Sherlock Holmes complete collection by sir arthur conan doyle

The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes THE STOCK-BROKER'S CLERK

SHORTLY after my marriage I had bought a connection in the Paddingtondistrict. Old Mr. Farquhar, from whom I purchased it, had at one time anexcellent general practice; but his age, and an affliction of the nature ofSt. Vitus's dance from which he suffered, had very much thinned it. Thepublic not unnaturally goes on the principle that he who would heal othersmust himself be whole, and looks askance at the curative powers of theman whose own case is beyond the reach of his drugs. Thus as mypredecessor weakened his practice declined, until when I purchased itfrom him it had sunk from twelve hundred to little more than threehundred a year. I had confidence, however, in my own youth and energyand was convinced that in a very few years the concern would be asflourishing as ever.For three months after taking over the practice I was kept very closelyat work and saw little of my friend Sherlock Holmes, for I was too busyto visit Baker Street, and he seldom went anywhere himself save uponprofessional business. I was surprised, therefore, when, one morning inJune, as I sat reading the British Medical Journal after breakfast, I heard aring at the bell, followed by the high, somewhat strident tones of my oldcompanion's voice."Ah, my dear Watson," said he, striding into the room, "I am verydelighted to see you! I trust that Mrs. Watson has entirely recovered fromall the little excitements connected with our adventure of the Sign ofFour.""Thank you, we are both very well," said I, shaking him warmly by thehand."And I hope, also," he continued, sitting down in the rocking-chair,"that the [363] cares of medical practice have not entirely obliterated theinterest which you used to take in our little deductive problems.""On the contrary," I answered, "it was only last night that I was lookingover my old notes, and classifying some of our past results.""I trust that you don't consider your collection closed.""Not at all. I should wish nothing better than to have some more ofsuch experiences.""To-day, for example?""Yes, to-day, if you like.""And as far off as Birmingham?""Certainly, if you wish it.""And the practice?""I do my neighbour's when he goes. He is always ready to work off thedebt.""Ha! nothing could be better," said Holmes, leaning back in his chairand looking keenly at me from under his half-closed lids. "I perceive thatyou have been unwell lately. Summer colds are always a little trying.""I was confined to the house by a severe chill for three days last week. Ithought, however, that I had cast off every trace of it.""So you have. You look remarkably robust.""How, then, did you know of it?""My dear fellow, you know my methods.""You deduced it, then?""Certainly.""And from what?""From your slippers."I glanced down at the new patent-leathers which I was wearing. "Howon earth- -" I began, but Holmes answered my question before it wasasked."Your slippers are new," he said. "You could not have had them morethan a few weeks. The soles which you are at this moment presenting tome are slightly scorched. For a moment I thought they might have got wetand been burned in the drying. But near the instep there is a small circularwafer of paper with the shopman's hieroglyphics upon it. Damp would ofcourse have removed this. You had, then, been sitting with your feetoutstretched to the fire, which a man would hardly do even in so wet aJune as this if he were in his full health."Like all Holmes's reasoning the thing seemed simplicity itself when itwas once explained. He read the thought upon my features, and his smilehad a tinge of bitterness."I am afraid that I rather give myself away when I explain," said he. "Results without causes are much more impressive. You are ready tocome to Birmingham, then?""Certainly. What is the case?""You shall hear it all in the train. My client is outside in a four-wheeler.Can you come at once?""In an instant." I scribbled a note to my neighbour, rushed upstairs toexplain the matter to my wife, and joined Holmes upon the doorstep."Your neighbour is a doctor," said he, nodding at the brass plate."Yes, he bought a practice as I did.""An old-established one?""Just the same as mine. Both have been ever since the houses werebuilt."