Hedivedhisarmdowntothebottomofthechestandbroughtupa
smallwoodenboxwithaslidinglidsuchaschildren”stoysarekept
in。Fromwithinheproducedacrumpledpieceofpaper，an
old-fashionedbrasskey，apegofwoodwithaballofstring
attachedtoit，andthreerustyolddiscsofmetal。
“Well，myboy，whatdoyoumakeofthislot？“heasked，smilingat
myexpression。
“Itisacuriouscollection。”
“Verycurious，andthestorythathangsrounditwillstrikeyou
asbeingmorecuriousstill。”
“Theserelicshaveahistory，then？“
“Somuchsothattheyarehistory。”
“Whatdoyoumeanbythat？“
SherlockHolmespickedthemuponebyoneandlaidthemalongthe
edgeofthetable。Thenhereseatedhimselfinhischairandlooked
themoverwithagleamofsatisfactioninhiseyes。
“These，“saidhe，“areallthatIhavelefttoremindmeofthe
adventureoftheMusgraveRitual。”
Ihadheardhimmentionthecasemorethanonce，thoughIhad
neverbeenabletogatherthedetails。“Ishouldbesoglad，“said
I，“ifyouwouldgivemeanaccountofit。”
“Andleavethelitterasitis？“hecriedmischievously。“Your
tidinesswon”tbearmuchstrain，afterall，Watson。ButIshouldbe
gladthatyoushouldaddthiscasetoyourannals，forthereare
pointsinitwhichmakeitquiteuniqueinthecriminalrecordsof
thisor，Ibelieve，ofanyothercountry。Acollectionofmy
triflingachievementswouldcertainlybeincompletewhichcontainedno
accountofthisverysingularbusiness。
“YoumayrememberhowtheaffairoftheGloriaScott，andmy
conversationwiththeunhappymanwhosefateItoldyouof，first
turnedmyattentioninthedirectionoftheprofessionwhichhas
becomemylife”swork。Youseemenowwhenmychargehasbecome
knownfarandwide，andwhenIamgenerallyrecognizedbothbythe
publicandbytheofficialforceasbeingafinalcourtofappealin
doubtfulcases。Evenwhenyouknewmefirst，atthetimeoftheaffair
whichyouhavecommemoratedin”AStudyinScarlet”Ihadalready
establishedaconsiderable，thoughnotaverylucrative，connection。
Youcanhardlyrealize，then，howdifficultIfounditatfirst，and
howlongIhadtowaitbeforeIsucceededinmakinganyheadway。
“WhenIfirstcameuptoLondonIhadroomsinMontagueStreet，just
roundthecornerfromtheBritishMuseum，andthereIwaited，
fillinginmytooabundantleisuretimebystudyingallthosebranches
ofsciencewhichmightmakememoreefficient。Nowandagaincases
cameinmyway，principallythroughtheintroductionofold
fellow-students，forduringmylastyearsattheuniversitythere
wasagooddealoftalkthereaboutmyselfandmymethods。Thethird
ofthesecaseswasthatoftheMusgraveRitual，anditistothe
interestwhichwasarousedbythatsingularchainofevents，andthe
largeissueswhichprovedtobeatstake，thatItracemyfirststride
towardsthepositionwhichInowhold。
“ReginaldMusgravehadbeeninthesamecollegeasmyself，andIhad
someslightacquaintancewithhim。Hewasnotgenerallypopular
amongtheundergraduates，thoughitalwaysseemedtomethatwhat
wassetdownaspridewasreallyanattempttocoverextremenatural
diffidence。Inappearancehewasamanofanexceedingly
aristocratictype，thin，high-nosed，andlarge-eyed，withlanguid
andyetcourtlymanners。Hewasindeedascionofoneofthevery
oldestfamiliesinthekingdom，thoughhisbranchwasacadetone
whichhadseparatedfromthenorthernMusgravessometimeinthe
sixteenthcenturyandhadestablisheditselfinwesternSussex，
wheretheManorHouseofHurlstoneisperhapstheoldestinhabited
buildinginthecounty。Somethingofhisbirth-placeseemedtocling
totheman，andIneverlookedathispale，keenfaceorthepoise
ofhisheadwithoutassociatinghimwithgrayarchwaysandmullioned
windowsandallthevenerablewreckageofafeudalkeep。Onceortwice
wedriftedintotalk，andIcanrememberthatmorethanoncehe
expressedakeeninterestinmymethodsofobservationandinference。
“ForfouryearsIhadseennothingofhimuntilonemorninghe
walkedintomyroominMontagueStreet。Hehadchangedlittle，was
dressedlikeayoungmanoffashion-hewasalwaysabitofadandy-and
preservedthesamequiet，suavemannerwhichhadformerly
distinguishedhim。
“”Howhasallgonewithyou，Musgrave？”Iaskedafterwehad
cordiallyshakenhands。
“”Youprobablyheardofmypoorfather”sdeath”saidhe；”hewas
carriedoffabouttwoyearsago。SincethenIhaveofcoursehadthe
Hurlstoneestatetomanage，andasIammemberformydistrictas
well，mylifehasbeenabusyone。ButIunderstand，Holmes，that
youareturningtopracticalendsthosepowerswithwhichyouused
toamazeus？”
“”Yes”saidI，”Ihavetakentolivingbymywits。”
“”Iamdelightedtohearit，foryouradviceatpresentwouldbe
exceedinglyvaluabletome。Wehavehadsomeverystrangedoingsat
Hurlstone，andthepolicehavebeenabletothrownolightuponthe
matter。Itisreallythemostextraordinaryandinexplicable
business。”
“YoucanimaginewithwhateagernessIlistenedtohim，Watson，
fortheverychanceforwhichIhadbeenpantingduringallthose
monthsofinactionseemedtohavecomewithinmyreach。Inmyinmost
heartIbelievedthatIcouldsucceedwhereothersfailed，andnowI
hadtheopportunitytotestmyself。
“”Prayletmehavethedetails”Icried。
“ReginaldMusgravesatdownoppositetomeandlitthecigarette
whichIbadpushedtowardshim。
“”Youmustknow”saidhe，”thatthoughIamabachelor，Ihaveto
keepupaconsiderablestaffofservantsatHurlstone，foritisa
ramblingoldplaceandtakesagooddealoflookingafter。Ipreserve，
too，andinthepheasantmonthsIusuallyhaveahouse-party，so
thatitwouldnotdotobeshort-handed。Altogetherthereareeight
maids，thecook，thebutler，twofootmen，andaboy。Thegardenand
thestablesofcoursehaveaseparatestaff。
“”Oftheseservantstheonewhohadbeenlongestinourservice
wasBrunton，thebutler。Hewasayoungschoolmasteroutofplacewhen
hewasfirsttakenupbymyfather，buthewasamanofgreatenergy
andcharacter，andhesoonbecamequiteinvaluableinthehousehold。
Hewasawell-grown，handsomeman，withasplendidforehead，and
thoughhehasbeenwithusfortwentyyearshecannotbemorethan
fortynow。Withhispersonaladvantagesandhisextraordinary
gifts-forhecanspeakseverallanguagesandplaynearlyeverymusical
instrument-itiswonderfulthatheshouldhavebeensatisfiedso
longinsuchaposition，butIsupposethathewascomfortableand
lackedenergytomakeanychange。ThebutlerofHurlstoneisalways
