" Mr. Victor Hatherley?" " Yes." " Hydraulic engineer?" " Yes." "Colonel Lysander Stark." "Thank you for your responding on such short notice." "You have been recommended to me, Mr. Hatherley, as being a man who is discreet and capable of keeping a secret." "May I ask who it was who gave me so good a recommendation?" "Perhaps it's better that I should not tell you that just now." "I have a proposition for you." "But absolute secrecy is quite essential - absolute secrecy." "Do you promise?" "If I promise to keep a secret, you may absolutely depend upon my doing so." "How would fifty guineas for a night's work suit you?" "Quite." "I said a night's work, but an hour's would be nearer the mark." "I simply want your opinion about a hydraulic stamping machine which has got broken." "If you can just detect the cause of it we could fix it ourselves." "Our little place is quite out in the country." "It is a good seven miles from Eyford Station." "Then I can't make it to the last train." "I'll have to stay overnight." "Yes." "That's why we offer such a generous pay to you, a young and unknown, when we could have hired the best experts." "It's a lot of money, of course." "I should like, however, to understand a little more clearly what it is that you wish me to do." "I suppose you are aware that fuller's-earth is a valuable product, and that it is only found in one or two places in England." "I have heard about it." "Some time ago I bought a small piece of land" "Where a deposit of fuller's-earth was discovered." "It turned out to be a link between two much larger deposits to the right and left, both of them, however,happen to be on my neighbour's lands." "A couple of my friends suggested that we should quietly and secretly work on our own little deposit so we'd make enough money to buy the neighbouring fields." "We guard our secret very jealously." "If anybody finds out that we hired a hydraulic engineer it would soon lead to inquiries, and then,any chance of carrying out our plans would be lost." "I hope that I make it all plain enough?" "The only point which I could not quite understand was what use you could make of a hydraulic press" "in excavating fuller's-earth, which, as I understand, is dug out like gravel from a pit." "We have our own process." "We compress the fuller's-earth into bricks, so as to remove them without revealing what they really are." "Wait in this room for a few minutes, please." "I won't be long." "You have no business being here." "I'm leaving, and so should you." "Go!" "Right now!" "For the love of God!" "Get away from here before it is too late!" "Perhaps we had better get down to business." "Mr. Ferguson is my secretary and manager." "We will take you up to see the machine." "You dig fuller's-earth here, in the house?" " In the house?" " No, no!" "We only compress it here." "We just want you to examine the machine and to let us know what is wrong with it." "Ferguson, take the lamp." "This is the inside of the press." "The ceiling of this small chamber is the end of the descending piston, and it comes down with the force of many tons upon this metal floor." "Dear Ferguson, I believe, the young man is familiar with the workings of the hydraulic press." "The machine still works, but there seems to be some trouble that prevents it from working in its full capacity." "There was a small leakage." "One of the rubber bands had shrunk." "It happened because of this small thing?" "This caused the problem." "How can we fix it?" "We can order it from London." "It has to be replaced." "What are you doing there?" "I was admiring your fuller's-earth." "I think I'd be able to advise you better if I knew the exact purpose for which yor press was used." "Very well." "You shall know all about it." "Hello!" "Colonel!" "Let me out!" "I swear, I'll tell no one!" "Colonel!" "I saw nothing!" "I beg you, Colonel!" "You misunderstood me!" "Colonel!" "Let me out!" "Colonel!" "Let me out!" "Come!" "come!" "They will be here in a moment." "They will see that you are not there." "Come!" "Come!" "Come!" "Here is the window." "It is high, but that's your only chance." "Helga!" "Helga!" " Good morning, Mrs. Watson!" " Good morning!" "I brought a patient to the doctor." " Good morning!" " Hello!" " Come in, please!" " Thank you!" " Good bye!" " Good bye!" "Good bye." "Thank you." "Good bye!" "John!" "John!" "John!" "John, you've got another patient!" "The beginning of the 20th century was marked for the British with the war and Queen Victoria's death." "This is when the old England ceased to exist." "Scotland Yard policemen and London criminals have armed themselves with electricity, telephones, automobiles and airplanes, and went about their business in the new century." "Sherlock Holmes who considered himself too old-fashioned for the new era, retired and left London for the small farm at Sussex." "Doctor Watson concentrated on his the medical practice." "That was the end of" "THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DR. WATSON" "By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle" "Sherlock Holmes VASILIY LIVANOV" "Dr. Watson VITALIY SOLOMIN" "The Twentieth Century Begins" "Part One" "We haven't seen each other since your return from your American trip." "That's right!" " Watson!" " Holmes!" "I can't get used to your beard." "I, my friend, can't get used to the fact that the telegram about your arrival comes 30 minutes before you show up." "I can't get ready to meet you." "And I don't know whom I should blame:" "the slow work of the post office or the speed of your car." "Come on in!" "Relax, my friend, you've had a long trip." "I see you have been to Turkish baths." "My rheumatism has been acting up these last few days." "A Turkish bath is what we call an alterative medicine" "But, damn!" " How did you manage to find that out?" " It's elementary, Watson!" "You are in the habit of tying your boot laces in a certain way." "Today you tied them with an elaborate double bow, which is not your usual method." "This is what I thought:" "You have, therefore,taken them off somewhere." "Who has tied them?" "It is unlikely that it is your wife or the boot repair man, since your boots are brand new." "Well, what's left?" "The bath boy." "Yes, Holmes, I wanted to tell you a story, which I heard from a patient of mine." "Excuse me." "I have to leave you, Watson, for a while." "My neighbor, mister Von Bork has arrived." "He usually buys honey from me." "How much honey do you want?" "Two pounds." "The radiator that you gave me last time was a perfect match." "Now I need an oil pump and the filters." "I need to go to London for that." "I have already called for my friend with a car." " He's a mechanic, too?" " Of course, he is." " Is that his car outside?" " It is." "Here is your honey." " How much?" " Never mind." " No, really?" " Three shillings." "Just a minute!" "It seems I only have bills." " No, I found two coins." " It's enough for me." "No, here is the third one." "Goodbye." "Why did you tell him that I am a mechanic?" "If I had told him you are Doctor Watson, he would have asked thousands of questions." "You are a popular writer, my friend." "Then I would have had to tell him my real name." "But I prefer to be known as a beekeeper here." "But what do a pump and filters have to do with it?" "It's just a favor for a good neighbor." "By the way, Watson, have you ever seen a fake shilling?" "Von Bork just paid with it." "Why didn't you give it back if you knew it was fake?" "I didn't want to upset a good man." "What a beautiful thing!" "I can't spot any difference between this and that the sort of His Majesty George the Fifth produces." "Except one thing." "It's a counterfeit." "It's such a pity, Holmes that you abandoned your fight against the criminal world of London, and left it for Scotland Yard to deal with." "You know, by the way, Lestrade has retired." "Yes, I heard about it." "So here is the story which my patient told me." "He is a young and