Through the open sitting-room window I saw a huge, swarthyman with a bristling black beard walking slowly down the centreof the street and staring eagerly at the numbers of the houses. Itwas clear that, like myself, he was on the track of the maid. Actingupon the impulse of the moment, I rushed out and accosted him.
“You are an Englishman,” I said.
“What if I am?” he asked with a most villainous scowl.
“May I ask what your name is?”
“No, you may not,” said he with decision.
The situation was awkward, but the most direct way is often thebest.
“Where is the Lady Frances Carfax?” I asked.
He stared at me in amazement.
“What have you done with her? Why have you pursued her? Iinsist upon an answer!” said I.
1188 The Complete Sherlock Holmes
The fellow gave a below of anger and sprang upon me like atiger. I have held my own in many a struggle, but the man had agrip of iron and the fury of a fiend. His hand was on my throat andmy senses were nearly gone before an unshaven French ouvrier inblue blouse darted out from a cabaret opposite, with a cudgel inhis hand, and struck my assailant a sharp crack over the forearm,which made him leave go his hold. He stood for an instant fumingwith rage and uncertain whether he should not renew his attack.
Then, with a snarl of anger, he left me and entered the cottagefrom which I had just come. I turned to thank my preserver, whostood beside me in the roadway.
“Well, Watson,” said he, “a very pretty hash you have made ofit! I rather think you had better come back with me to London bythe night express.”
An hour afterwards, Sherlock Holmes, in his usual garb andstyle, was seated in my private room at the hotel. His explanationof his sudden and opportune appearance was simplicity itself,for, finding that he could get away from London, he determinedto head me off at the next obvious point of my travels. In thedisguise of a workingman he had sat in the cabaret waiting for myappearance.
“And a singularly consistent investigation you have made,my dear Watson,” said he. “I cannot at the moment recall anypossible blunder which you have omitted. The total effect of yourproceeding has been to give the alarm everywhere and yet todiscover nothing.”
“Perhaps you would have done no better,” I answered bitterly.
“There is no ‘perhaps’ about it. I have done better. Here is theHon. Philip Green, who is a fellow-lodger with you in this hotel,and we may find him the starting-point for a more successfulinvestigation.”
A card had come up on a salver, and it was followed by the samebearded ruffian who had attacked me in the street. He startedwhen he saw me.
“What is this, Mr. Holmes?” he asked. “I had your note and Ihave come. But what has this man to do with the matter?”
“This is my old friend and associate, Dr. Watson, who is helpingus in this affair.”
The stranger held out a huge, sunburned hand, with a few wordsof apology.
“I hope I didn’t harm you. When you accused me of hurtingher I lost my grip of myself. Indeed, I’m not responsible in thesedays. My nerves are like live wires. But this situation is beyond me.
What I want to know, in the first place, Mr. Holmes, is, how inthe world you came to hear of my existence at all.”
The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge 1189
“I am in touch with Miss Dobney, Lady Frances’s governess.”
“Old Susan Dobney with the mob cap! I remember her well.”
“And she remembers you. It was in the days before—before youfound it better to go to South Africa.”
“Ah, I see you know my whole story. I need hide nothing fromyou. I swear to you, Mr. Holmes, that there never was in thisworld a man who loved a woman with a more wholehearted lovethan I had for Frances. I was a wild youngster, I know—not worsethan others of my class. But her mind was pure as snow. She couldnot bear a shadow of coarseness. So, when she came to hear ofthings that I had done, she would have no more to say to me. Andyet she loved me—that is the wonder of it!—loved me well enoughto remain single all her sainted days just for my sake alone. Whenthe years had passed and I had made my money at Barberton Ithought perhaps I could seek her out and soften her. I had heardthat she was still unmarried, I found her at Lausanne and tried allI knew. She weakened, I think, but her will was strong, and whennext I called she had left the town. I traced her to Baden, andthen after a time heard that her maid was here. I’m a rough fellow,fresh from a rough life, and when Dr. Watson spoke to me as hedid I lost hold of myself for a moment. But for God’s sake tell mewhat has become of the Lady Frances.”
“That is for us to find out,” said Sherlock Holmes with peculiargravity. “What is your London address, Mr. Green?”
“The Langham Hotel will find me.”
“Then may I recommend that you return there and be on handin case I should want you? I have no desire to encourage falsehopes, but you may rest assured that all that can be done will bedone for the safety of Lady Frances. I can say no more for theinstant. I will leave you this card so that you may be able to keepin touch with us. Now, Watson, if you will pack your bag I willcable to Mrs. Hudson to make one of her best efforts for twohungry travellers at 7:30 to-morrow.”
A telegram was awaiting us when we reached our Baker Streetrooms, which Holmes read with an exclamation of interest andthrew across to me. “Jagged or torn,” was the message, and theplace of origin, Baden.
“What is this?” I asked.
“It is everything,” Holmes answered. “You may remember myseemingly irrelevant question as to this clerical gentleman’s leftear. You did not answer it.”
“I had left Baden and could not inquire.”
“Exactly. For this reason I sent a duplicate to the manager of theEnglischer Hof, whose answer lies here.”
“What does it show?”