athingthatisrememberedbyallwhovisitus。
“”Butthisparagonhasonefault。HeisabitofaDonJuan，andyou
canimaginethatforamanlikehimitisnotaverydifficultpartto
playinaquietcountrydistrict。Whenhewasmarrieditwasall
right，butsincehehasbeenawidowerwehavehadnoendoftrouble
withhim。Afewmonthsagowewereinhopesthathewasaboutto
settledownagain，forhebecameengagedtoRachelHowells，oursecond
housemaid；buthehasthrownheroversincethenandtakenupwith
JanetTregellis，thedaughteroftheheadgame-keeper。Rachel-whoisa
verygoodgirl，butofanexcitableWelshtemperament-hadasharp
touchofbrain-feverandgoesaboutthehousenow-ordiduntil
yesterday-likeablack-eyedshadowofherformerself。Thatwasour
firstdramaatHurlstone；butasecondonecametodriveitfromour
minds，anditwasprefacedbythedisgraceanddismissalofbutler
Brunton。
“”Thiswashowitcameabout。Ihavesaidthatthemanwas
intelligent，andthisveryintelligencehascausedhisruin，forit
seemstohaveledtoaninsatiablecuriosityaboutthingswhichdid
notintheleastconcernhim。Ihadnoideaofthelengthstowhich
thiswouldcarryhimuntilthemerestaccidentopenedmyeyestoit。
“”Ihavesaidthatthehouseisaramblingone。Onedaylastweek-on
Thursdaynight，tobemoreexact-IfoundthatIcouldnotsleep，
havingfoolishlytakenacupofstrongcafenoiraftermydinner。
Afterstrugglingagainstituntiltwointhemorning，Ifeltthatit
wasquitehopeless，soIroseandlitthecandlewiththeintentionof
continuinganovelwhichIwasreading。Thebook，however，hadbeen
leftinthebilliard-room，soIpulledonmydressing-gownandstarted
offtogetit。
“”Inordertoreachthebilliard-roomIhadtodescendaflightof
stairsandthentocrosstheheadofapassagewhichledtothe
libraryandthegun-room。Youcanimaginemysurprisewhen，asI
lookeddownthiscorridor，Isawaglimmeroflightcomingfromthe
opendoorofthelibrary。Ihadmyselfextinguishedthelampand
closedthedoorbeforecomingtobed。Naturallymyfirstthoughtwas
ofburglars。ThecorridorsatHurlstonehavetheirwallslargely
decoratedwithtrophiesofoldweapons。FromoneoftheseIpickeda
battle-axe，andthen，leavingmycandlebehindme，Icreptontiptoe
downthepassageandpeepedinattheopendoor。
“”Brunton，thebutler，wasinthelibrary。Hewassitting，fully
dressed，inaneasy-chair，withaslipofpaperwhichlookedlikea
mapuponhisknee，andhisforeheadsunkforwarduponhishandindeep
thought。Istooddumbwithastonishment，watchinghimfromthe
darkness。Asmalltaperontheedgeofthetableshedafeeblelight
whichsufficedtoshowmethathewasfullydressed。Suddenly，asI
looked，herosefromhischair，and，walkingovertoabureauatthe
side，heunlockeditanddrewoutoneofthedrawers。Fromthishe
tookapaper，and，returningtohisseat，heflatteneditoutbeside
thetaperontheedgeofthetableandbegantostudyitwithminute
attention。Myindignationatthiscalmexaminationofourfamily
documentsovercamemesofarthatItookastepforward，and
Brunton，lookingup，sawmestandinginthedoorway。Hesprangto
hisfeet，hisfaceturnedlividwithfear，andhethrustintohis
breastthechart-likepaperwhichhehadbeenoriginallystudying。
“”“So！“saidI。“”“Thisishowyourepaythetrustwhichwehave
reposedinyou。Youwillleavemyserviceto-morrow。”
“”Hebowedwiththelookofamanwhoisutterlycrushedandslunk
pastmewithoutaword。Thetaperwasstillonthetable，andbyits
lightIglancedtoseewhatthepaperwaswhichBruntonhadtakenfrom
thebureau。Tomysurpriseitwasnothingofanyimportanceatall，
butsimplyacopyofthequestionsandanswersinthesingularold
observancecalledtheMusgraveRitual。Itisasortofceremony
peculiartoourfamily，whicheachMusgraveforcenturiespasthas
gonethroughonhiscomingofage-athingofprivateinterest，and
perhapsofsomelittleimportancetothearchaeologist，likeourown
blazoningsandcharges，butofnopracticalusewhatever。”
“”Wehadbettercomebacktothepaperafterwards”saidI。
“”Ifyouthinkitreallynecessary”heansweredwithsome
hesitation。”Tocontinuemystatement，however：Irelockedthebureau，
usingthekeywhichBruntonhadleft，andIhadturnedtogowhenI
wassurprisedtofindthatthebutlerhadreturned，andwasstanding
beforeme。
“”“Mr。Musgrave，sir，“hecriedinavoicewhichwashoarsewith
emotion，“Ican”tbeardisgrace，sir。I”vealwaysbeenproudabove
mystationinlife，anddisgracewouldkillme。Mybloodwillbeon
yourhead，sir-itwill，indeed-ifyoudrivemetodespair。Ifyou
cannotkeepmeafterwhathaspassed，thenforGod”ssakeletme
giveyounoticeandleaveinamonth，asifofmyownfreewill。I
couldstandthat，Mr。Musgrave，butnottobecastoutbeforeall
thefolkthatIknowsowell。”
“”“Youdon”tdeservemuchconsideration，Brunton，“Ianswered。“Your
conducthasbeenmostinfamous。However，asyouhavebeenalong
timeinthefamily，Ihavenowishtobringpublicdisgraceupon
you。Amonth，however，istoolong。Takeyourselfawayinaweek，
andgivewhatreasonyoulikeforgoing。”
“”“Onlyaweek，sir？“hecriedinadespairingvoice。“A
fortnight-sayatleastafortnight！“
“”“Aweek，“Irepeated，“andyoumayconsideryourselftohave
beenverylenientlydealtwith。”
“”Hecreptaway，hisfacesunkuponhisbreast，likeabrokenman，
whileIputoutthelightandreturnedtomyroom。
“”FortwodaysafterthisBruntonwasmostassiduousinhis
attentiontohisduties。Imadenoallusiontowhathadpassedand
waitedwithsomecuriositytoseehowhewouldcoverhisdisgrace。
Onthethirdmorning，however，hedidnotappear，aswashiscustom，
afterbreakfasttoreceivemyinstructionsfortheday。AsIleft
thedining-roomIhappenedtomeetRachelHowells，themaid。Ihave
toldyouthatshehadonlyrecentlyrecoveredfromanillnessand
waslookingsowretchedlypaleandwanthatIremonstratedwithher
forbeingatwork。
“”“Youshouldbeinbed，“Isaid。“Comebacktoyourdutieswhenyou
arestronger。”
“”ShelookedatmewithsostrangeanexpressionthatIbeganto
suspectthatherbrainwasaffected。
“”“Iamstrongenough，Mr。Musgrave，“saidshe。
“”“Wewillseewhatthedoctorsays，“Ianswered。“Youmuststop
worknow，andwhenyougodownstairsjustsaythatIwishtosee
Brunton。”
“”“Thebutlerisgone，“saidshe。
“”“Gone！Gonewhere？“
“”“Heisgone。Noonehasseenhim。Heisnotinhisroom。Oh，
yes，heisgone，heisgone！“Shefellbackagainstthewallwith
shriekaftershriekoflaughter，whileI，horrifiedatthissudden