handsome hydraulic engineer, who lost his left thumb under some dramatic circumstances." "Excuse me." "Yes, sir?" "When did this beautiful house burn down?" "Four days ago, sir." "Here is the house where you were, Mr Hatherley." "This one?" "No, that house was several miles away from the station." "When we were getting into the car, it was very clean." "And when we finally arrived, it was quite dirty." "I noticed that." "Of course, it was clean before." "It became dirty after 30 minutes of driving through potholes around this house." "Why didn't you tell me that this house had burnt down?" "I didn't know it had." "Well, it's interesting." "It was your oil lamp which, when it was crushed inside the press, set fire to the wooden walls, and they were too distracted by the chase to notice." "Here it is." ""Krupp." "Dresden"." "I think they have used the machine to make something covered with amalgam," "which you said looked like silver." "What could it be?" "There was a cart here." "They loaded boxes." "Heavy ones." "About 250 pounds each." "Three men worked here." "A carthorse." "My old friend!" "An well made fake shilling." "We don't understand you, Mycroft." "I made it through 42 minutes." "This is enough to survive the gas attack." "Your participation in this case and it's excellent outcome was well-timed." "Why do you think there was an excellent outcome?" "A missing link in the chain of pieces of evidence was found." "German empire is producing a counterfeit currency in Great Britain." "There are many exhibits like this in the State Treasury already." "Now we can without any hesitation give an order to start producing counterfeit currency in Germany." "In order to balance the warp in our economy, by causing a warp in the German economy." "Maybe Hatherley was wrong thinking that the counterfeiter was German?" "That's right." "Holmes is speaking." "As admiral County informed us, the Siam population this spring was 3 million 220 thousand 76 people." "At the stable annual increase of the population, which is 3.216%," "I calculated roughly that by today the increase of the population has been 42 thousand 250 or 260 people." "Bernard, it's OK." "254." "Hello, Sherlock, hello, my boy." "We do not know anything yet, but you are already drawing conclusions concerning our foreign policy." "I shall invite our Prime Minister here" "Lord Bellinger." "So that your friend and you..." "Hello, Watson!" "Could read a classified letter, which we received yesterday." "Just a minute!" "He answers." "The letter has disappeared." "It is too early for you to retire." "The destiny of your country depends on it." "You must meet the Prime Minister." "In private." "Police cannot be involved." "Where can you meet him?" "Baker street, 221 B." "A little piece of brotherly advice to you, Sherlock." "Since you are going to deal with politicians,not criminals, trust no one." "Not a single word!" "My brother Mycroft is the most indispensable man in the country." "You can never be sure whether he just works for the government or that he IS the British government." "But what about the king?" "Neither him,nor his late grandmother,Queen Victoria took a step without Mycroft Holmes'advice." "Good afternoon, gentlemen!" "How can I help you?" "Good afternoon!" "Good afternoon!" "Can we come in?" "Certainly!" "Please, gentlemen!" "We used to live in this house." "And today we have a meeting here." "Can we use the sitting room for this?" "According to the wishes of the former owner of this house, gentlemen, this is the only room, which wasn't sold over to our company." "Mrs. Hudson intended to create a museum here in the memory of a historical person of the Good Old England whom you gentlemen probably know little about." "Holmes." "Oh yes, Mr Holmes." "That's the name." "We still receive letters, addressed to him, with requests and cries for help." "I assume, Mr Holmes was a quite an influential businessman, who" " Excuse me, mister" " Smith." "Very well, Mr Smith." "My friend and I will stay here for a while as the exhibits of the future museum." "May I introduce my friend, doctor Watson." "Nice to meet you,sir." "Please bring all the mail, which was addressed to me." "Yes, sir." "It was when you were thought to have perished in Switzerland that Mrs. Hudson and I were mourning over you" "and she decided to create your museum here." "Why only mine?" "You are trying to keep yourself out?" "No way." "You're an old smelly relic just like me,Watson." "Lord Bellinger, the Prime Minister of Great Britain and Trelawney Hope, Secretary of Foreign Affairs wish to see you,sir." "Shall I let them in?" " Please do." " Yes, sir." "Mister Holmes?" "Please." "Please." "Doctor Watson, my friend and my colleague." "The document in question is of such immense importance that its publication might very easily lead to an international conflict." "Unless its recovery can be attended with the utmost secrecy, then it may as well not be recovered at all, due to the nature of the information the letter contains." "Tell me exactly the circumstances under which this document disappeared." "The letter was received six days ago." "It was of such importance that I have never left it in my safe, instead I have taken it home each evening to my house in Whitehall Terrace, and kept it in my bedroom in a locked wooden case." "It was there last night." "Of that I am certain." "This morning it was gone." "Mister Holmes!" "The wooden case was on the dressing table,next to my bed all night." "I am a light sleeper, and so is my wife." "We are both prepared to swear that no one could have entered." "What time did you dine?" "Half-past seven." " When did you go to bed?" " It was half-past eleven." "My wife had gone to the theatre." "I waited for her." "It was half-past eleven when we went to our bedroom." "Surely your wife knew about this letter?" "No, sir." "I had said nothing to my wife until I found it missing this morning." "I have long known, sir, how great your sense of public duty is." "I am convinced that in the case of a such importance your dedicaton to your work and your country is beyond any doubt." "Now, sir, I must ask you more particularly what this document is, and why its disappearance should have such momentous consequences?" "Mr. Holmes, the envelope is a long, thin one of pale blue colour." "There is a seal of red wax stamped with a crouching lion." "The address was in large, bold handwriting." "I fear, sir, that as interesting and indeed,important as these details are, my inquiries are aimed at the content of the document." "What was the letter about?" "That is a classified information." "If by the aid of the powers which you are said to possess you can find envelope as I described with its contents, you will have served well for your country, and will receive any reward which lies in my power to bestow." "I regret exceedingly that I cannot help you in this matter," "and any continuation of this meeting would be a waste of time for all parties involved." "I am not accustomed, sir" "I agree with you." "Allright, I will tell you, relying entirely upon your honor and that of your colleague, Dr. Watson." "I appeal to your patriotism, gentlemen." "You may trust us,sir." "The letter is from a certain foreign monarch who has been troubled by some recent developments in our colonies." "It has been written in a heat of the moment." "Inquiries have shown that his ministers know nothing of the matter." "The manner in which it was written and certain phrases in it are of so provocative a character, that its publication would lead to a public uproar in England." "Even more than that." "I'm confident that within a week of the publication of the letter our country may find itself involved in a big war." "Yes." "It was him." "Exactly." "It is this letter, which may well mean the loss of millions of pounds and the lives of hundreds of thousands of men, that has been lost in this mysterious fashion." "As we speak" "It is probably well