[364] "Ah! then you got hold of the best of the two.""I think I did. But how do you know?""By the steps, my boy. Yours are worn three inches deeper than his.But this gentleman in the cab is my client, Mr. Hall Pycroft. Allow me tointroduce you to him. Whip your horse up, cabby, for we have only justtime to catch our train."The man whom I found myself facing was a well-built, freshcomplexioned young fellow, with a frank, honest face and a slight, crisp,yellow moustache. He wore a very shiny top-hat and a neat suit of soberblack, which made him look what he was-a smart young City man, of theclass who have been labelled cockneys, but who give us our crackvolunteer regiments, and who turn out more fine athletes and sportsmenthan any body of men in these islands. His round, ruddy face wasnaturally full of cheeriness, but the corners of his mouth seemed to me tobe pulled down in a half-comical distress. It was not, however, until wewere in a first-class carriage and well started upon our journey toBirmingham that I was able to learn what the trouble was which haddriven him to Sherlock Holmes."We have a clear run here of seventy minutes," Holmes remarked. "Iwant you, Mr. Hall Pycroft, to tell my friend your very interestingexperience exactly as you have told it to me, or with more detail ifpossible. It will be of use to me to hear the succession of events again. Itis a case, Watson, which may prove to have something in it, or may proveto have nothing, but which, at least, presents those unusual and outrefeatures which are as dear to you as they are to me. Now, Mr. Pycroft, Ishall not interrupt you again."Our young companion looked at me with a twinkle in his eye."The worst of the story is," said he, "that I show myself up as such aconfounded fool. Of course it may work out all right, and I don't see that Icould have done otherwise; but if I have lost my crib and get nothing inexchange I shall feel what a soft Johnny I have been. I'm not very good attelling a story, Dr. Watson, but it is like this with me:"I used to have a billet at Coxon & Woodhouse's, of Draper Gardens,but they were let in early in the spring through the Venezuelan loan, as nodoubt you remember, and came a nasty cropper. I have been with themfive years, and old Coxon gave me a ripping good testimonial when thesmash came, but of course we clerks were all turned adrift, the twenty-seven of us. I tried here and tried there, but there were lots of other chapson the same lay as myself, and it was a perfect frost for a long time. I hadbeen taking three pounds a week at Coxon's, and I had saved aboutseventy of them, but I soon worked my way through that and out at theother end. I was fairly at the end of my tether at last, and could hardlyfind the stamps to answer the advertisements or the envelopes to stickthem to. I had worn out my boots paddling up office stairs, and I seemedjust as far from getting a billet as ever."At last I saw a vacancy at Mawson & Williams's, the great stockbroking firm in Lombard Street. I dare say E. C. is not much in your line,but I can tell you that this is about the richest house in London. Theadvertisement was to be answered by letter only. I sent in my testimonialand application, but without the least hope of getting it. Back came ananswer by return, saying that if I would appear next Monday I might takeover my new duties at once, provided that my appearance wassatisfactory. No one knows how these things are worked. Some peoplesay that the manager just plunges his hand into the heap and takes the firstthat comes. Anyhow it was my innings that time, and I don't ever wish to[365] feel better pleased. The screw was a pound a week rise, and theduties just about the same as at Coxon's."And now I come to the queer part of the business. I was in diggingsout Hampstead way, 17 Potter's Terrace. Well, I was sitting doing asmoke that very evening after I had been promised the appointment, whenup came my landlady with a card which had 'Arthur Pinner, FinancialAgent,' printed upon it. I had never heard the name before and could notimagine what he wanted with me, but of course I asked her to show himup. In he walked, a middle-sized, dark-haired, dark-eyed, black-beardedman, with a touch of the sheeny about his nose. He had a brisk kind ofway with him and spoke sharply, like a man who knew the value of time." 'Mr. Hall Pycroft, I believe?' said he." 'Yes, sir,' I answered, pushing a chair towards him." 'Lately engaged at Coxon & Woodhouse's?'" 'Yes, sir.'" 'And now on the staff of Mawson's.'" 'Quite so.'" 