hystericalattack，rushedtothebelltosummonhelp。Thegirlwas
takentoherroom，stillscreamingandsobbing，whileImadeinquiries
aboutBrunton。Therewasnodoubtaboutitthathehaddisappeared。
Hisbedhadnotbeensleptin，hehadbeenseenbynoonesincehehad
retiredtohisroomthenightbefore，andyetitwasdifficultto
seehowhecouldhaveleftthehouse，asbothwindowsanddoorswere
foundtobefastenedinthemorning。Hisclothes，hiswatch，and
evenhismoneywereinhisroom，buttheblacksuitwhichheusually
worewasmissing。Hisslippers，too，weregone，buthisbootswere
leftbehind。WherethencouldbutlerBruntonhavegoneinthenight
andwhatcouldhavebecomeofhimnow？
“”Ofcoursewesearchedthehousefromcellartogarret，butthere
wasnotraceofhim。Itis，asIhavesaid，alabyrinthofanold
house，especiallytheoriginalwing，whichisnowpractically
uninhabited；butweransackedeveryroomandcellarwithout
discoveringtheleastsignofthemissingman。Itwasincredibletome
thathecouldhavegoneawayleavingallhispropertybehindhim，
andyetwherecouldhebe？Icalledinthelocalpolice，butwithout
success。Rainhadfallenonthenightbefore，andweexaminedthelawn
andthepathsallroundthehouse，butinvain。Matterswereinthis
state，whenanewdevelopmentquitedrewourattentionawayfromthe
originalmystery。
“”FortwodaysRachelHowellshadbeensoill，sometimes
delirious，sometimeshysterical，thatanursehadbeenemployedtosit
upwithheratnight。OnthethirdnightafterBrunton”s
disappearance，thenurse，findingherpatientsleepingnicely，had
droppedintoanapinthearmchair，whenshewokeintheearlymorning
tofindthebedempty，thewindowopen，andnosignsoftheinvalid。I
wasinstantlyaroused，and，withthetwofootmen，startedoffat
onceinsearchofthemissinggirl。Itwasnotdifficulttotellthe
directionwhichshehadtaken，for，startingfromunderherwindow，we
couldfollowherfootmarkseasilyacrossthelawntotheedgeofthe
mere，wheretheyvanishedclosetothegravelpathwhichleadsout
ofthegrounds。Thelakethereiseightfeetdeep，andyoucanimagine
ourfeelingswhenwesawthatthetrailofthepoordementedgirlcame
toanendattheedgeofit。
“”Ofcourse，wehadthedragsatonceandsettoworktorecoverthe
remains，butnotraceofthebodycouldwefind。Ontheotherhand，we
broughttothesurfaceanobjectofamostunexpectedkind。Itwasa
linenbagwhichcontainedwithinitamassofoldrustedand
discolouredmetalandseveraldull-colouredpiecesofpebbleorglass。
Thisstrangefindwasallthatwecouldgetfromthemere，and，
althoughwemadeeverypossiblesearchandinquiryyesterday，we
knownothingofthefateeitherofRachelHowellsorofRichard
Brunton。Thecountypoliceareattheirwit”send，andIhavecome
uptoyouasalastresource。”
“Youcanimagine，Watson，withwhateagernessIlistenedtothis
extraordinarysequenceofevents，andendeavouredtopiecethem
together，andtodevisesomecommonthreaduponwhichtheymightall
hang。Thebutlerwasgone。Themaidwasgone。Themaidhadlovedthe
butler，buthadafterwardshadcausetohatehim。ShewasofWelsh
blood，fieryandpassionate。Shehadbeenterriblyexcitedimmediately
afterhisdisappearance。Shehadflungintothelakeabag
containingsomecuriouscontents。Thesewereallfactorswhichhad
tobetakenintoconsideration，andyetnoneofthemgotquiteto
theheartofthematter。Whatwasthestarting-pointofthischain
ofevents？Therelaytheendofthistangledline。
“”Imustseethatpaper，Musgrave”saidI，”whichthisbutlerof
yoursthoughtitworthhiswhiletoconsult，evenattheriskofthe
lossofhisplace。”
“”Itisratheranabsurdbusiness，thisritualofours”he
answered。”Butithasatleastthesavinggraceofantiquitytoexcuse
it。Ihaveacopyofthequestionsandanswershereifyoucaretorun
youreyeoverthem。”
“HehandedmetheverypaperwhichIhavehere，Watson，andthis
isthestrangecatechismtowhicheachMusgravehadtosubmitwhen
hecametoman”sestate。Iwillreadyouthequestionsandanswers
astheystand。
“”Whosewasit？”
“”Hiswhoisgone。”
“”Whoshallhave
“”Hewhowillcome。”
“”Wherewasthesun？”
“”Overtheoak。”
“”Wherewastheshadow？”
“”Undertheelm。”
“”Howwasitstepped？”
“”Northbytenandbyten，eastbyfiveandbyfive，southbytwo
andbytwo，westbyoneandbyone，andsounder。”
“”Whatshallwegiveforit？”
“”Allthatisours。”
“”Whyshouldwegiveit？”
“”Forthesakeofthetrust。”
“”Theoriginalhasnodate，butisinthespellingofthemiddle
oftheseventeenthcentury”remarkedMusgrave。”Iamafraid，however，
thatitcanbeoflittlehelptoyouinsolvingthismystery。”
“”Atleast”saidI，”itgivesusanothermystery，andonewhich
isevenmoreinterestingthanthefirst。Itmaybethatthesolution
oftheonemayprovetobethesolutionoftheother。Youwill
excuseme，Musgrave，ifIsaythatyourbutlerappearstometohave
beenaverycleverman，andtohavehadaclearerinsightthanten
generationsofhismasters。”
“”Ihardlyfollowyou”saidMusgrave。”Thepaperseemstometo
beofnopracticalimportance。”
“”Buttomeitseemsimmenselypractical，andIfancythatBrunton
tookthesameview。Hehadprobablyseenitbeforethatnightonwhich
youcaughthim。”
“”Itisverypossible。Wetooknopainstohideit。”
“”Hesimplywished，Ishouldimagine，torefreshhismemoryupon
thatlastoccasion。Hehad，asIunderstand，somesortofmaporchart
whichhewascomparingwiththemanuscript，andwhichhethrustinto
hispocketwhenyouappeared。”
“”Thatistrue。Butwhatcouldhehavetodowiththisoldfamily
customofours，andwhatdoesthisrigimarolemean？”
“”Idon”tthinkthatweshouldhavemuchdifficultyindetermining
that”saidI；”withyourpermissionwewilltakethefirsttraindown
toSussexandgoalittlemoredeeplyintothematteruponthespot。”
“ThesameafternoonsawusbothatHurlstone。Possiblyyouhaveseen
picturesandreaddescriptionsofthefamousoldbuilding，soIwill
confinemyaccountofittosayingthatitisbuiltintheshapeofan
L，thelongarmbeingthemoremodernportion，andtheshorterthe
ancientnucleusfromwhichtheotherhasdeveloped。Overthelow，
heavy-lintelleddoor，inthecentreofthisoldpart，ischiselledthe
date，1607，butexpertsareagreedthatthebeamsandstoneworkare
reallymucholderthanthis。Theenormouslythickwallsandtiny
windowsofthisparthadinthelastcenturydriventhefamilyinto
buildingthenewwing，andtheoldonewasusednowasastorehouse