on its way at a speed of a steamboat." "Now, Mr. Holmes,what course of action do you recommend?" "Let's consider the facts." "Most likely it was taken last night,between seven thirty and eleven thirty, when the case wasn't watched." "Now, sir, if a document of such importance was stolen this long ago, where can it be by now?" "It is, probably, beyond our reach." "You think, sir, that unless this document is recovered there will be a war?" "I think it is a very probable outcome." "Then, sir, prepare for war." "Those are cruel words." "Should there be any fresh developments we shall communicate with you, mister Holmes," "and you will no doubt let us know the results of your own investigation." "The situation is desperate." " Your mail, sir!" " Thank you, Smith." "Put it somewhere." "There are only three people capable of playing so bold a game" "They are Oberstein, La Rothiere, and Eduardo Lucas." "I will have to see all three of them." "Is it Eduardo Lucas of Godolphin Street?" "You won't see him." " Why not?" " "Murder in Westminster"." "Mr. Eduardo Lucas, well known in society circles on account of his charming personality, was a single man, thirty four years of age." "He had been stabbed to death." "The murder weapon was a curved Indian dagger, taken from a collection of Oriental weapons which adorned one of the house walls." "It is an amazing coincidence." "A coincidence?" "No, my dear Watson, the two events are connected." "There's no doubt about it." "It is for us to find that connection." "But now the police will know everything." "They know all that they see at Godolphin Street." "They know nothing of the Whitehall Terrace." "Only we know of both events." "There is one obvious point which would, in any case, made Lucas a prime suspect." "Godolphin Street, Westminster, is only a few minutes' walk from the Whitehall Terrace." "The other secret agents I have named live at the far West End." "A small detail, which may prove essential." "Mister Holmes!" "A very attractive and noble lady wishes to see you." "Who can it be?" "Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope." "Good afternoon, gentlemen!" " Good afternoon, milady!" " Good afternoon!" "Has my husband been here, Mr. Holmes?" " Yes, madam." "Have a seat, please." " Thank you." "I implore you not to tell him that I was here." "Your ladyship places me in a very delicate position." "I cannot make any unconditional promises." "Mr. Holmes, I will speak frankly with you." "There is complete confidence between my husband and me on all matters, save one." "That one is politics." "Now, I am aware that there was a most deplorable occurrence in our house last night." "I know that a document has disappeared." "But because the matter has to do with politics my husband refuses to take me into his complete confidence." "Now it is essential that I should thoroughly understand it." "You are the only other person, besides these politicians, who knows the truth." "I beg you, Mr. Holmes, to tell me exactly what has happened and what it may lead to." "Madam, what you ask of me is impossible." "You must understand, madam." "If your husband thinks fit to keep you in the dark over this matter, is it for us, who have only learned the true facts under the pledge of secrecy, to tell what he chose to withhold?" "You can't ask that." "It is him whom you should ask." "I did." "You are my only hope." "But without your telling me anything definite, Mr. Holmes, you may do a great service if you would enlighten me on one point." "What is it, madam?" "Is my husband's political career likely to suffer because of this incident?" "Well, madam, unless the matter in question is set right it may certainly have a very unfortunate effect." "What consequences?" "Madam, once again you ask me more than I can possibly answer." "Then I will take up no more of your time." "I cannot blame you, Mr. Holmes, for having refused to speak more freely," "and I hope you Dr. Watson will not think badly of me because of my desire, even against my husband's will," "to try and help him." "Once more, I beg of you to say nothing of my visit." "Now, Watson, the fair sex is your department." "What do you make of this lady's visit?" "What did she really want?" "Surely her intentions are clear." "Yes." "Her anxiety was very natural." "Remember that she comes from a social class of people who know how to hide their feelings." "She was extremely worried." "She tried to assure us she acted in her husband's best interests so she should know everything." "What does it all mean?" "Have you noticed, Watson, how she manoeuvred to position herself away froom the light." "She did not wish us to read her face expression." "I don't think it was intentional." "The motives of women are so hard to decipher." "You remember the woman at Margate whom I suspected for the same reason." "It turned out, she was worried she forgot to apply makeup to her nose." "How can you build any logical conclusions on such a material?" "Glad to see you after such a long time." " Hello!" " Hello!" "Tell me, Lestrade, you are now an honorable retiree." "How did you get involved in this case?" "I help out my young colleague." "Meet Inspector Pitkin." " What brings you here?" " I used to know the owner of this house, and Doctor Watson and I decided to have a look at the crime scene." "Go ahead,then." "Inspector Pitkin, report properly what we have found here." "Properly!" "Eduardo Lucas was a remarkable linguist and a writer." "He was a keen student of international politics,intrigues and gossip, which is demonstrated in his papers, that were carefully examined." "It also appears that his relations with women have been promiscuous but superficial," "His personal belongings seem to remain in place." "None of the valuable possessions have been taken." "Here is the photographic portrait of Eduardo Lucas, which we enlarged in Scotland Yard using a svetotype method." "In order to" "Now tell us about the lady's picture." "OK, here is the lady." "Mrs. Henry Furnier, occupying a small villa in the Rue Austerlitz, Paris." "The French police have discovered that Mrs Henry Furnier has just returned from her trip to London." "And now she is in confined to a mental institution" "She has developed a mania of a dangerous and permanent form." "A comparison of photographs has proved conclusively that Mr. Henri Furnier and Eduardo Lucas were the same person, and that the deceased had lived a double, and maybe even triple life in London, Berlin and Paris." "He was killed by his wife in an attack of jealousy, but they cannot prosecute her according to the article 12746 of the British law codex as being mentally ill." " Is that it?" " Yes." "It is a sure thing, Holmes." "How do you like our new generation of detectives?" "Please." "Everything is clear, as you can see." "She tracked him." "She knocked at the door." "He let her in, couldn't keep her in the street." "The scene of jealousy was terrible." "She was so-- Everything was" "The chairs were thrown around" "Lucas was probably holding a chair up" "He was kind of protecting himself." "And then she stabbed him and Lukas falls on the carpet." "He must have lost a lot of blood." "Look, Watson." "That's odd." "You see that stain on the carpet?" "Well, a great deal should have seeped through, must it not?" "How did that happen, Watson?" "How did that happen, inspector?" "How did that happen, Pitkin?" "We didn't touch anything here." "When the body was discovered we were very careful to keep things in their position." "Officer in charge was here day and night." "I am sure there is a logical explanation for this." "I think, we'll find the stain." "We'll find it?" "Where?" "Here it is." "If we put the carpet this way the stains lie above each other." "Who moved the carpet, and why?" "Tell me, Inspector, that constable in the corridor has been present here the whole time?" " Yes!" " Yes." "Well, take my advice." "Interrogate him carefully." "You'll be more likely