'Well,' said he, 'the fact is that I have heard some really extraordinarystories about your financial ability. You remember Parker, who used to beCoxon's manager. He can never say enough about it.'"Of course I was pleased to hear this. I had always been pretty sharp inthe office, but I had never dreamed that I was talked about in the City inthis fashion." 'You have a good memory?' said he." 'Pretty fair,' I answered modestly." 'Have you kept in touch with the market while you have been out of work?' he asked." 'Yes. I read the stock-exchange list every morning.'" 'Now that shows real application!' he cried. 'That is the way toprosper! You won't mind my testing you, will you? Let me see. How areAyrshires?'" 'A hundred and six and a quarter to a hundred and five and seveneighths.'" 'And New Zealand consolidated?'" 'A hundred and four.'" 'And British Broken Hills?'" 'Seven to seven-and-six.'" 'Wonderful!' he cried with his hands up. 'This quite fits in with allthat I had heard. My boy, my boy, you are very much too good to be aclerk at Mawson's!'"This outburst rather astonished me, as you can think. 'Well,' said I,'other people don't think quite so much of me as you seem to do, Mr.Pinner. I had a hard enough fight to get this berth, and I am very glad tohave it.'" 'Pooh, man; you should soar above it. You are not in your truesphere. Now, I'll tell you how it stands with me. What I have to offer islittle enough when measured by your ability, but when compared withMawson's it's light to dark. Let me see. When do you go to Mawson's?'" 'On Monday.'" 'Ha, ha! I think I would risk a little sporting flutter that you don't gothere at all.'" 'Not go to Mawson's?'" 'No, sir. By that day you will be the business manager of the FrancoMidland Hardware Company, Limited, with a hundred and thirty-fourbranches in the [366] towns and villages of France, not counting one inBrussels and one in San Remo.'"This took my breath away. 'I never heard of it,' said I." 'Very likely not. It has been kept very quiet, for the capital was allprivately subscribed, and it's too good a thing to let the public into. Mybrother, Harry Pinner, is promoter, and joins the board after allotment asmanaging director. He knew I was in the swim down here and asked meto pick up a good man cheap. A young, pushing man with plenty of snapabout him. Parker spoke of you, and that brought me here to-night. Wecan only offer you a beggarly five hundred to start with.'" 'Five hundred a year!' I shouted." 'Only that at the beginning; but you are to have an over-ridingcommission of one per cent on all business done by your agents, and youmay take my word for it that this will come to more than your salary.'" 'But I know nothing about hardware.'" 'Tut, my boy, you know about figures.'"My head buzzed, and I could hardly sit still in my chair. But suddenlya little chill of doubt came upon me." 'I must be frank with you,' said I. 'Mawson only gives me twohundred, but Mawson is safe. Now, really, I know so little about yourcompany that- -' " 'Ah, smart, smart!' he cried in a kind of ecstasy of delight. 'You arethe very man for us. You are not to be talked over, and quite right, too.Now, here's a note for a hundred pounds, and if you think that we can dobusiness you may just slip it into your pocket as an advance upon yoursalary.'" 'That is very handsome,' said I. 'When should I take over my newduties?'" 'Be in Birmingham to-morrow at one,' said he. 'I have a note in mypocket here which you will take to my brother. You will find him at 126BCorporation Street, where the temporary offices of the company aresituated. Of course he must confirm your engagement, but betweenourselves it will be all right.'" 'Really, I hardly know how to express my gratitude, Mr. Pinner,' saidI." 'Not at all, my boy. You have only got your deserts. There are one ortwo small things-mere formalities-which I must arrange with you. Youhave a bit of paper beside you there. Kindly write upon it "I am perfectlywilling to act as business manager to the Franco-Midland HardwareCompany, Limited, at a minimum salary of £500."'"I did as he asked, and he put the paper in his pocket." 'There is one other detail,' said he. 'What do you intend to do aboutMawson's?'"I had forgotten all about Mawson's in my joy. 'I'll write and resign,'said I." 