andacellar，whenitwasusedatall。Asplendidparkwithfineold
timbersurroundsthehouse，andthelake，towhichmyclienthad
referred，layclosetotheavenue，abouttwohundredyardsfromthe
building。
“Iwasalreadyfirmlyconvinced，Watson，thattherewerenotthree
separatemysterieshere，butoneonly，andthatifIcouldreadthe
MusgraveRitualarightIshouldholdinmyhandthecluewhichwould
leadmetothetruthconcerningboththebutlerBruntonandthemaid
Howells。TothatthenIturnedallmyenergies。Whyshouldthis
servantbesoanxioustomasterthisoldformula？Evidentlybecausehe
sawsomethinginitwhichhadescapedallthosegenerationsofcountry
squires，andfromwhichheexpectedsomepersonaladvantage。What
wasitthen，andhowhaditaffectedhisfate？
“Itwasperfectlyobvioustome，onreadingtheRitual，thatthe
measurementsmustrefertosomespottowhichtherestofthedocument
alluded，andthatifwecouldfindthatspotweshouldbeinafair
waytowardsfindingwhatthesecretwaswhichtheoldMusgraveshad
thoughtitnecessarytoembalminsocuriousafashion。Thereweretwo
guidesgivenustostartwith，anoakandanelm。Astotheoak
therecouldbenoquestionatall。Rightinfrontofthehouse，upon
thelefthandsideofthedrive，therestoodapatriarchamongoaks，
oneofthemostmagnificenttreesthatIhaveeverseen。
“”ThatwastherewhenyourRitualwasdrawnup”saidIaswe
drovepastit。
“”ItwasthereattheNormanConquestinallprobability”he
answered。”Ithasagirthoftwenty-threefeet。”
“Herewasoneofmyfixedpointssecured。
“”Haveyouanyoldelms？”Iasked。
“”Thereusedtobeaveryoldoneoveryonder，butitwasstruck
bylightningtenyearsago，andwecutdownthestump。”
“”Youcanseewhereitusedtobe？”
“`Ohyes。”
“`Therearenootherelms？”
“”Nooldones，butplentyofbeeches。”
“”Ishouldliketoseewhereitgrew。”
“Wehaddrivenupinadog-cart，andmyclientledmeawayat
once，withoutourenteringthehouse，tothescaronthelawnwhere
theelmhadstood。Itwasnearlymidwaybetweentheoakandthehouse。
Myinvestigationseemedtobeprogressing。
“”Isupposeitisimpossibletofindouthowhightheelmwas？”I
asked。
“”Icangiveyouitatonce。Itwassixty-fourfeet。”
“”Howdoyoucometoknowit？”Iaskedinsurprise。
“”Whenmyoldtutorusedtogivemeanexerciseintrigonometry，
italwaystooktheshapeofmeasuringheights。WhenIwasaladI
workedouteverytreeandbuildingintheestate。”
“Thiswasanunexpectedpieceofluck。Mydatawerecomingmore
quicklythanIcouldhavereasonablyhoped。
“”Tellme”Iasked，”didyourbutlereveraskyousuchaquestion？”
“ReginaldMusgravelookedatmeinastonishment。”Nowthatyou
callittomymind”heanswered，”Bruntondidaskmeabouttheheight
ofthetreesomemonthsagoinconnectionwithsomelittleargument
withthegroom。”
“Thiswasexcellentnews，Watson，foritshowedmethatIwasonthe
rightroad。Ilookedupatthesun。Itwaslowintheheavens，andI
calculatedthatinlessthananhouritwouldliejustabovethe
topmostbranchesoftheoldoak。OneconditionmentionedintheRitual
wouldthenbefulfilled。Andtheshadowoftheelmmustmeanthe
fartherendoftheshadow，otherwisethetrunkwouldhavebeen
chosenastheguide。Ihad，then，tofindwherethefarendofthe
shadowwouldfallwhenthesunwasjustclearoftheoak。”
“Thatmusthavebeendifficult，Holmes，whentheelmwasnolonger
there。”
“Well，atleastIknewthatifBruntoncoulddoit，Icouldalso。
Besides，therewasnorealdifficulty。IwentwithMusgravetohis
studyandwhittledmyselfthispeg，towhichItiedthislongstring
withaknotateachyard。ThenItooktwolengthsofafishing-rod，
whichcametojustsixfeet，andIwentbackwithmyclienttowhere
theelmhadbeen。Thesunwasjustgrazingthetopoftheoak。I
fastenedtherodonend，markedoutthedirectionoftheshadow，and
measuredit。Itwasninefeetinlength。
“Ofcoursethecalculationnowwasasimpleone。Ifarodofsix
feetthrewashadowofnine，atreeofsixty-fourfeetwouldthrowone
ofninety-six，andthelineoftheonewouldofcoursebetheline
oftheother。Imeasuredoutthedistance，whichbroughtmealmost
tothewallofthehouse，andIthrustapegintothespot。Youcan
imaginemyexultation，Watson，whenwithintwoinchesofmypegI
sawaconicaldepressionintheground。Iknewthatitwasthemark
madebyBruntoninhismeasurements，andthatIwasstilluponhis
trail。
“Fromthisstarting-pointIproceededtostep，havingfirsttaken
thecardinalpointsbymypocket-compass。Tenstepswitheachfoot
tookmealongparallelwiththewallofthehouse，andagainI
markedmyspotwithapeg。ThenIcarefullypacedofffivetotheeast
andtwotothesouth。Itbroughtmetotheverythresholdoftheold
door。TwostepstothewestmeantnowthatIwastogotwopaces
downthestone-flaggedpassage，andthiswastheplaceindicatedby
theRitual。
“NeverhaveIfeltsuchacoldchillofdisappointment，Watson。
Foramomentitseemedtomethattheremustbesomeradicalmistake
inmycalculations。Thesettingsunshonefulluponthepassagefloor，
andIcouldseethattheold，foot-worngraystoneswithwhichit
waspavedwerefirmlycementedtogether，andhadcertainlynotbeen
movedformanyalongyear。Bruntonhadnotbeenatworkhere。I
tappeduponthefloor，butitsoundedthesameallover，andtherewas
nosignofanycrackorcrevice。Butfortunately，Musgrave，whohad
beguntoappreciatethemeaningofmyproceedings，andwhowasnow
asexcitedasmyself，tookouthismanuscripttocheckmy
calculations。
“”Andunder”hecried。”Youhaveomittedtheandunder。”
“Ihadthoughtthatitmeantthatweweretodig，butnow，of
course，IsawatoncethatIwaswrong。”Thereisacedarunderthis
then？”Icried。
“”Yes，andasoldasthehouse。Downhere，throughthisdoor。”
“Wewentdownawindingstonestair，andmycompanion，strikinga
match，litalargelanternwhichstoodonabarrelinthecorner。In
aninstantitwasobviousthatwehadatlastcomeuponthetrue
place，andthatwehadnotbeentheonlypeopletovisitthespot
recently。
“Ithadbeenusedforthestorageofwood，butthebillets，which
hadevidentlybeenlitteredoverthefloor，werenowpiledatthe
sides，soastoleaveaclearspaceinthemiddle。Inthisspacelaya
largeandheavyflagstonewitharustedironringinthecentreto
whichathickshepherd”s-checkmufflerwasattached。
“”ByJove！”criedmyclient。”That”sBrunton”smuffler。Ihave
seenitonhimandcouldsweartoit。Whathasthevillainbeen
doinghere？”
“Atmysuggestionacoupleofthecountypoliceweresummonedto