to get a confession out of him one on one." "Ask him how he dared to allow somebody inside here." "Tell him you know someone has been here." "Press him." "Tell him that a full confession is his only chance for forgiveness." "I'll get it out of him!" "Pitkin, follow me!" "Watson, close the door!" "Hurry!" "It's empty." "He confessed." "McPherson,let these gentlemen hear of your most inexcusable conduct." "I meant no harm, sir, I assure you." "A young lady came around here last evening." "Mistook the house, she said." "And then we started talking." "You get bored when you're on duty here all day." "She just wanted to see where the crime was commited." "Had read about it in the papers, she said." "She was a very respectable, well-spoken young woman, and I saw no harm in letting her have a peep." "When she saw that blood stain on the carpet, she fainted and fell on the floor." "I ran to the back to get her some water, but by the time I had returned, the young woman was gone." "Let it be a lesson to you, Mcpherson that you can't deceive your superiors." "What can I do for you, gentlemen?" "We wish to see Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope." "Mr Holmes" "This is most unfair of you." "I wished, as I have explained, to keep my visit to you a secret." "Or maybe you, Doctor Watson, are intending to study the life of the high society, and then write about it in your stories." " I'm sorry, madam, but" " Unfortunately, madam," "I had no other alternative." "I have been commissioned to recover this immensely important document." "I must therefore ask you, madam, to hand it to me." "You're insulting me, Mr. Holmes." "Come, come, madam, it is of no use." "Give up the letter,please." " The butler shall show you out." " Madam!" "If you ring, then all my earnest efforts to avoid a scandal will be wasted." "Give up the letter and all will be set right." "If you tell me the truth, I may be able to help you." "Otherwise, I'll have to expose you." "I'm sorry, madam." "You are trying to intimidate me." "It is very unbecoming, gentlemen, to come here and treat a lady in this manner." "I know of your visit to Eduardo Lucas, of your giving him this document, of your return to his house last night, and the ruse you used to retrieve the letter from the hiding place under the carpet." "You will feel much better if you sit down." " You are mad, Mr. Holmes." " Sit down, madam." "He will not speak until you sit down." " I am telling you this as a doctor." " Thank you." "The policeman has recognized you." "I insist, that you are under some absurd illusion." "Is Mr. Trelawney Hope at home?" "He is expected, sir, any minute now." "Very well." "We shall wait." "Oh, spare me, Mr. Holmes!" "Spare me!" "Don't tell him!" "Give me the letter." "It is there." "Here it is." "I wish to Heaven I had never seen it!" "Well." "How can we return it?" "Elementary,Holmes We need to put it back in the wooden case." "Simply brilliant." "Bravo, Watson!" " Where is the case?" " In the bedroom." "Quick, madam, bring it here!" "I hope, Watson, that you will never write about this case, where we didn't exactly demonstrate quickness of wit." "You did,actually." "No, the circumstances were always ahead of us." "We were like two rolling billiard balls on our way to the pocket." " How did you open it before?" " I took the key from my husband." "He didn't know about it, though." "That's not good." " Do you have a hairpin?" " Yes." "Give it to me, please." "Here it is." "Sometimes, with just a hairpin you can learn secrets of the state." "Please!" "So, my friend, Doctor Watson decided not to write any stories about you." "Maybe only poetry." "I have never written any poetry, even when I was courting Mrs. Watson." "You should have done that, my friend." "I am very grateful to you, mister Holmes." "How much do I owe you?" "Lady Hilda,we are taking a big risk covering up your conduct in the case." "As a reward,you must tell me why you did that." "Eduardo Lucas pursued me for a long time." "Ever since the time when my husband was an envoy in Berlin." "I was careless enough to receive him at my place on several occasions." "My husband knew him very well, too." "The last favor that I did for him in Germany was purchasing of some hydraulic press in my name which was somehow secretly sent to England." "Several days ago Lucas has come to London, where we met at his insistence." "Lucas threatened to name me as a German spy, disgrace me in public, and publish all letters we exchanged unless I bring him a certain document he described." "It was that letter." "Lucas assured me that no harm would come to my husband as a result and it would even reduce the tension in my spouse's business affairs." "Put yourself in my position, Mr. Holmes!" "What was I to do?" "Tell your husband everything." "I could not, Mr. Holmes, I could not!" "So I committed a theft." "I used my husband's keys to open the case, stole the letter, and took it to Godolphin Street." "What happened there, madam?" "As he let me in ," "I left the door open behind me, for I feared to be alone with the man." "I remember seeing a woman standing outside the house as I entered." "I handed him the document." "Lucas gave me the documents, concerning the purchase of the press and our letters." "At this instant there was a sound at the door." "I heard steps in the corridor." "Lucas quickly lifted the carpet, and put the document into some hiding place there" "What happened after, was like some nightmare." "I still remember a woman's face and her voice, when she screamed in German:" ""My waiting was not in vain." "At last, I have found you with her!"" "I saw him with a chair in his hand, a knife gleamed in hers." "I ran from the house, and only next morning I learned of the murder from the papers." "I was watching the Lucas place for a while thinking of ways to retrieve the letter." "Last night I managed to get it back." "You already know how it happened." "I brought it back with me, and thought of destroying it..." "Dear God, I hear my husband's steps at the stairs!" "Madam!" "Mister Holmes!" "Any news, Mr. Holmes?" "Yes, and they're quite good." "Thank heaven!" "The Prime Minister is having lunch with us." "He has nerves of steel, and yet I know that he has hardly slept since this terrible event." "Jacobs, will you ask the Prime Minister to come up?" "Mr Holmes, Dr Watson,my wife Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope." "I fear that this is a matter of politics,darling." "We will join you in a few minutes." "In the dining room." " Mister Holmes!" " The Prime Minister of Great Britain, sir Thomas Bellinger." "Sir,I have investigated the matter at every possible angle, and I came to believe that there is absolutely no reason to be worried." "But that is not enough, Mr. Holmes." "We cannot live on the top of a volcano." "Thank you." "We must know for certain." "Sit down, gentlemen." "The more I think of the case, the more convinced I am that the letter has never left this house." "Mr. Holmes!" "If it had, it would certainly have been made public by now." "But why should anyone steal it and then hide it in the very same house?" "I am not convinced that anyone did steal it." "Then how could it leave the case?" "I am not convinced that it ever did leave the case." "Gentlemen,this joking is very ill-timed." "You have my assurance that it's not in it." "Surely, it is easy to find out." "Let us have the case brought in." "Jacobs!" "Bring here my wooden case from the bedroom." "This is a farcical waste of time, but if nothing else will satisfy you, it shall be done." "Have you examined the case since then?" "No." "It was not necessary." "You could possibly have overlooked it." "Who knows?" "I presume, there are other papers there." " It may have got mixed with them." " It was on the top." "Someone may have shaken the case and displaced it." "No!" "No!" "I have checked everything!" "Thank you, Jacobs, put it here." "You may go." "Here it