“Really, Mr. Holmes, I cannot undertake to say. He is taller thanthe Indian, not so tall as Gilchrist. I suppose five foot six would beabout it.”
“That is very important,” said Holmes. “And now, Mr. Soames, Iwish you good-night.”
Our guide cried aloud in his astonishment and dismay. “Goodgracious, Mr. Holmes, you are surely not going to leave me in thisabrupt fashion! You don’t seem to realize the position. To-morrowthe examination. I must take some definite action to-night. Icannot allow the examination to be held if one of the papers hasbeen tampered with. The situation must be faced.”
“You must leave it as it is. I shall drop round early to-morrowmorning and chat the matter over. It is possible that I may be in aposition then to indicate some course of action. Meanwhile, youchange nothing—nothing at all.”
“Very good, Mr. Holmes.”
“You can be perfectly easy in your mind. We shall certainly findsome way out of your difficulties. I will take the black clay withme, also the pencil cuttings. Good-bye.”
When we were out in the darkness of the quadrangle, we againlooked up at the windows. The Indian still paced his room. Theothers were invisible.
“Well, Watson, what do you think of it?” Holmes asked, as wecame out into the main street. “Quite a little parlour game—sortThe Return of Sherlock Holmes 1007 of three-card trick, is it not? There are your three men. It must beone of them. You take your choice. Which is yours?”
“The foul-mouthed fellow at the top. He is the one with theworst record. And yet that Indian was a sly fellow also. Whyshould he be pacing his room all the time?”
“There is nothing in that. Many men do it when they are tryingto learn anything by heart.”
“He looked at us in a queer way.”
“So would you, if a flock of strangers came in on you when youwere preparing for an examination next day, and every momentwas of value. No, I see nothing in that. Pencils, too, and knives—all was satisfactory. But that fellow does puzzle me.”
“Who?”
“Why, Bannister, the servant. What’s his game in the matter?”
“He impressed me as being a perfectly honest man.”
“So he did me. That’s the puzzling part. Why should a perfectlyhonest man——Well, well, here’s a large stationer’s. We shall beginour researches here.”
There were only four stationers of any consequences in thetown, and at each Holmes produced his pencil chips, and bid highfor a duplicate. All were agreed that one could be ordered, butthat it was not a usual size of pencil and that it was seldom kept instock. My friend did not appear to be depressed by his failure, butshrugged his shoulders in half-humorous resignation.
“No good, my dear Watson. This, the best and only final clue,has run to nothing. But, indeed, I have little doubt that we canbuild up a sufficient case without it. By Jove! my dear fellow, it isnearly nine, and the landlady babbled of green peas at seven-thirty.
What with your eternal tobacco, Watson, and your irregularityat meals, I expect that you will get notice to quit, and that I shallshare your downfall—not, however, before we have solved theproblem of the nervous tutor, the careless servant, and the threeenterprising students.”
Holmes made no further allusion to the matter that day, thoughhe sat lost in thought for a long time after our belated dinner. Ateight in the morning, he came into my room just as I finished mytoilet.
“Well, Watson,” said he, “it is time we went down to St. Luke’s.
Can you do without breakfast?”
“Certainly.”
“Soames will be in a dreadful fidget until we are able to tell himsomething positive.”
“Have you anything positive to tell him?”
“I think so.”
“You have formed a conclusion?”
1008 The Complete Sherlock Holmes“Yes, my dear Watson, I have solved the mystery.”
“But what fresh evidence could you have got?”
“Aha! It is not for nothing that I have turned myself out of bedat the untimely hour of six. I have put in two hours’ hard work andcovered at least five miles, with something to show for it. Look atthat!”
He held out his hand. On the palm were three little pyramids ofblack, doughy clay.
“Why, Holmes, you had only two yesterday.”
“And one more this morning. It is a fair argument that whereverNo. 3 came from is also the source of Nos. 1 and 2. Eh, Watson?
Well, come along and put friend Soames out of his pain.”
The unfortunate tutor was certainly in a state of pitiableagitation when we found him in his chambers. In a few hours theexamination would commence, and he was still in the dilemmabetween making the facts public and allowing the culprit tocompete for the valuable scholarship. He could hardly stand stillso great was his mental agitation, and he ran towards Holmes withtwo eager hands outstretched.
“Thank heaven that you have come! I feared that you had givenup in despair. What am I to do? Shall the examination proceed?”
“Yes, let it proceed, by all means.”
“But this rascal?”
“He shall not compete.”
“You know him?”
“I think so. If this matter is not to become public, we must giveourselves certain powers and resolve ourselves into a small privatecourt-martial. You there, if you please, Soames! Watson you here!
I’ll take the armchair in the middle. I think that we are nowsufficiently imposing to strike terror into a guilty breast. Kindlyring the bell!”
Bannister entered, and shrank back in evident surprise and fearat our judicial appearance.
“You will kindly close the door,” said Holmes. “Now, Bannister,will you please tell us the truth about yesterday’s incident?”
The man turned white to the roots of his hair.
“I have told you everything, sir.”
“Nothing to add?”
“Nothing at all, sir.”
“Well, then, I must make some suggestions to you. When yousat down on that chair yesterday, did you do so in order to concealsome object which would have shown who had been in the room?”
Bannister’s face was ghastly.
“No, sir, certainly not.”