Her courage was admirable. Even now she would not owndefeat.
“I tell you again, Mr. Holmes, that you are under some absurdillusion.”
Holmes rose from his chair.
“I am sorry for you, Lady Hilda. I have done my best for you. Ican see that it is all in vain.”
The Return of Sherlock Holmes 1083
He rang the bell. The butler entered.
“Is Mr. Trelawney Hope at home?”
“He will be home, sir, at a quarter to one.”
Holmes glanced at his watch.
“Still a quarter of an hour,” said he. “Very good, I shall wait.”
The butler had hardly closed the door behind him whenLady Hilda was down on her knees at Holmes’s feet, her handsoutstretched, her beautiful face upturned and wet with her tears.
“Oh, spare me, Mr. Holmes! Spare me!” she pleaded, in a frenzyof supplication. “For heaven’s sake, don’t tell him! I love him so!
I would not bring one shadow on his life, and this I know wouldbreak his noble heart.”
Holmes raised the lady. “I am thankful, madam, that you havecome to your senses even at this last moment! There is not aninstant to lose. Where is the letter?”
She darted across to a writing-desk, unlocked it, and drew out along blue envelope.
“Here it is, Mr. Holmes. Would to heaven I had never seen it!”
“How can we return it?” Holmes muttered. “Quick, quick, wemust think of some way! Where is the despatch-box?”
“Still in his bedroom.”
“What a stroke of luck! Quick, madam, bring it here!” Amoment later she had appeared with a red flat box in her hand.
“How did you open it before? You have a duplicate key? Yes, ofcourse you have. Open it!”
From out of her bosom Lady Hilda had drawn a small key. Thebox flew open. It was stuffed with papers. Holmes thrust the blueenvelope deep down into the heart of them, between the leaves ofsome other document. The box was shut, locked, and returned tothe bedroom.
“Now we are ready for him,” said Holmes. “We have still tenminutes. I am going far to screen you, Lady Hilda. In return youwill spend the time in telling me frankly the real meaning of thisextraordinary affair.”
“Mr. Holmes, I will tell you everything,” cried the lady. “Oh,Mr. Holmes, I would cut off my right hand before I gave him amoment of sorrow! There is no woman in all London who lovesher husband as I do, and yet if he knew how I have acted—howI have been compelled to act—he would never forgive me. Forhis own honour stands so high that he could not forget or pardona lapse in another. Help me, Mr. Holmes! My happiness, hishappiness, our very lives are at stake!”
“Quick, madam, the time grows short!”
“It was a letter of mine, Mr. Holmes, an indiscreet letter writtenbefore my marriage—a foolish letter, a letter of an impulsive,1084 The Complete Sherlock Holmes
loving girl. I meant no harm, and yet he would have thought itcriminal. Had he read that letter his confidence would have beenforever destroyed. It is years since I wrote it. I had thought thatthe whole matter was forgotten. Then at last I heard from thisman, Lucas, that it had passed into his hands, and that he wouldlay it before my husband. I implored his mercy. He said that hewould return my letter if I would bring him a certain documentwhich he described in my husband’s despatch-box. He had somespy in the office who had told him of its existence. He assuredme that no harm could come to my husband. Put yourself in myposition, Mr. Holmes! What was I to do?”
“Take your husband into your confidence.”
“I could not, Mr. Holmes, I could not! On the one side seemedcertain ruin, on the other, terrible as it seemed to take my husband’spaper, still in a matter of politics I could not understand theconsequences, while in a matter of love and trust they were only tooclear to me. I did it, Mr. Holmes! I took an impression of his key.
This man, Lucas, furnished a duplicate. I opened his despatch-box,took the paper, and conveyed it to Godolphin Street.”
“What happened there, madam?”
“I tapped at the door as agreed. Lucas opened it. I followed himinto his room, leaving the hall door ajar behind me, for I fearedto be alone with the man. I remember that there was a womanoutside as I entered. Our business was soon done. He had myletter on his desk, I handed him the document. He gave me theletter. At this instant there was a sound at the door. There weresteps in the passage. Lucas quickly turned back the drugget, thrustthe document into some hiding-place there, and covered it over.