bepresent，andIthenendeavouredtoraisethestonebypullingon
thecravat。Icouldonlymoveitslightly，anditwaswiththeaid
ofoneoftheconstablesthatIsucceededatlastincarryingitto
oneside。Ablackholeyawnedbeneathintowhichweallpeered，
whileMusgrave，kneelingattheside，pusheddownthelantern。
“Asmallchamberaboutsevenfeetdeepandfourfeetsquarelayopen
tous。Atonesideofthiswasasquat，brass-boundwoodenbox，the
lidofwhichwashingedupward，withthiscuriousold-fashionedkey
projectingfromthelock。Itwasfurredoutsidebyathicklayerof
dust，anddampandwormshadeatenthroughthewood，sothatacropof
lividfungiwasgrowingontheinsideofit。Severaldiscsofmetal，
oldcoinsapparently，suchasIholdhere，werescatteredoverthe
bottomofthebox，butitcontainednothingelse。
“Atthemoment，however，wehadnothoughtfortheoldchest，for
oureyeswereriveteduponthatwhichcrouchedbesideit。Itwasthe
figureofaman，cladinasuitofblack，whosquatteddownuponhis
hamswithhisforeheadsunkupontheedgeoftheboxandhistwo
armsthrownoutoneachsideofit。Theattitudehaddrawnallthe
stagnantbloodtotheface，andnomancouldhaverecognizedthat
distortedliver-colouredcountenance；buthisheight，hisdress，and
hishairwereallsufficienttoshowmyclient，whenwehaddrawn
thebodyup，thatitwasindeedhismissingbutler。Hehadbeendead
somedays，buttherewasnowoundorbruiseuponhispersontoshow
howhehadmethisdreadfulend。Whenhisbodyhadbeencarriedfrom
thecellarwefoundourselvesstillconfrontedwithaproblemwhich
wasalmostasformidableasthatwithwhichwehadstarted。
“Iconfessthatsofar，Watson，Ihadbeendisappointedinmy
investigation。IhadreckoneduponsolvingthematterwhenonceI
hadfoundtheplacereferredtointheRitual；butnowIwasthere，
andwasapparentlyasfaraseverfromknowingwhatitwaswhichthe
familyhadconcealedwithsuchelaborateprecautions。Itistrue
thatIhadthrownalightuponthefateofBrunton，butnowIhadto
ascertainhowthatfatehadcomeuponhim，andwhatparthadbeen
playedinthematterbythewomanwhohaddisappeared。Isatdownupon
akeginthecornerandthoughtthewholemattercarefullyover。
“Youknowmymethodsinsuchcases，Watson。Iputmyselfinthe
man”splace，and，havingfirstgaugedhisintelligence，Itryto
imaginehowIshouldmyselfhaveproceededunderthesame
circumstances。InthiscasethematterwassimplifiedbyBrunton”s
intelligencebeingquitefirst-rate，sothatitwasunnecessaryto
makeanyallowanceforthepersonalequation，astheastronomers
havedubbedit。Heknewthatsomethingvaluablewasconcealed。He
hadspottedtheplace。Hefoundthatthestonewhichcovereditwas
justtooheavyforamantomoveunaided。Whatwouldhedonext？He
couldnotgethelpfromoutside，evenifhehadsomeonewhomhe
couldtrust，withouttheunbarringofdoorsandconsiderableriskof
detection。Itwasbetter，ifhecould，tohavehishelpmateinsidethe
house。Butwhomcouldheask？Thisgirlhadbeendevotedtohim。Aman
alwaysfindsithardtorealizethathemayhavefinallylosta
woman”slove，howeverbadlyhemayhavetreatedher。Hewouldtrybya
fewattentionstomakehispeacewiththegirlHowells，andthenwould
engageherashisaccomplice。Togethertheywouldcomeatnighttothe
cellar，andtheirunitedforcewouldsufficetoraisethestone。So
farIcouldfollowtheiractionsasifIhadactuallyseenthem。
“Butfortwoofthem，andoneawoman，itmusthavebeenheavywork，
theraisingofthatstone。AburlySussexpolicemanandIhadfoundit
nolightjob。Whatwouldtheydotoassistthem？ProbablywhatI
shouldhavedonemyself。Iroseandexaminedcarefullythedifferent
billetsofwoodwhichwerescatteredroundthefloor。AlmostatonceI
cameuponwhatIexpected。Onepiece，aboutthreefeetinlength，
hadaverymarkedindentationatoneend，whileseveralwereflattened
atthesidesasiftheyhadbeencompressedbysomeconsiderable
weight。Evidently，astheyhaddraggedthestoneup，theyhadthrust
thechunksofwoodintothechinkuntilatlastwhentheopeningwas
largeenoughtocrawlthrough，theywouldholditopenbyabillet
placedlengthwise，whichmightverywellbecomeindentedatthe
lowerend，sincethewholeweightofthestonewouldpressitdown
ontotheedgeofthisotherslab。SofarIwasstillonsafeground。
“AndnowhowwasItoproceedtoreconstructthismidnightdrama？
Clearly，onlyonecouldfitintothehole，andthatonewasBrunton。
Thegirlmusthavewaitedabove。Bruntonthenunlockedthebox，handed
upthecontentspresumably-sincetheywerenottobefound-and
then-andthenwhathappened？
“Whatsmoulderingfireofvengeancehadsuddenlysprungintoflame
inthispassionateCelticwoman”ssoulwhenshesawthemanwhohad
wronged，perhaps，farmorethanwesuspected-inherpower？Wasita
chancethatthewoodhadslippedandthatthestonehadshutBrunton
intowhathadbecomehissepulchre？Hadsheonlybeenguiltyof
silenceastohisfate？Orhadsomesuddenblowfromherhanddashed
thesupportawayandsenttheslabcrashingdownintoitsplace？Be
thatasitmight，Iseemedtoseethatwoman”sfigurestill
clutchingathertreasuretroveandflyingwildlyupthewinding
stair，withherearsringingperhapswiththemuffledscreamsfrom
behindherandwiththedrummingoffrenziedhandsagainsttheslabof
stonewhichwaschokingherfaithlesslover”slifeout。
“Herewasthesecretofherblanchedface，hershakennerves，her
pealsofhystericallaughteronthenextmorning。Butwhathadbeenin
thebox？Whathadshedonewiththat？Ofcourse，itmusthavebeenthe
oldmetalandpebbleswhichmyclienthaddraggedfromthemere。She
hadthrowntheminthereatthefirstopportunitytoremovethelast
traceofhercrime。
“FortwentyminutesIhadsatmotionless，thinkingthematterout。
Musgravestillstoodwithaverypaleface，swinginghislanternand
peeringdownintothehole。
“”ThesearecoinsofCharlestheFirst”saidhe，holdingoutthe
fewwhichhadbeeninthebox；”youseewewererightinfixingour
datefortheRitual。”
“”WemayfindsomethingelseofCharlestheFirst”Icried，as
theprobablemeaningofthefirsttwoquestionsoftheRitualbroke
suddenlyuponme。”Letmeseethecontentsofthebagwhichyoufished
fromthemere。”
“Weascendedtohisstudy，andhelaidthedebrisbeforeme。Icould
understandhisregardingitasofsmallimportancewhenIlookedat
it，forthemetalwasalmostblackandthestoneslustrelessanddull。
Irubbedoneofthemonmysleeve，however，anditglowedafterwards