is, gentlemen." "And this is the key." "These are the papers, as you see." "Letter from Lord Merrow." "Report from Sir Charles Hardy." "Memorandum from Belgrade." "Note on the Russian-German grain taxes." "Letter from Madrid." "Note from Lord Flowers." "Good heavens!" "What is this?" "Lord Bellinger!" "This is the envelope." "And the letter is intact." " Hope, I congratulate you." " Thank you!" "Thank you!" "What a weight off my shoulders!" "I always believed in you, Hope!" "Where is my wife?" "I must tell her that all is well." "Go ahead." "Hilda!" "Hilda!" "Mister Holmes!" "Are you absolutely sure this letter never left the box?" "I am sure that this case is closed." "And I would never dare, Prime Minister, to waste your precious time with tales about my professional secrets." "Not only you, politicians, have secrets." "We, detectives, have them, too." "Thank you,gentlemen." "The company of the royal field engineers was here, and they have installed a portable telephone." "Here it is, Mr Holmes." "No mail during the last few days." "A young man with a bandaged hand came by." "Here is his business card." "Hydraulic Engineer Victor Hatherley." "He brought you this newspaper, and asked me to show you these photographs in the crime section,of Mr. Lucas and Mrs. Furnier, and asked me to tell you:" ""It is them!"" "That is all, Mr Holmes." "What would you like me to do next?" "Bacon and eggs for me and Doctor Watson." " Yes, sir!" " And, Smith!" "Yes?" "Teach me how to use this thing." "I can do it." "Go on, Smith, We're very hungry." "Yes, sir!" "Hold it!" "The central." "The central!" "Mycroft Holmes' residence, please." "They say that he is at the Palace." "The Palace, please." "Mycroft!" "Mycroft!" "The day has passed in vain." "Watson and I haven't had much to do today." "No, the letter was in the case." "Hatherley found the counterfeiters all by himself in the "Sunday Times."" "Doctor Watson and I,we cannot go back to the good old days." "No, I am going back to the country." "I will come by your place to pick up the oil pump and the filters for my neighbor in Sussex." "Please, baron!" "Missed!" "As far as I can tell from the recent trend of events, you will probably be back in Berlin within a week." "When you get there, my dear Von Bork, I think you will be surprised at the welcome you will receive." "I happen to know what is thought at the highest quarters of your work in this country." "English are not very hard to deceive." "It was a great idea, my dear Von Bork, to pose as a sportsman" "No, no, it's not a ruse at all." "I am a born sportsman." "Well, that makes it even more effective." "I have even heard that you practice boxing with the young Eglish officers." "Wonderful." "As a result,nobody takes you very seriously." "You are a 'good old sport,' 'quite a decent fellow for a German.'" "And this whole time this quiet country house of yours is the source of half the mischief in England, and the sporting squire happens to be the best secret agent in Europe." "You're a genius, my dear Von Bork, a genius!" "You flatter me, Baron." "Although I can certainly claim that six years I spent in this country have not been unproductive." "I've never shown you my little stash." "Would you mind stepping in for a moment?" "Some of my papers have already been transferred." "My wife took the less important documents with her." "She and the household left yesterday for Flissingham." "I count on the embassy to guard the rest." "Your name has already been added as a staff member." "Of course,you never know." "We may have to stay." "If England leaves France to her fate." "We know for a fact that there is no binding treaty between them." "And Belgium?" "Yes, and Belgium, too." " But the country's pride?" " My dear Von Bork, we live in a utilitarian age." "Everything can be bought and sold." "Honor is a medieval conception." "Besides, England is not ready." "I should think they would be wiser to fight with allies rather than alone." "This week will decide the fate of this country." "Look!" ""The Channel", "Forts", "Ireland"." ""Submarines", "Airplanes"." "Wonderful!" "And all in four years, Baron." "Not a bad show for the hard drinking country squire with a penchant for hunting." "But the gem of my collection is still on its way and there is the setting, all ready for it." "Naval Signals." "You have a very impressive dossier here." "Outdated." "Waste of paper." "The Admiralty somehow got wind of the leak of information and every code has been changed." "But!" "Thanks to my cheque book and the good old Altamont all will be well tonight." "Please." ""All's well." "I'm bringing the new sparking plugs soon." "Altamont."" "Sparking plugs, huh?" "You see, he poses as a car mechanic and I have a full garage here." "We created a code." "Everything likely to come up in a report is named after some spare part." "If he talks of a radiator, it is a "battleship", an "oil pump" means a cruiser, and so on." ""Sparking plugs" are naval signals." "They are useful, these traitors, but I dread paying them their 'thirty golden coins'." "He is not a traitor at all." "I assure you that our most patriotic Germans have nothing on this Irish American when it comes to how they feel towards England." "So he's an Irish American?" "Yes." "He is a touchy fellow and needs humouring on occasion." "He can be quite difficult, I assure you." "Alas, I have to go." "I need to get back to London early." "How still and peaceful it all seems." "This all may change in a matter of one week." "If our contact comes up with necessary information" "The sky will look different,too." "Who is that?" "That is Martha,our servant." "My wife wanted to take her to Germany, but I decided to keep her here." "You did?" "To me,she almost personifies Britain." "With her complete self-absorption and general air of comfortable somnolence." "My dear Von Bork!" "Having won the battle against the greed and corruption of the new representatives of European high society," "Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson saved the Great Britain from what seemed to be an inevitable war - the letter of the capricious monarch found its way back into the box," "Holmes returned to his farm in Sussex." "Watson returned to to his patients." "The times of the Good Old England faded from everybody's memory." "And so did..." "THE ADVENTURES OF SHERLOCK HOLMES AND DR. WATSON" "By Sir Arthur Conan Doyle" "Sherlock Holmes VASILIY LIVANOV" "Dr. Watson VITALIY SOLOMIN" "The Twentieth Century Begins" "Part Two" "Come in, Watson." "You have grown a beard again." "Stay away from the window draft." "Summer colds are always a little trying." "How did you know?" "Don't tell me it's my shoes that gave me away again." "Of course, your shoes!" "The letter from your brother Mycroft." "Your boots are new." "You could not have had them more than a few weeks." "The wingtips from what I can gather, are slightly burned." "For a moment I thought they might have got wet and you burnt them while trying to get them dry next to a fireplace." "But near the instep there is a small circular wafer of paper with the shop's hieroglyphics upon it." "Moisture would, of course, have removed it." "That could only mean hat you've been sitting with your feet outstretched to the fire," "It hasn't been raining in a while" "So you had a cold and were trying to keep yourself warm next to the fireplace." " Who is Arthur Cadogan West?" " I shall tell you on the way." "My neighbor Bork came again for the honey." "How much do you need this time?" "Only one pound." "Did you manage to get sparking plugs?" "There's been a bit of a snag." "A friend of mine promised me to take me to London today, and I am sure we will get everything resolved." "One shilling." " So cheap?" " It is a blue honey." "Plus there is a discount for regular customers." "So who is Arthur Cadogan West?" "He was a clerk at Woolwich Arsenal." "His dead body was discovered on the rails,but what train he was on and where he