'Precisely what I don't want you to do. I had a row over you withMawson's manager. I had gone up to ask him about you, and he was veryoffensive; accused me of coaxing you away from the service of the firm,and that sort of thing. At last I fairly lost my temper. "If you want goodmen you should pay them a good price," said I." ' "He would rather have our small price than your big one," said he." ' "I'll lay you a fiver," said I, "that when he has my offer you'll neverso much as hear from him again."" ' "Done!" said he. "We picked him out of the gutter, and he won'tleave us so easily." Those were his very words.'" 'The impudent scoundrel!' I cried. 'I've never so much as seen him inmy [367] life. Why should I consider him in any way? I shall certainly notwrite if you would rather I didn't.'" 'Good! That's a promise,' said he, rising from his chair. 'Well, I'mdelighted to have got so good a man for my brother. Here's your advanceof a hundred pounds, and here is the letter. Make a note of the address,126B Corporation Street, and remember that one o'clock to-morrow isyour appointment. Good-night, and may you have all the fortune that youdeserve!'"That's just about all that passed between us, as near as I canremember. You can imagine, Dr. Watson, how pleased I was at such anextraordinary bit of good fortune. I sat up half the night hugging myselfover it, and next day I was off to Birmingham in a train that would takeme in plenty time for my appointment. I took my things to a hotel in NewStreet, and then I made my way to the address which had been given me. "It was a quarter of an hour before my time, but I thought that wouldmake no difference. 126B was a passage between two large shops, whichled to a winding stone stair, from which there were many flats, let asoffices to companies or professional men. The names of the occupantswere painted at the bottom on the wall, but there was no such name as theFranco-Midland Hardware Company, Limited. I stood for a few minuteswith my heart in my boots, wondering whether the whole thing was anelaborate hoax or not, when up came a man and addressed me. He wasvery like the chap I had seen the night before, the same figure and voice,but he was clean-shaven and his hair was lighter." 'Are you Mr. Hall Pycroft?' he asked." 'Yes,' said I." 'Oh! I was expecting you, but you are a trifle before your time. I hada note from my brother this morning in which he sang your praises veryloudly.'" 'I was just looking for the offices when you came.'" 'We have not got our name up yet, for we only secured thesetemporary premises last week. Come up with me, and we will talk thematter over.'"I followed him to the top of a very lofty stair, and there, right underthe slates, were a couple of empty, dusty little rooms, uncarpeted anduncurtained, into which he led me. I had thought of a great office withshining tables and rows of clerks, such as I was used to, and I daresay Istared rather straight at the two deal chairs and one little table, which witha ledger and a waste-paper basket, made up the whole furniture. " 'Don't be disheartened, Mr. Pycroft,' said my new acquaintance,seeing the length of my face. 'Rome was not built in a day, and we havelots of money at our backs, though we don't cut much dash yet in offices.Pray sit down, and let me have your letter.'"I gave it to him, and he read it over very carefully." 'You seem to have made a vast impression upon my brother Arthur,'said he, 'and I know that he is a pretty shrewd judge. He swears byLondon, you know; and I by Birmingham; but this time I shall follow hisadvice. Pray consider yourself definitely engaged.'" 'What are my duties?' I asked." 'You will eventually manage the great depot in Paris, which will poura flood of English crockery into the shops of a hundred and thirty-fouragents in France. The purchase will be completed in a week, andmeanwhile you will remain in Birmingham and make yourself useful.'[368] " 'How?'"For answer, he took a big red book out of a drawer." 'This is a directory of Paris,' said he, 'with the trades after the namesof the people. I want you to take it home with you, and to mark off all thehardware-sellers, with their addresses. It would be of the greatest use tome to have them.'" 'Surely, there are classified lists?' I suggested." 