likeasparkinthedarkhollowofmyhand。Themetalworkwasin
theformofadoublering，butithadbeenbentandtwistedoutofits
originalshape。
“”Youmustbearinmind”saidI，”thattheroyalpartymadeheadin
Englandevenafterthedeathoftheking，andthatwhentheyatlast
fledtheyprobablyleftmanyoftheirmostprecioussessionsburied
behindthem，withtheintentionofreturningfortheminmorepeaceful
times。”
“”Myancestor，SirRalphMusgrave，wasaprominentcavalierand
therighthandmanofCharlestheSecondinhiswanderings”saidmy
friend。
“”Ah，indeed！”Ianswered。”Wellnow，Ithinkthatreallyshould
giveusthelastlinkthatwewanted。Imustcongratulateyouon
comingintothepossession，thoughinratheratragicmanner，ofa
relicwhichisofgreatintrinsicvalue，butofevengreater
importanceasahistoricalcuriosity。”
“”Whatisit，then？”hegaspedinastonishment。
“”Itisnothinglessthantheancientcrownofthekingsof
England。”
“”Thecrown！”
“”Precisely。ConsiderwhattheRitualsays。Howdoesitrun？
“Whosewasit？““Hiswhoisgone。”Thatwasaftertheexecutionof
Charles。Then，“Whoshallhaveit？““Hewhowillcome。”Thatwas
CharlestheSecond，whoseadventwasalreadyforeseen。Therecan，I
think，benodoubtthatthisbatteredandshapelessdiademonce
encircledthebrowsoftheroyalStuarts。”
“”Andhowcameitinthepond？”
“”Ah，thatisaquestionthatwilltakesometimetoanswer。”And
withthatIsketchedouttohimthewholelongchainofsurmiseandof
proofwhichIhadconstructed。Thetwilighthadclosedinandthemoon
wasshiningbrightlyintheskybeforemynarrativewasfinished。
“”AndhowwasitthenthatCharlesdidnotgethiscrownwhenhe
returned？”askedMusgrave，pushingbacktherelicintoitslinenbag。
“”Ah，thereyoulayyourfingerupontheonepointwhichweshall
probablyneverbeabletoclearup。ItislikelythattheMusgravewho
heldthesecretdiedintheinterval，andbysomeoversightleft
thisguidetohisdescendantwithoutexplainingthemeaningofit。
Fromthatdaytothisithasbeenhandeddownfromfathertoson，
untilatlastitcamewithinreachofamanwhotoreitssecretoutof
itandlosthislifeintheventure。”
“Andthat”sthestoryoftheMusgraveRitual，Watson。Theyhave
thecrowndownatHurlstone-thoughtheyhadsomelegalbotheranda
considerablesumtopaybeforetheywereallowedtoretainit。Iam
surethatifyoumentionedmynametheywouldbehappytoshowitto
you。Ofthewomannothingwaseverheard，andtheprobabilityis
thatshegotawayoutofEnglandandcarriedherselfandthememoryof
hercrimetosomelandbeyondtheseas。”
THEEND。
1893
SHERLOCKHOLMES
THENAVALTREATY
bySirArthurConanDoyle
THENAVALTREATY
TheJulywhichimmediatelysucceededmymarriagewasmade
memorablebythreecasesofinterest，inwhichIhadtheprivilege
ofbeingassociatedwithSherlockHolmesandofstudyinghis
methods。Ifindthemrecordedinmynotesundertheheadingsof“The
AdventureoftheSecondStain，““TheAdventureoftheNavalTreaty，“
and“TheAdventureoftheTiredCaptain。”Thefirstofthese，however，
dealswithinterestsofsuchimportanceandimplicatessomanyof
thefirstfamiliesinthekingdomthatformanyyearsitwillbe
impossibletomakeitpublic。Nocase，however，inwhichHolmeswas
engagedhaseverillustratedthevalueofhisanalyticalmethodsso
clearlyorhasimpressedthosewhowereassociatedwithhimsodeeply。
Istillretainanalmostverbatimreportoftheinterviewinwhich
hedemonstratedthetruefactsofthecasetoMonsieurDubugueof
theParispolice，andFritzvonWaldbaum，thewell-knownspecialistof
Dantzig，bothofwhomhadwastedtheirenergiesuponwhatprovedtobe
side-issues。Thenewcenturywillhavecome，however，beforethestory
canbesafelytold。MeanwhileIpassontothesecondonmylist，
whichpromisedalsoatonetimetobeofnationalimportanceandwas
markedbyseveralincidentswhichgiveitaquiteuniquecharacter。
Duringmyschool-daysIhadbeenintimatelyassociatedwithalad
namedPercyPhelps，whowasofmuchthesameageasmyself，though
hewastwoclassesaheadofme。Hewasaverybrilliantboyand
carriedawayeveryprizewhichtheschoolhadtooffer，finishing
hisexploitsbywinningascholarshipwhichsenthimontocontinue
histriumphantcareeratCambridge。Hewas，Iremember，extremelywell
connected，andevenwhenwewerealllittleboystogetherweknewthat
hismother”sbrotherwasLordHoldhurst，thegreatconservative
politician。Thisgaudyrelationshipdidhimlittlegoodatschool。
Onthecontrary，itseemedratherapiquantthingtoustochevyhim
abouttheplaygroundandhithimovertheshinswithawicket。But
itwasanotherthingwhenhecameoutintotheworld。Iheard
vaguelythathisabilitiesandtheinfluenceswhichhecommandedhad
wonhimagoodpositionattheForeignOffice，andthenhepassed
completelyoutofmyminduntilthefollowingletterrecalledhis
existence：
Briarbrae，Woking。
MYDEARWATSON：
Ihavenodoubtthatyoucanremember“Tadpole“Phelps，whowasin
thefifthformwhenyouwereinthethird。Itispossibleeventhat
youmayhaveheardthatthroughmyuncle”sinfluenceIobtainedagood
appointmentattheForeignOffice，andthatIwasinasituationof
trustandhonouruntilahorriblemisfortunecamesuddenlytoblastmy
career。
Thereisnousewritingthedetailsofthatdreadfulevent。Inthe
eventofyouraccedingtomyrequestitisprobablethatIshall
havetonarratethemtoyou。Ihaveonlyjustrecoveredfromnine
weeksofbrain-feverandamstillexceedinglyweak。Doyouthink
thatyoucouldbringyourfriendMr。Holmesdowntoseeme？Ishould
liketohavehisopinionofthecase，thoughtheauthoritiesassureme
thatnothingmorecanbedone。Dotrytobringhimdown，andassoon
aspossible。EveryminuteseemsanhourwhileIliveinthisstate
ofhorriblesuspense。AssurehimthatifIhavenotaskedhisadvice
sooneritwasnotbecauseIdidnotappreciatehistalents，but
becauseIhavebeenoffmyheadeversincetheblowfell。NowIam
clearagain，thoughIdarenotthinkofittoomuchforfearofa
relapse。IamstillsoweakthatIhavetowrite，asyousee，by
dictating。Dotrytobringhim。
Youroldschool-fellow，
PERCYPHELPS。
TherewassomethingthattouchedmeasIreadthisletter，something
pitiableinthereiteratedappealstobringHolmes。SomovedwasI
thatevenhaditbeenadifficultmatterIshouldhavetriedit，but
ofcourseIknewwellthatHolmeslovedhisart，sothathewasever
asreadytobringhisaidashisclientcouldbetoreceiveit。My
