Isa Whitney, brother of the late Elias Whitney, Principal of the Theological College of St. George’s, was addicted to opium. He developed a habit, as I understand, when he was at college. He found, as so many people before him, that it is easier to start than to stop smoking it, and for many years he continued to be a slave to the drug, and his friends and relatives felt horror and pity for him at the same time. I can see him now, with yellow, pale face, the wreck and ruin of a noble man.

One night my door bell rang, about the hour when a man yawns and glances at the clock. I sat up in my chair, and my wife laid her needle-work[1] down and made a disappointed face.

“A patient!” said she. “You’ll have to go out.”

I sighed, because I’ve just come back from a hard day.

We heard the front door open, a few hurried words, and then quick steps upon the linoleum. Our own door opened, and a lady, dressed in dark-coloured clothes, with a black veil, entered the room.

“Excuse me for coming so late,” she began, and then, suddenly losing her self-control, she ran forward to my wife and sobbed upon her shoulder. “Oh, I’m in such trouble!” she cried; “I need help so much!”

“it is Kate Whitney,” said my wife, pulling up her veil. “How you frightened me, Kate! I had no idea who you were when you came in.”

“I didn’t know what to do, so l came straight to you.” It was always like that. People who were in trouble came to my wife like birds to a light-house.

“It was very sweet of you to come. Now, you must have some wine and water, and sit here comfortably and tell us all about it. Or would you like me to send James off to bed?”

“Oh, no, no! I want the doctor’s advice and help, too. It’s about Isa. He has not been home for two days. I am so frightened about him!”

It was not the first time that she had spoken to us of her husband’s trouble, to me as a doctor, to my wife as an old school friend. We tried to find the words to comfort her. Did she know where her husband was? Was it possible that we could bring him back to her?

It seems that it was. She had the surest information that lately he had used an opium den in the east of the City. So far his absence had always been limited with one day, and he had come back, twitching and exhausted, in the evening. But now the spell had been upon him eight-and-forty hours, and he lay there, doubtless among the dregs of the docks, breathing in the poison or sleeping off the effects. There he could be found, she was sure of it, at the Bar of Gold, in Upper Swandam Lane. But what was she to do? How could she, a young and modest woman, come to such a place and pluck her husband out from among the dregs who surrounded him?

There was the case, and of course there was only one way out of it. Could I accompany her to this place? And then, as a second thought, why should she come at all? I was Isa Whitney’s doctor, and so I had influence over him. I could do it better if I were alone. I gave her my word that I would send him home in a cab within two hours if he were indeed at the address which she had given me. And so in ten minutes I left my armchair and cheerful sitting-room behind me, and was speeding to the east in a cab on a strange commission, as it seemed to me at the time, though the future only could show how strange it was to be.

But there was no great difficulty in the first stage of my adventure. Upper Swandam Lane is a disgusting street hiding behind the high docks which line the north side of the river to the east of London Bridge. Between a slop-shop and a gin-shop, there were steep steps leading down to a black gap like the mouth of a cave.[2] There I found the den I was looking for. Ordering my cab to wait, I passed down the steps, with a hollow in the centre, made by thousands of drunken feet. By the light of an oil-lamp I found the door and entered a long, low room, thick and heavy with the brown opium smoke, and full of wooden beds, that reminded me of an emigrant ship.

Through the dark one could notice bodies lying in strange fantastic poses, bowed shoulders, bent knees, heads thrown back, and chins pointing upward, with here and there an eye turned upon the newcomer. The most lay silent, but some muttered to themselves, and others talked together in a strange, low, monotonous voice, their speech began and then suddenly stopped, each mumbled out his own thoughts and paid no attention to the words of his neighbor. At the end was a small brazier, beside which on a three-legged wooden stool there sat a tall, thin old man, with his face resting upon his two fists, and his elbows upon his knees, staring into the fire.

As I entered, a Malay servant had hurried up with a pipe for me, showing me the way to an empty place.

“Thank you. I have not come to stay,” said I. “There is a friend of mine here, Mr. Isa Whitney, and I wish to speak with him.”

Somebody moved and exclaimed on my right, and looking through the dark I saw Whitney, pale, exhausted, and unkempt, staring out at me.

“My God! It’s Watson,” said he. He was in a terrible state and seemed very nervous. “I say,[3] Watson, what time is it?”

“Nearly eleven.”

“Of what day?”

“Of Friday, June 19th.”

“Good heavens![4] I thought it was Wednesday. It is Wednesday. What do you want to frighten me for?” He sank his face onto his arms and began to sob.

“I tell you that it is Friday, man. Your wife has been waiting this two days for you. You should be ashamed of yourself!”

“So I am. But you must be wrong, Watson, because I have only been here a few hours, three pipes, four pipes – I forget how many. But I’ll go home with you. I wouldn’t frighten Kate – poor little Kate. Give me your hand! Do you have a cab?”

“Yes, I have one waiting.”

“Then I should go in it. But I must owe something. Find what I owe, Watson. I am all off colour.[5] I can do nothing for myself.”

I walked down the narrow passage between the double row of sleepers, trying not to breath in the disgusting, stupefying fumes of the drug, and looking about for the manager. As I passed the tall man who sat by the brazier I felt a sudden pluck, and a low voice said, “Walk past me, and then look back at me.” I heard the words quite distinctly. I glanced down. They could only have come from the old man at my side, and yet he sat now as absorbed as ever, very thin, very wrinkled, crooked, an opium pipe between his knees. It seemed that he had dropped it in absolute tiredness from his fingers. I took two steps forward and looked back. It took all my self-control not to cry with astonishment. He had turned his back so that nobody could see him but me. His form had filled out, his wrinkles were gone, the fire had lit up in his dull eyes, and there, sitting by the fire and smiling at my surprise, was none other than Sherlock Holmes. He gave me a sign to approach him, and immediately, as he turned his face half round to the company once more, changed back into a weak old man.