'Not reliable ones. Their system is different from ours. Stick at it, andlet me have the lists by Monday, at twelve. Good-day, Mr. Pycroft. If youcontinue to show zeal and intelligence you will find the company a goodmaster.'"I went back to the hotel with the big book under my arm, and withvery conflicting feelings in my breast. On the one hand, I was definitelyengaged and had a hundred pounds in my pocket; on the other, the look ofthe offices, the absence of name on the wall, and other of the points whichwould strike a business man had left a bad impression as to the position ofmy employers. However, come what might, I had my money, so I settleddown to my task. All Sunday I was kept hard at work, and yet by MondayI had only got as far as H. I went round to my employer, found him in thesame dismantled kind of room, and was told to keep at it untilWednesday, and then come again. On Wednesday it was still unfinished,so I hammered away until Friday-that is, yesterday. Then I brought itround to Mr. Harry Pinner." 'Thank you very much,' said he, 'I fear that I underrated the difficultyof the task. This list will be of very material assistance to me.'" 'It took some time,' said I." 'And now,' said he, 'I want you to make a list of the furniture shops,for they all sell crockery.'" 'Very good.'" 'And you can come up to-morrow evening at seven and let me knowhow you are getting on. Don't overwork yourself. A couple of hours atDay's Music Hall in the evening would do you no harm after yourlabours.' He laughed as he spoke, and I saw with a thrill that his secondtooth upon the left-hand side had been very badly stuffed with gold."Sherlock Holmes rubbed his hands with delight, and I stared with astonishment at our client."You may well look surprised, Dr. Watson, but it is this way," said he:"When I was speaking to the other chap in London, at the time that helaughed at my not going to Mawson's, I happened to notice that his toothwas stuffed in this very identical fashion. The glint of the gold in eachcase caught my eye, you see. When I put that with the voice and figurebeing the same, and only those things altered which might be changed bya razor or a wig, I could not doubt that it was the same man. Of courseyou expect two brothers to be alike, but not that they should have thesame tooth stuffed in the same way. He bowed me out, and I foundmyself in the street, hardly knowing whether I was on my head or myheels. Back I went to my hotel, put my head in a basin of cold water, andtried to think it out. Why had he sent me from London to Birmingham?Why had he got there before me? And why had he written a letter fromhimself to himself? It was altogether too much for me, and I could makeno sense of it. And then suddenly it struck me that what was dark to memight be very light to Mr. Sherlock Holmes. I had just time to get up totown by the night train to see him this morning, and to bring you bothback with me to Birmingham."[369] There was a pause after the stock-broker's clerk had concluded hissurprising experience. Then Sherlock Holmes cocked his eye at me,leaning back on the cushions with a pleased and yet critical face, like aconnoisseur who has just taken his first sip of a comet vintage."Rather fine, Watson, is it not?" said he. "There are points in it whichplease me. I think that you will agree with me that an interview with Mr.Arthur Harry Pinner in the temporary offices of the Franco-MidlandHardware Company, Limited, would be a rather interesting experience forboth of us.""But how can we do it?" I asked."Oh, easily enough," said Hall Pycroft cheerily. "You are two friendsof mine who are in want of a billet, and what could be more natural thanthat I should bring you both round to the managing director?""Quite so, of course," said Holmes. "I should like to have a look at thegentleman and see if I can make anything of his little game. Whatqualities have you, my friend, which would make your services sovaluable? Or is it possible that- -" He began biting his nails and staringblankly out of the window, and we hardly drew another word from himuntil we were in New Street.At seven o'clock that evening we were walking, the three of us, downCorporation Street to the company's offices."It is no use our being at all before our time," said our client. "He onlycomes there to see me, apparently, for the place is deserted up to the veryhour he names.""That is suggestive," remarked Holmes."By Jove, I told you so!" cried the clerk. "That's he walking ahead ofus there."He pointed to a smallish, dark, well-dressed man who was bustlingalong the other side of the road. As we watched him he looked across at aboy who was bawling out the latest edition of the evening paper, and, running over among the cabs and busses, he bought one from him. Then,clutching it in his hand, he vanished through a doorway."There he goes!" cried Hall Pycroft. "These are the company's officesinto