wifeagreedwithmethatnotamomentshouldbelostinlayingthe
matterbeforehim，andsowithinanhourofbreakfast-timeIfound
myselfbackoncemoreintheoldroomsinBakerStreet。
Holmeswasseatedathisside-tablecladinhisdressing-gownand
workinghardoverachemicalinvestigation。Alargecurvedretort
wasboilingfuriouslyinthebluishflameofaBunsenburner，and
thedistilleddropswerecondensingintoatwo-litremeasure。My
friendhardlyglancedupasIentered，andI，seeingthathis
investigationmustbeofimportance，seatedmyselfinanarmchair
andwaited。Hedippedintothisbottleorthat，drawingoutafew
dropsofeachwithhisglasspipette，andfinallybroughtthe
test-tubecontainingasolutionovertothetable。Inhisrighthand
heheldaslipoflitmus-paper。
“YoucomeatacrisisWatson，“saidhe。“Ifthispaperremainsblue，
alliswell。Ifitturnsred，itmeansaman”slife。”Hedippedit
intothetest-tubeanditflushedatonceintoadull，dirty
crimson。“Hum！Ithoughtasmuch！“hecried。“Iwillbeatyour
serviceinaninstant，Watson。YouwillfindtobaccointhePersian
slipper。”Heturnedtohisdeskandscribbledoffseveraltelegrams，
whichwerehandedovertothepage-boy。Thenhethrewhimselfdown
intothechairoppositeanddrewuphiskneesuntilhisfingers
claspedroundhislong，thinshins。
“Averycommonplacelittlemurder，“saidhe。“You”vegotsomething
better，Ifancy。Youarethestormypetrelofcrime，Watson。Whatis
it？“Ihandedhimtheletter，whichhereadwiththemostconcentrated
attention。
“Itdoesnottellusverymuch，doesit？“heremarkedashehanded
itbacktome。
“Hardlyanything。”
“Andyetthewritingisofinterest。”
“Butthewritingisnothisown。”
“Precisely。Itisawoman”s。”
“Aman”ssurely，“Icried。
“No，awoman”s，andawomanofrarecharacter。Yousee，atthe
commencementofaninvestigationitissomethingtoknowthatyour
clientisinclosecontactwithsomeonewho，forgoodorevil，has
anexceptionalnature。Myinterestisalreadyawakenedinthecase。If
youarereadywewillstartatonceforWokingandseethis
diplomatistwhoisinsuchevilcaseandtheladytowhomhe
dictateshisletters。”
WewerefortunateenoughtocatchanearlytrainatWaterloo，andin
alittleunderanhourwefoundourselvesamongthefir-woodsand
theheatherofWoking。Briarbraeprovedtobealargedetachedhouse
standinginextensivegroundswithinafewminutes”walkofthe
station。Onsendinginourcardswewereshownintoanelegantly
appointeddrawing-room，wherewewerejoinedinafewminutesbya
ratherstoutmanwhoreceiveduswithmuchhospitality。Hisagemay
havebeennearerfortythanthirty，buthischeeksweresoruddyand
hiseyessomerrythathestillconveyedtheimpressionofaplumpand
mischievousboy。
“Iamsogladthatyouhavecome，“saidhe，shakingourhandswith
effusion。“Percyhasbeeninquiringforyouallmorning。Ah，poor
oldchap，heclingstoanystraw！Hisfatherandhismotheraskedme
toseeyou，forthemerementionofthesubjectisverypainfulto
them。”
“Wehavehadnodetailsyet，“observedHolmes。“Iperceivethat
youarenotyourselfamemberofthefamily。”
Ouracquaintancelookedsurprised，andthen，glancingdown，hebegan
tolaugh。
“OfcourseyousawtheJHmonogramonmylocket，“saidhe。“Fora
momentIthoughtyouhaddonesomethingclever。JosephHarrisonis
myname，andasPercyistomarrymysisterAnnieIshallatleast
bearelationbymarriage。Youwillfindmysisterinhisroom，for
shehasnursedhimhandandfootthistwomonthsback。Perhapswe”d
bettergoinatonce，forIknowhowimpatientheis。”
Thechamberintowhichwewereshownwasonthesamefloorasthe
drawing-room。Itwasfurnishedpartlyasasittingandpartlyasa
bedroom，withflowersarrangeddaintilyineverynookandcorner。A
youngman，verypaleandwornwaslyinguponasofaneartheopen
window，throughwhichcametherichscentofthegardenandthe
balmysummerair。Awomanwassittingbesidehim，whoroseaswe
entered。
“ShallIleave，Percy？“sheasked。
Heclutchedherhandtodetainher。“Howareyou，Watson？”saidhe
cordially。“Ishouldneverhaveknownyouunderthatmoustache，and
Idaresayyouwouldnotbepreparedtosweartome。ThisIpresume
isyourcelebratedfriend，Mr。SherlockHolmes？“
Iintroducedhiminafewwords，andwebothsatdown。Thestout
youngmanhadleftus，buthissisterstillremainedwithherhand
inthatoftheinvalid。Shewasasmug-lookingwoman，alittleshort
andthickforsymmetry，butwithabeautifulolivecomplexion，
large，dark，Italianeyes，andawealthofdeepblackhair。Herrich
tintsmadethewhitefaceofhercompanionthemorewornandhaggard
bythecontrast。
“Iwon”twasteyourtime，“saidhe，raisinghimselfuponthesofa。
“I”llplungeintothematterwithoutfurtherpreamble。Iwasahappy
andsuccessfulman，Mr。Holmes，andontheeveofbeingmarried，
whenasuddenanddreadfulmisfortunewreckedallmyprospectsin
life。
“Iwas，asWatsonmayhavetoldyou，intheForeignOffice，and
throughtheinfluenceofmyuncle，LordHoldhurst，Iroserapidlytoa
responsibleposition。Whenmyunclebecameforeignministerinthis
administrationhegavemeseveralmissionsoftrust，andasIalways
broughtthemtoasuccessfulconclusion，hecameatlasttohavethe
utmostconfidenceinmyabilityandtact。
“Nearlytenweeksago-tobemoreaccurate，onthetwenty-thirdof
May-hecalledmeintohisprivateroom，and，aftercomplimentingmeon
thegoodworkwhichIhaddone，heinformedmethathehadanew
commissionoftrustformetoexecute。
“”This”saidhe，takingagrayrollofpaperfromhisbureau，”is
theoriginalofthatsecrettreatybetweenEnglandandItalyofwhich，
Iregrettosay，somerumourshavealreadygotintothepublic
press。Itisofenormousimportancethatnothingfurthershouldleak
out。TheFrenchortheRussianembassywouldpayanimmensesumto
learnthecontentsofthesepapers。Theyshouldnotleavemybureau
wereitnotthatitisabsolutelynecessarytohavethemcopied。You
haveadeskinyouroffice？”
“”Yes，sir。”
“”Thentakethetreatyandlockitupthere。Ishallgivedirections
thatyoumayremainbehindwhentheothersgo，sothatyoumaycopyit
atyourleisurewithoutfearofbeingoverlooked。Whenyouhave
finished，relockboththeoriginalandthedraftinthedesk，andhand
themovertomepersonallyto-morrowmorning。”
“”Itookthepapersand-”
“Excusemeaninstant，“saidHolmes。“Wereyoualoneduringthis
conversation？“
“Absolutely。”
“”Inalargeroom？“
“Thirtyfeeteachway。”