was going, we could not find out yet." "His ticket, of course, would show that." "There was no ticket in his pockets." "No ticket!" "Maybe they didn't find it?" "The press printed a list of his possessions." "His purse contained two pounds in cash plus a cheque book, through which his identity was established." "There were also two theater tickets." "and a small packet of some technical documentation." "Well, let's start investigating!" "It is a real crisis." "I have never seen HIM so upset." "As for the Admiralty - it is buzzing like an overturned beehive." "What were the technical papers?" "The plans of the Bruce-Partington submarine." "Surely you have heard of it?" " Bruce-Partington?" " Never." "Right!" "It has been the most jealously guarded of all government secrets." "Naval warfare becomes impossible within the radius of a Bruce-Partington's operation." "Two years ago a very large sum was paid in acquiring the rights to the invention." "The plans, which are exceedingly complex, comprise some thirty separate patents, each essential to the working of the whole system, and are kept in an elaborate safe" "in a confidential office adjoining the arsenal." "If the chief constructor of the Navy desired to consult them, even he'd be forced to go in person to the Woolwich office." "And suddenly we find these papers in the pocket of a some dead junior clerk at the heart of London." "From the official point of view it's simply unacceptable." "But you have recovered them?" "Ten papers were stolen from the safe in Woolwich." "There were only seven in Cadogan West's pocket." "The most essential three are gone." "Stolen, vanished." "Sherlock!" "Forget everything else!" "Never mind your usual petty puzzles." "It's an international problem of massive proportions that you have to solve." "Why did Cadogan West take the papers?" "How did he die?" "How did his body end up where it was found?" "Where are the missing documents?" "He took the papers to London to sell the secret, intending, no doubt, to have the plans back next morning before they were found missing." "While in London, on this mission of treason, he met his end." "He was going back to Woolwich when he was killed and thrown out of the train car." "Lestrade can tell you more." "He represents Scotland Yard in this investigation." "The most disturbing piece of business, Sherlock." "This is where the young man's body laid." "As you can see, the body could not have fallen from above," "Therefore, it could only have come from a train, and the last train has passed about midnight on Monday." "Have the train cars been examined for any sign of violence?" " No such signs were found." " None." "And no ticket has been found on him." "No record of a train car door being found open?" "None." "Well, Holmes,it's time to pick up a scent,like you did in the past." "There aren't many rail switchpoints like that on this line,is there?" "No, there are very few." "The case certainly gets more and more interesting." "Fascinating." "By the way, I saw no signs of blood." "There weren't any." " Was he seriously wounded?" " The skull was crushed, but nothing much on the rest of the body." "And yet one would have expected some bleeding." "I can assure you, Mr. Holmes, that every car has been carefully examined." "I saw to it myself." "It is not the cars that I think you should have checked." "Let us continue, shall we?" "The actual official guardian of the papers is the famous government expert, Sir James Walter, whose decorations and titles can fill two full lines in a book of reference." "He has spent his whole life servicng his country, a true gentleman, a wecome guest in the most prestigious society gatherings." "He is one of the two people who had a key to the safe." "Sir James left for London on Monday about three o'clock taking his key with him." " Has the fact been verified?" " Yes." "His brother, Colonel Valentine Walter, has testified to his departure from Woolwich." "Can we see sir James Walter?" "Sir James..." "Sir James has passed away." " Good heavens!" "When?" " This morning." "How did he die?" "Perhaps you would care to step in, sir, and see his brother, Colonel Valentine Walter?" "Yes, we had better do so." "I don't think it's a coincidence that the body was found near the place where the train shakes and sways as it comes through the switchpoint." "The absence of blood is not a coincidence, either." "The switchpoints would affect no object inside the train." "We know that the doors were locked." "That is why I think that he was killed somewhere else." "But how did the body end up near the rails?" "His body fell off the roof of a train car." " Off the roof?" " Yes." "It was this horrible scandal that has caused this." "My brother, Sir James, was a man of honor, and he could not survive such shame." "It broke his heart." "He was always so proud of the efficiency of his department, and this was a crushing blow." "We had hoped that he might have given us some indications which could help us resolve the matter." "I assure you that it was all a mystery to him as it is to you and to all of us." "He had already told the police everything he knew." "Naturally, he had no doubt that Cadogan West was guilty." "But the rest is a mystery." "What is your personal opinion?" "I know nothing myself save what I have read or heard." "I have no desire to be discourteous, but you have to understand, Mr. Holmes," "We are grieving at present, and I must ask you to finish this interview." "Young West took the papers." "Now, this could only be done by having a copied key." "Several copied keys." "He had to open the building and then the actual room and then,a safe." "Tell us about Cadogan West." "We have nothing on him." "He worked as a junior clerk under supervision of one Sidney Johnson." "No one else had an access to the safe." "Who was the other man with a key?" "The senior clerk,Mr. Sidney Johnson." "He is forty, married, with five children." "He has an impeccable record in public service." "Who locked the plans up that night?" "Sidney Johnson." "A very unpleasant story, Mr. Holmes." "The place is so disorganized." "Now the department chief is dead, Cadogan West is dead," "Our documents have been stolen." "To think that when we locked the office on Monday evening, we were still as efficient an office as any in the government service." "At what hour was the office closed?" "At five." " Where were the plans?" " In a safe." "I put them there myself." "Let's assume that Cadogan West decided to make his way into the building after hours." "He would need three keys, before he could reach the papers,right?" "The key to the entrance door, the key to the office, and the key to the safe." "Only Sir James Walter and you had those keys?" "I had no keys to the doors, only to the safe." "Was Sir James a man who was particular in his habits?" "Yes, he was." "He carried those three keys on the same key chain." "I have often seen them." "So he took that set of keys with him to London?" "He carried them with him everywhere he went." " Please." " Thank you." "One other thing, if a clerk in this office desired to sell the information, would it not be simpler to just copy the documents without stealing the originals?" "It would take a considerable technical knowledge to copy the plans in an effective way." "But I suppose both Sir James and West had that technical knowledge.So did you." "No doubt we all did, but I implore you to keep me away from all this!" "What is the use of speculating in this manner when the original plans were actually found on Cadogan West's body?" "It's just odd that he should take the risk of stealing the originals if he could safely have made copies, and sell them without anybody knowing." "Very odd, no doubt." "Mr. Johnson, could you show us how you close the shutters." "You see, Watson, they cannot move any further." "So anyone could look inside the office from the street." "I cannot explain it, Mr. Holmes." "I could get no sleep