in the gatheringgloom.
“Your three birds are all in their nests,” said Holmes, looking up.
“Halloa! What’s that? One of them seems restless enough.”
It was the Indian, whose dark silhouette appeared suddenlyupon his blind. He was pacing swiftly up and down his room.
“I should like to have a peep at each of them,” said Holmes. “Isit possible?”
“No difficulty in the world,” Soames answered. “This set ofrooms is quite the oldest in the college, and it is not unusualfor visitors to go over them. Come along, and I will personallyconduct you.”
“No names, please!” said Holmes, as we knocked at Gilchrist’sdoor. A tall, flaxen-haired, slim young fellow opened it, and made1006 The Complete Sherlock Holmes us welcome when he understood our errand. There were somereally curious pieces of mediaeval domestic architecture within.
Holmes was so charmed with one of them that he insisted ondrawing it in his notebook, broke his pencil, had to borrow onefrom our host and finally borrowed a knife to sharpen his own.
The same curious accident happened to him in the rooms of theIndian—a silent, little, hook-nosed fellow, who eyed us askance,and was obviously glad when Holmes’s architectural studies hadcome to an end. I could not see that in either case Holmes hadcome upon the clue for which he was searching. Only at the thirddid our visit prove abortive. The outer door would not open toour knock, and nothing more substantial than a torrent of badlanguage came from behind it. “I don’t care who you are. You cango to blazes!” roared the angry voice. “Tomorrow’s the exam, and Iwon’t be drawn by anyone.”
“A rude fellow,” said our guide, flushing with anger as we withdrewdown the stair. “Of course, he did not realize that it was I who wasknocking, but none the less his conduct was very uncourteous, and,indeed, under the circumstances rather suspicious.”
Holmes’s response was a curious one.
“Can you tell me his exact height?” he asked.