“Inthecentre？“
“Yes，aboutit。”
“Andspeakinglow？“
“Myuncle”svoiceisalwaysremarkablylow。Ihardlyspokeatall。”
“Thankyou，“saidHolmes，shuttinghiseyes；“praygoon。”
“Ididexactlywhatheindicatedandwaiteduntiltheotherclerks
haddeparted。Oneoftheminmyroom，CharlesGorot，hadsome
arrearsofworktomakeup，soIlefthimthereandwentoutto
dine。WhenIreturnedhewasgone。Iwasanxioustohurrymywork，for
IknewthatJoseph-theMr。Harrisonwhomyousawjustnow-wasintown，
andthathewouldtraveldowntoWokingbytheeleven-o”clocktrain，
andIwantedifpossibletocatchit。
“WhenIcametoexaminethetreatyIsawatoncethatitwasofsuch
importancethatmyunclehadbeenguiltyofnoexaggerationinwhathe
said。Withoutgoingintodetails，Imaysaythatitdefinedthe
positionofGreatBritaintowardstheTripleAlliance，and
foreshadowedthepolicywhichthiscountrywouldpursueintheevent
oftheFrenchfleetgainingacompleteascendencyoverthatofItaly
intheMediterranean。Thequestionstreatedinitwerepurelynaval。
Attheendwerethesignaturesofthehighdignitarieswhohad
signedit。Iglancedmyeyesoverit，andthensettleddowntomytask
ofcopying。
“Itwasalongdocument，writtenintheFrenchlanguage，and
containingtwentysixseparatearticles。IcopiedasquicklyasI
could，butatnineo”clockIhadonlydoneninearticles，andit
seemedhopelessformetoattempttocatchmytrain。Iwasfeeling
drowsyandstupid，partlyfrommydinnerandalsofromtheeffects
ofalongday”swork。Acupofcoffeewouldclearmybrain。A
commissionaireremainsallnightinalittlelodgeatthefootof
thestairsandisinthehabitofmakingcoffeeathisspirit-lampfor
anyoftheofficialswhomaybeworkingovertime。Irangthebell，
therefore，tosummonhim。
“Tomysurprise，itwasawomanwhoansweredthesummons，alarge，
coarsefaced，elderlywoman，inanapron。Sheexplainedthatshewas
thecommissionaire”swife，whodidthecharing，andIgaveherthe
orderforthecoffee。
“Iwrotetwomorearticles，andthen，feelingmoredrowsythanever，
Iroseandwalkedupanddowntheroomtostretchmylegs。Mycoffee
hadnotyetcome，andIwonderedwhatthecauseofthedelaycouldbe。
Openingthedoor，Istarteddownthecorridortofindout。Therewasa
straightpassage，dimlylighted，whichledfromtheroominwhichI
hadbeenworking，andwastheonlyexitfromit。Itendedinacurving
staircase，withthecommissionaire”slodgeinthepassageatthe
bottom。Halfwaydownthisstaircaseisasmalllanding，withanother
passagerunningintoitatrightangles。Thissecondoneleadsby
meansofasecondsmallstairtoasidedoor，usedbyservants，and
alsoasashortcutbyclerkswhencomingfromCharlesStreet。Hereis
aroughchartoftheplace。”Seeillustration。
“Thankyou。IthinkthatIquitefollowyou，“saidSherlockHolmes。
“Itisoftheutmostimportancethatyoushouldnoticethispoint。I
wentdownthestairsandintothehall，whereIfoundthe
commissionairefastasleepinhisbox，withthekettleboiling
furiouslyuponthespirit-lamp。Itookoffthekettleandblewoutthe
lamp，forthewaterwasspurtingoverthefloor。ThenIputoutmy
handandwasabouttoshaketheman，whowasstillsleepingsoundly，
whenabelloverhisheadrangloudly，andhewokewithastart。
“”Mr。Phelps，sir！”saidhe，lookingatmeinbewilderment。
“”Icamedowntoseeifmycoffeewasready。”
“”IwasboilingthekettlewhenIfellasleep，sir。”Helookedatme
andthenupatthestillquiveringbellwithanever-growing
astonishmentuponhisface。
“”Ifyouwashere，sir，thenwhorangthebell？”heasked。
“”Thebell！”Icried。”Whatbellisit？”
“”It”sthebelloftheroomyouwereworkingin。”
“Acoldhandseemedtocloseroundmyheart。Someone，then，wasin
thatroomwheremyprecioustreatylayuponthetable。Iran
franticallyupthestairandalongthepassage。Therewasnoonein
thecorridors，Mr。Holmes。Therewasnooneintheroom。Allwas
exactlyasIleftit，saveonlythatthepaperswhichhadbeen
committedtomycarehadbeentakenfromthedeskonwhichtheylay。
Thecopywasthere，andtheoriginalwasgone。”
Holmessatupinhischairandrubbedhishands。Icouldseethat
theproblemwasentirelytohisheart。“Pray，whatdidyoudothen？“
hemurmured。
“Irecognizedinaninstantthatthethiefmusthavecomeupthe
stairsfromthesidedoor。OfcourseImusthavemethimifhehad
cometheotherway。”
“Youweresatisfiedthathecouldnothavebeenconcealedinthe
roomallthetime，orinthecorridorwhichyouhavejustdescribed
asdimlylighted？“
“Itisabsolutelyimpossible。Aratcouldnotconcealhimselfeither
intheroomorthecorridor。Thereisnocoveratall。”
“Thankyou。Prayproceed。”
“Thecommissionaire，seeingbymypalefacethatsomethingwastobe
feared，hadfollowedmeupstairs。Nowwebothrushedalongthe
corridoranddownthesteepstepswhichledtoCharlesStreet。The
dooratthebottomwasclosedbutunlocked。Weflungitopenand
rushedout。Icandistinctlyrememberthataswedidsotherecame
threechimesfromaneighbouringclock。Itwasaquartertoten。”
“Thatisofenormousimportance，“saidHolmes，makinganoteupon
hisshirt-cuff。
“Thenightwasverydark，andathin，warmrainwasfalling。There
wasnooneinCharlesStreet，butagreattrafficwasgoingon，as
usual，inWhitehall，attheextremity。Werushedalongthepavement，
bare-headedaswewere，andatthefarcornerwefoundapoliceman
standing。
“”Arobberyhasbeencommitted”Igasped。”Adocumentofimmense
valuehasbeenstolenfromtheForeignOffice。Hasanyonepassed
thisway？”
“”Ihavebeenstandinghereforaquarterofanhour，sir”saidhe，”onlyonepersonhaspassedduringthattime-awoman，talland
elderly，withaPaisleyshawl。”
“”Ah，thatisonlymywife”criedthecommissionaire；”hasnoone
elsepassed？”
“”Noone。”
“”Thenitmustbetheotherwaythatthethieftook”criedthe
fellow，tuggingatmysleeve。
“ButIwasnotsatisfied，andtheattemptswhichhemadetodraw
meawayincreasedmysuspicions。
“”Whichwaydidthewomango？”Icried。
“”Idon”tknow，sir。Inoticedherpass，butIhadnospecialreason
forwatchingher。Sheseemedtobeinahurry。”
“”Howlongagowasit？”
“”Oh，notverymanyminutes。”
“”Withinthelastfive？”
“”Well，itcouldnothavebeenmorethanfive。”
“”You”reonlywastingyourtime，sir，andeveryminutenowisof
importance”criedthecommissionaire；”takemywordforitthatmy
oldwomanhasnothingtodowithitandcomedowntotheotherend
ofthestreet。Well，ifyouwon”t，Iwill。”Andwiththatherashed
offintheotherdirection。