which he has gone. Come with me, and I'll fix it up as easily aspossible."Following his lead, we ascended five stories, until we found ourselvesoutside a half-opened door, at which our client tapped. A voice withinbade us enter, and we entered a bare, unfurnished room such as HallPycroft had described. At the single table sat the man whom we had seenin the street, with his evening paper spread out in front of him, and as helooked up at us it seemed to me that I had never looked upon a face whichbore such marks of grief, and of something beyond grief-of a horror suchas comes to few men in a lifetime. His brow glistened with perspiration,his cheeks were of the dull, dead white of a fish's belly, and his eyes werewild and staring. He looked at his clerk as though he failed to recognizehim, and I could see by the astonishment depicted upon our conductor'sface that this was by no means the usual appearance of his employer."You look ill, Mr. Pinner!" he exclaimed."Yes, I am not very well," answered the other, making obvious effortsto pull himself together and licking his dry lips before he spoke. "Who arethese gentlemen whom you have brought with you?""One is Mr. Harris, of Bermondsey, and the other is Mr. Price, of thistown," said our clerk glibly. "They are friends of mine and gentlemen ofexperience, but they have been out of a place for some little time, andthey hoped that perhaps you might find an opening for them in thecompany's employment."[370] "Very possibly! very possibly!" cried Mr. Pinner with a ghastlysmile. "Yes, I have no doubt that we shall be able to do something foryou. What is your particular line, Mr. Harris?""I am an accountant," said Holmes."Ah, yes, we shall want something of the sort. And you, Mr. Price?""A clerk," said I."I have every hope that the company may accommodate you. I will letyou know about it as soon as we come to any conclusion. And now I begthat you will go. For God's sake leave me to myself!"These last words were shot out of him, as though the constraint whichhe was evidently setting upon himself had suddenly and utterly burstasunder. Holmes and I glanced at each other, and Hall Pycroft took a steptowards the table."You forget, Mr. Pinner, that I am here by appointment to receive somedirections from you," said he."Certainly, Mr. Pycroft, certainly," the other resumed in a calmer tone. "You may wait here a moment and there is no reason why your friendsshould not wait with you. I will be entirely at your service in threeminutes, if I might trespass upon your patience so far." He rose with avery courteous air, and, bowing to us, he passed out through a door at thefarther end of the room, which he closed behind him."What now?" whispered Holmes. "Is he giving us the slip?""Impossible," answered Pycroft."Why so?""That door leads into an inner room.""There is no exit?""None.""Is it furnished?""It was empty yesterday.""Then what on earth can he be doing? There is something which I don'tunderstand in this matter. If ever a man was three parts mad with terror,that man's name is Pinner. What can have put the shivers on him?""He suspects that we are detectives," I suggested."That's it," cried Pycroft.Holmes shook his head. "He did not turn pale. He was pale when weentered the room," said he. "It is just possible that- -"His words were interrupted by a sharp rat-tat from the direction of theinner door."What the deuce is he knocking at his own door for?" cried the clerk.Again and much louder came the rat-tat-tat. We all gazed expectantly atthe closed door. Glancing at Holmes, I saw his face turn rigid, and heleaned forward in intense excitement. Then suddenly came a lowguggling, gargling sound, and a brisk drumming upon woodwork. Holmessprang frantically across the room and pushed at the door. It was fastenedon the inner side. Following his example, we threw ourselves upon it withall our weight. One hinge snapped, then the other, and down came thedoor with a crash. Rushing over it, we found ourselves in the inner room.It was empty.But it was only for a moment that we were at fault. At one corner, thecorner nearest the room which we had left, there was a second door.Holmes sprang to it and pulled it open. A coat and waistcoat were lyingon the floor, and from a [371] hook behind the door, with his own bracesround his neck, was hanging the managing director of the Franco-MidlandHardware Company. His knees were drawn up, his head hung at adreadful angle to his body, and the clatter of his heels