since the tragedy, thinking, night and day, what the true meaning of it is." "Arthur was an honest man, and a true patriot." "He would rather have cut his hand off than sell a state secret confided to his keeping." "But the facts, Miss Westbury?" "Yes,I admit I cannot explain them." "Has he had any financial prolems?" "No." "His needs were very modest and he had an ample salary." "Arthur had saved a few hundred pounds, and we were to be engaged at the New Year's Eve." "Were there any signs stress?" "Come, Miss Westbury, be absolutely frank with us." "He spoke one evening of the importance of the secret papers kept in a safe and I recall now how he said that no doubt foreign spies would pay a great deal of money to get their hands on them." "Anything else?" "He said that the government is too careless in such matters and it would be easy for a traitor to get the plans, should he try." "Now tell us of that last evening you spent together." "We were to go to the theatre." "The fog was so thick that ordering a cab was pointless." "So we walked," "As we were walking past his office" "Arthur suddenly darted away into the fog." " Without a word?" " Actually..." "I think he yelled something." "I waited, but he never returned." "Then I walked home." "Next morning, after the office opened, they came to inquire his whereabouts." "About twelve o'clock we heard the terrible news." ""To Microft Holmes." "White Hall." "Please send by messenger, to await return at Baker Street, a complete list of all foreign spies known to be in England, with full address." "Sherlock."" ""To Sherlock Holmes." "Baker Street, 221-B." "Top secret." "There are plenty of agents, but few who could handle so big an affair." "The only men worth considering are" "Adolph Meyer, of 13 Great George Street, Westminster." "Louis La Rothiere, of Campden Mansions, Notting Hill." "Hugo Oberstein, 13 Caulfield Gardens, Kensington." "The Cabinet awaits your final report with the utmost anxiety." "Directives from the highest quarters have been issued." "The whole apparatus of the State is at your disposal should you need it." "Mycroft."" "John!" "John!" "John, the telegram for you." ""I'm havig a lunch at Goldini's Restaurant, at Gloucester Road, Kensington." "Please come at once." "Bring with you a jemmy, a lantern, a chisel, and a revolver." "Holmes."" "Have you brought the tools?" "Now it must be evident to you, that this young man's body was placed on the roof of the train." "Could it not have been dropped from a bridge?" "I don't think so." " The body would not hold out there." " It seems most improbable." "We must fall back on the old axiom:" "When all other contingencies fail, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth." "I found that the leading international agent..." "Hugo Oberstein happens to reside in a house which is located right next to the railway." "13 Caulfield Gardens." "So you've figured this one out, then?" "Oberstein has left for the continent." "I'm sure he wouldn't mind two gentlemen paying a visit to Caulfield Gardens in his absence." "Breaking and entering again?" "I don't like it, Holmes." "My dear friend, you'll just keep watch." "I'll do the criminal part." "Think of Mycroft's note, of the Admiralty, which awaits the news." "Even the Prime Minister, not to mention of one very important person,who shan't be named" "They depend on us." "You are right, Holmes." "It's our duty." "Goddamn it!" "Here we are,this must be the window we talked about." "Look, Watson!" "The soot on the sill is worn out." "You can see where they rested the body of Cadogan West." "What is this?" "It is a blood stain." "There are also a few on the staircase." "Here is the train roof, right underneath." "Seems I was right in my assumptions." "What do you think of it?" "You have never risen to greater heights,Holmes." "Let us continue." "The cunning dog has covered his tracks." "His dangerous correspondence has been destroyed or removed." "Cutouts from newspaper." "Judging by the print, it's an ad from the Daily Telegraph." "Not a single chance for us." "No dates, but messages arrange themselves." "This must be the first." ""Hoped to hear sooner." "Terms agreed to." "Write to the address given on card." "Pierrot."" "Second message:" ""Too complex for description." "Must have full report." "Staff awaits you when goods delivered." "Pierrot." Next:" ""Matter presses." "Must withdraw offer unless contract completed." "Make appointment by letter." "Will confirm by advertisement." "Pierrot"." "Finally:" ""Monday night after nine." "Two knocks." "Only ourselves." "Do not be suspicious." "Pierrot."" "A fairly complete record." "If we could only get the man at the other end of the correspondence!" "Have you seen the "Daily Telegraph" today?" " No." " A new Pierrot's advertisement." "You don't say so." "Smith!" "Yes, sir." "Put me through to my brother, Mycroft Holmes." "The central?" "835, please." "Thank you." "Mycroft, good morning!" "Yes, it is me." " Yes." " Here it is." ""Tonight." "Same time." "Same place." "Two knocks." "Most important business." "Your own safety at stake." "Pierrot."" "How do you like that?" "The mine we have planted seems to be working." "And the first casualty was our friend, Doctor Watson." "He was blown up instantly." "Yes?" "No, if you come to Caulfield Gardens at eight tonight," "I think we can solve our problem." "Yes." "No, no, Lestrade is essential here." "He is like a terrier you need to pull a fox out of a hole." "Sit down, Mycroft." "Sit down, gentlemen!" "This is against the law, Mr. Holmes." "The fact that we are here,in somebody's house without permission is breaking and entering, no more,no less." "Quiet, inspector." "You don't know what you're talking about." "How dare you!" "Whole city is under my police supervision!" "He is coming." "Don't move." "Well,that's a surprise." " Who is he?" " It is Colonel Valentine Walter, the younger brother of the late Sir James Walter." "Lestrade!" "What is this?" "I came here to visit Mr. Oberstein." "The conspracy is uncovered, Colonel Walter." "We discovered the correspondence between you and Oberstein, along with the circumstances concerning the death of young Cadogan West." "We know that you made copies of the keys which your brother held, and that you engaged in a correspondence with Oberstein, who replied to your letters through the advertisement columns of the Daily Telegraph." "We are aware that you broke into the office on the foggy Monday evening, but you were spotted through the office window and were followed by West, who had probably some previous reason to suspect you." "Leaving all his private concerns, he followed you closely in the fog and kept at your heels until you reached this house." " Here he confronted you..." " And thats when you, Colonel Walter... added even more terrible crime on top of the treason you have already commited " " Murder!" " I did not!" "I swear to you, I did not kill him!" "Tell us then, how Cadogan West met his end." "I lost money at the stock market." "My debts were growing." "Oberstein offered me five thousand pounds." "It was to save myself from ruin." "But as for murder, I am innocent." "What happened, then?" "West had his suspicions before, and he followed me." "The young man broke into the house and demanded to know what we were going to do with the papers." "Oberstein had a brass knuckles." "The blow proved to be fatal." "Oberstein had this idea of dropping the body on a train roof." "But first he examined the papers." "He said three of them were essential, and that he must keep them." "The others we stuffed into the pocket of Cadogan West." "so that when he is found he'll become the obious suspect." "And your brother?" "He said nothing, but he had caught me once with his keys, and I think that he suspected." "I read in his eyes that he did." "It was terrible." "Where is Oberstein now?" "I don't know." "Did he leave you no address?" "He said he had some business to take care