against the doormade the noise which had broken in upon our conversation. In an instant Ihad caught him round the waist, and held him up while Holmes andPycroft untied the elastic bands which had disappeared between the lividcreases of skin. Then we carried him into the other room, where he laywith a clay-coloured face, puffing his purple lips in and out with everybreath-a dreadful wreck of all that he had been but five minutes before."What do you think of him, Watson?" asked Holmes.I stooped over him and examined him. His pulse was feeble andintermittent, but his breathing grew longer, and there was a little shiveringof his eyelids, which showed a thin white slit of ball beneath."It has been touch and go with him," said I, "but he'll live now. Justopen that window, and hand me the water carafe." I undid his collar,poured the cold water over his face, and raised and sank his arms until hedrew a long, natural breath. "It's only a question of time now," said I as Iturned away from him.Holmes stood by the table, with his hands deep in his trousers' pocketsand his chin upon his breast."I suppose we ought to call the police in now," said he. "And yet Iconfess that I'd like to give them a complete case when they come." "It's a blessed mystery to me," cried Pycroft, scratching his head."Whatever they wanted to bring me all the way up here for, and then- -""Pooh! All that is clear enough," said Holmes impatiently. "It is thislast sudden move.""You understand the rest, then?""I think that it is fairly obvious. What do you say, Watson?"I shrugged my shoulders. "I must confess that I am out of my depths,"said I."Oh, surely if you consider the events at first they can only point to oneconclusion.""What do you make of them?""Well, the whole thing hinges upon two points. The first is the makingof Pycroft write a declaration by which he entered the service of thispreposterous company. Do you not see how very suggestive that is?""I am afraid I miss the point.""Well, why did they want him to do it? Not as a business matter, forthese arrangements are usually verbal, and there was no earthly businessreason why this should be an exception. Don't you see, my young friend,that they were very anxious to obtain a specimen of your handwriting, andhad no other way of doing it?""And why?""Quite so. Why? When we answer that we have made some progresswith our little problem. Why? There can be only one adequate reason.Someone wanted to learn to imitate your writing and had to procure aspecimen of it first. And now if we pass on to the second point we findthat each throws light upon the other. That point is the request made byPinner that you should not resign your place, but should leave themanager of this important business in the full expectation that a Mr. HallPycroft, whom he had never seen, was about to enter the office upon theMonday morning."[372] "My God!" cried our client, "what a blind beetle I have been!""Now you see the point about the handwriting. Suppose that someoneturned up in your place who wrote a completely different hand from thatin which you had applied for the vacancy, of course the game would havebeen up. But in the interval the rogue had learned to imitate you, and hisposition was therefore secure, as I presume that nobody in the office hadever set eyes upon you.""Not a soul," groaned Hall Pycroft."Very good. Of course it was of the utmost importance to prevent youfrom thinking better of it, and also to keep you from coming into contactwith anyone who might tell you that your double was at work inMawson's office. Therefore they gave you a handsome advance on yoursalary, and ran you off to the Midlands, where they gave you enoughwork to do to prevent your going to London, where you might have bursttheir little game up. That is all plain enough.""But why should this man pretend to be his own brother?""Well, that is pretty clear also. There are evidently only two of them init. The other is impersonating you at the office. This one acted as yourengager, and then found that he could not find you an employer without admitting a third person into his plot. That he was most unwilling to do.He changed his appearance as far as he could, and trusted that thelikeness, which you could not fail to observe, would be put down to afamily resemblance. But for the happy chance of the gold stuffing, yoursuspicions would probably never have been aroused."Hall Pycroft shook his clenched hands in the air. "Good Lord!" hecried, "while I