of, down in Sussex." " Where?" "In Sussex?" " Yes." "Let's go, Watson." "It is on our way." "No use for this one!" "Wait for me, my friend, it will take a few minutes." "I need to drop the "Handbook of Bee Culture" at my neighbor's." "He decided to follow my example and become a bee keeper." "See,how quiet we have it here." "Fresh air, everything's so peaceful." "Enjoy it, Watson, while you still can." "Mr Bork!" " Well?" " Here's my delivery at last." " Here are the sparking plugs." " The signals?" "Same as I said in my cable." "Lamp code, Marconi, a copy, mind you, not the original." "That was very risky." "But it's the real thing, I can testify to that." "We should celebrate the successful conclusion of our business." "Just a minute." "Getting ready to leave?" "Listen, Bork." "Don't tell me you keep all the papers in there?" "Why not?" "You're supposed to be a superspy." "Why, a petty crook could break into that with a can opener." "If I knew that our correspondence was going to be kept in a thing like that" "I would have reconcidered my decision to go into business with you." "No crook could nandle my safe." "You can't cut that type of metal with any tool." " But the lock?" " It's a double combination lock." "You need to know a word,which in this case,a name of the month, as well as a two sets of figures and digits before you can get the lock to work." "This upper one is for the digits, the lower one for the letters." "We're on the verge of a war." "It was bound o happen." "So here it is." "I'm shutting down all my activities effective tomorrow morning." "Can you get me out of here,too, Mr Bork?" "I can't stay on this dreaded island anymore." "A week from now England will be in the middle of the war." "I'd rather watch it from across the Channel." "But you're an American citizen, you've got nothing to worry about." "So was Jack James, and he's doing time in prison now, all the same." "It means nothing to a British copper whether you're US citizen or not." "'lt's British law and order over here,' they'd say." "It seems to me you don't do much to take care of your men." " What do you mean?" " Have you helped any of them?" "There's James " "It was his own fault." "You know that yourself." "He lacked discipline for that type of work." "True." "James was a bonehead." "What about Lucas?" "He had a mad wife." "He was a little mad, too." "Anyone can get mad if he sees police everywhere." "As for Oberstein" "What about him?" "Don't you know?" "Oberstein was arrested with his papers." "Now he is doing time in Portland prison." "How did they get Oberstein?" "The landlady that lives next door had a couple of visitors recently," "Made inquiries about me." "Since we came to our agreement" "Oberstein was number four." "I know I'll be the fifth." "if I don't run." "I'm just curious, who has been selling us all out?" "How dare you speak to me in such a manner!" "If I couldn't dare,sir" "I wouldn't be in your service to begin with." "Rumor has it when an agent has done his dirty work for you you are not particularly sorry to see him gone." "Are you trying to suggest that I get rid of my own agents?" "Not at all." "Just take me with you and the sooner, the better." "We have worked together way too long to quarrel now,at the very hour of our victory." "You've done splendid work and taken great risks," "I can't forget that.I'll set it up." "First, you're off to Holland, where you can catch a boat from Rotterdam to New York." "No other line will be safe a week from now." "I'll take your materials and pack it with the rest." "What about the reward?" "500 pounds." "The reward." "I want it right here, right now." "All right." "Have it your way." "After all, since we are all business nowadays, Mr. Altamont," "I don't see why I should trust you any more than you trust me." "I give you the cheque, you give me the parcel." "I heard everything, my friend." "What's the meaning of this?" "Sherlock Holmes!" "What?" "!" "Sherlock Holmes?" "Yes!" "Sherlock Holmes!" "Watson,you've got a scratch." "You were incredible, Watson, just incredible!" "What happened here,Holmes?" "I'll be back soon." "Martha will explain everything." "Martha!" "Doctor Watson!" " How do you know me?" " Watson, you've got a wound." "What does it all mean anyway?" "It means that Mr. Holmes did a great service for the Great Britain." "And I'm proud to consider myself among this great man's acquaintances." " Mrs. Hudson!" " It is me, Doctor Watson." "You recognized me, finally." "Everything that is going on here is a state secret." "I cannot betray it even to you." "Help me, Watson." " Is he dead?" " No, he is just sleeping." "I gave him a strong soporific." "If you, my friend, had delayed your impressive entrance for just five minutes, he wouldn't have had to jump out the window." "He fell asleep running, a hundred metres away from the house." "Mister Holmes, what happened to Mr Bork?" "Don't worry, Mrs. Hudson, he is just sleeping." "Allright,then." "He is a good man, in a way." "He wanted me to go with his wife to Germany, but that would hardly have suited your plans, would it, sir?" "As long as you were here, my mind was at ease." "What took you so long to give me a signal tonight?" "He was on the phone for quite some time." "I was beginning to worry until I saw your lamp in the window." "Are you ready to leave?" "Yes, sir." "He has mailed seven letters today." "I have the addresses, as usual." "Very good." "I will look into it later." "I am so glad to see you, Doctor Watson." "How is your lovely wife?" "How is your practice?" "Thank you, Mrs. Hudson, everything is just fine." "You see, mobilized again to the military service." "So am I." "May I go, sir?" "Yes, wire to Smith, at Baker Street," "Tell him to meet us there." "Good night, Mrs. Hudson." "Yes, sir!" "I wonder, what did Von Bork pack for his departure?" "Some of the information contained in these papers is not that valuable." "Most of them came through my hands,you see." "German is kind of rough, but still is the most expressive of all European languages." "What do you think, Watson?" "Tell me, Holmes,why did you ask him for a cheque?" "To make sure that not only his shilling coins were fake but so were the cheques." "So your plans were fake, too?" "No." "No, my friend, I had to lie to Von Bork, but to you, I told the truth." " "Practical Handbook of Bee Culture"." " Yes." "One thing is stil bothering me." "When and how did it happen that you went back to work?" "You see,over the last few years as I was browsing through the press," "I became aware that some methods used only in the criminal world in the past, the worst kind,mind you found a new niche, this time in politics." "Fact is, Watson, that this gentleman here, sleeping on the sofa was a bit too much for our counter intelligence." "I spent four years to get to him, and my efforts were finally rewarded today." "First i went to the States, managed to become a member of the secret Irish organization in Buffalo, made plenty of trouble for the local police," "and eventually caught the eye of one of Von Bork's contacts there" "who recommended me as a great candidate to work in his employ." "Before you showed up, my friend," "Von Bork trusted me completely." "Truth is, it was I who tracked down and helped capture four of his best agents." "Holmes" "I long for those good old days." "All those robbers, killers, rapists, that you caught over the last century seem like innocent children compared to the 'wolves' we've met recently." "One can steal a million, or kill a rich uncle," "I can understand that." "but I cannot understand a high rank scoundrel, who pushes millions of people to war for the sake of a little profit." "I don't care if he is a German Baron or an English lord." "How can we,mere mortals - you, me, Mrs. Hudson - stop this horror?" "I don't like it at all." "What do you think about the future?" "It's not so dark, is it?" "I hope so, my friend." "The twentieth century has only just begun."