have been fooled in this way, what has this other HallPycroft been doing at Mawson's? What should we do, Mr. Holmes? Tellme what to do.""We must wire to Mawson's.""They shut at twelve on Saturdays.""Never mind. There may be some door-keeper or attendant- -""Ah, yes, they keep a permanent guard there on account of the value ofthe securities that they hold. I remember hearing it talked of in the City.""Very good, we shall wire to him and see if all is well, and if a clerk ofyour name is working there. That is clear enough, but what is not so clearis why at sight of us one of the rogues should instantly walk out of theroom and hang himself.""The paper!" croaked a voice behind us. The man was sitting up,blanched and ghastly, with returning reason in his eyes, and hands whichrubbed nervously at the broad red band which still encircled his throat."The paper! Of course!" yelled Holmes in a paroxysm of excitement."Idiot that I was! I thought so much of our visit that the paper neverentered my head for an instant. To be sure, the secret must lie there." Heflattened it out upon the table, and a cry of triumph burst from his lips."Look at this, Watson," he cried. "It is a London paper, an early edition ofthe Evening Standard. Here is what we want. Look at the headlines: 'Crime in the City. Murder at Mawson & Williams's. Gigantic AttemptedRobbery. Capture of the Criminal.' Here, Watson, we are all equallyanxious to hear it, so kindly read it aloud to us."It appeared from its position in the paper to have been the one event ofimportance in town, and the account of it ran in this way:"A desperate attempt at robbery, culminating in the death of oneman and the capture of the criminal, occurred this afternoon in theCity. For some [373] time back Mawson & Williams, the famousfinancial house, have been the guardians of securities whichamount in the aggregate to a sum of considerably over a millionsterling. So conscious was the manager of the responsibility whichdevolved upon him in consequence of the great interests at stakethat safes of the very latest construction have been employed, andan armed watchman has been left day and night in the building. Itappears that last week a new clerk named Hall Pycroft wasengaged by the firm. This person appears to have been none otherthan Beddington, the famous forger and cracksman, who, with hisbrother, has only recently emerged from a five years' spell ofpenal servitude. By some means, which are not yet clear, hesucceeded in winning, under a false name, this official position inthe office, which he utilized in order to obtain mouldings ofvarious locks, and a thorough knowledge of the position of thestrongroom and the safes."It is customary at Mawson's for the clerks to leave at middayon Saturday. Sergeant Tuson, of the City police, was somewhatsurprised, therefore, to see a gentleman with a carpet-bag comedown the steps at twenty minutes past one. His suspicions beingaroused, the sergeant followed the man, and with the aid ofConstable Pollock succeeded, after a most desperate resistance, inarresting him. It was at once clear that a daring and giganticrobbery had been committed. Nearly a hundred thousand pounds'worth of American railway bonds, with a large amount of scrip inmines and other companies, was discovered in the bag. Onexamining the premises the body of the unfortunate watchman wasfound doubled up and thrust into the largest of the safes, where itwould not have been discovered until Monday morning had it notbeen for the prompt action of Sergeant Tuson. The man's skull hadbeen shattered by a blow from a poker delivered from behind.There could be no doubt that Beddington had obtained entrance bypretending that he had left something behind him, and havingmurdered the watchman, rapidly rifled the large safe, and thenmade off with his booty. His brother, who usually works with him,has not appeared in this job as far as can at present be ascertained,although the police are making energetic inquiries as to hiswhereabouts.""Well, we may save the police some little trouble in that direction,"said Holmes, glancing at the haggard figure huddled up by the window."Human nature is a strange mixture, Watson. You see that even a villainand murderer can inspire such affection that his brother turns to suicidewhen he learns that his neck is forfeited. However, we have no choice asto our action. The doctor and I will remain on guard, Mr. Pycroft, if youwill have the kindness to step out for the police