“Holmes!” I said in low voice, “what on earth are you doing in this den?[6]”

“As low as you can,” he answered; “I have excellent ears. If you would be so kind to get rid[7] of your friend I’ll be very glad to have a little talk with you.”

“I have a cab outside.”

“Then please send him home in it. You may safely trust him, because he looks too weak to get in any trouble. I recommend you also to send a note by the cabman to your wife to say that you have thrown in your lot with me.[8] If you wait outside, I will be with you in five minutes.”

It was difficult to refuse any of Sherlock Holmes’s requests, for they were always very definite, and put forward[9] in such imperative manner. I felt, however, that when Whitney was put in the cab my mission was practically over; and for the rest, I could not wish anything better than to be together with my friend in one of those adventures, which were the normal condition of his existence. In a few minutes I had written my note, paid Whitney’s bill, led him out to the cab, and seen him driven through the darkness. In a very short time a figure of the old man had appeared from the opium den, and I was walking down the street with Sherlock Holmes. For two streets he shuffled along with a bent back and an uncertain foot. Then, looking quickly round, he straightened himself out and burst into hearty laughter.

“I was certainly surprised to find you there,” I said.

“But not more so than I to find you.”

“I came to find a friend.”

“And I to find an enemy.”

“An enemy?”

“Yes; one of my natural enemies, or, shall I say, my natural prey. Briefly, Watson, I am in the middle of a very remarkable inquiry, and I have hoped to find a clew in the mumbling of these dregs, as I have done before. If I were recognized in that den my life would not have been worth an hour’s purchase;[10] for I have used it before for my own purposes, and the evil Lascar[11] who runs it has sworn to have vengeance[12] upon me. There is a trap-door at the back of that building, near the corner of Paul’s Wharf, which could tell some strange tales of what has passed through it upon the moonless nights.”

“What! Do you mean bodies?”

“Yes, bodies, Watson. We would be rich if we had 1000 pounds for every poor man who died in that den. It is the most dangerous murder-trap on the whole riverside, and I’m afraid that Neville St. Clair has entered it to never leave it. But our cart should be here.” He put his two fingers between his teeth and whistled a signal which was answered by a similar whistle from the distance, followed by the cart, that appeared out of the darkness.

“Now, Watson,” said Holmes “You’ll come with me, won’t you?”

“If I can help you.”

“Oh, a trusty friend and a chronicler can always help. My room at The Cedars is a double-bedded one.”

“The Cedars?”

“Yes; that is Mr. St. Clair’s house. I am staying there while I conduct the inquiry.”

“Where is it, then?”

“Near Lee, in Kent. It’s seven miles away from here.”

“But I am all in the dark.[13]”

“Of course you are. You’ll know all about it presently. Jump up here. All right, John; we shall not need you. Here’s half a crown. Wait for me tomorrow, about eleven. Goodbye, then!”

I. Note the use of the phrasal verb to put forward. What other phrasal verbs with put do you know? Find a synonym for each verb in the second column.

II. Fill the gaps with the words from the table. NB! You’ll need one more phrasal verb with put. Take notice of the correct word order.

Isa Whiney’s wife couldn’t … with her husband’s long absence, so she … her black veil and headed for her old friends’ in order to ask for their advice. Dr. Watson and his wife Mary were not at all … by this late visit, on the contrary, they were eager to help. This commission couldn’t have been …, so Watson had to go to the opium den, to find Isa and to … his request to return home immediately. It is possible, that Isa hadn’t … enough money to pay for the opium and Watson did it for him, but he is too modest to mention that.

III. Suggest your own examples of the use of the phrasal verbs with put.

IV. Read the phrases below. In what order do they appear in the chapter? Fill the following table.

a) “Good heavens! I thought it was Wednesday. It is Wednesday. What do you want to frighten me for?”

b) “As low as you can. I have excellent ears.”

c) “Then I should go in it. But I must owe something. Find what I owe, Watson. I am all off colour. I can do nothing for myself.”

d) “I tell you that it is Friday, man. Your wife has been waiting this two days for you. You should be ashamed of yourself!”

e) “We would be rich if we had 1000 pounds for every poor man who died in that den. It is the most dangerous murder-trap on the whole riverside, and I’m afraid that Neville St. Clair has entered it to never leave it. But our cart should be here.”

f) “It was very sweet of you to come. Now, you must have some wine and water, and sit here comfortably and tell us all about it. Or would you like me to send James off to bed?”

g) “Oh, no, no! I want the doctor’s advice and help, too. It’s about Isa. He has not been home for two days. I am so frightened about him!”

h) “Near Lee, in Kent. It’s seven miles away from here.”

V. Attribute each phrase from the exercise IV to the person who said it.

VI. Rewrite the phrases given above into the indirect speech. Use the following verbs.

To exclaim; to whisper; to remark; to explain; to reproach; to demand; to decline; to encourage.

VII. Correct the mistakes in the following phrases. Find as many as you can. Justify your corrections.

1. “Yes, bodies, Watson. We will be rich if we had 1000 pounds for every poor man who died in that den. It is the dangerest murder-trap on the whole riverside, and I’m afraid that Neville St. Clair has entered it to never leave it. But our cart should be here.” He put his two fingers between his teeths and whistled a signal which was answered by a similar whistle from the distance, followed by the cart, that appeared out of the darkness.

2. Could I accompany her to this place? And then, as a second thought, why she should come at all? I was Isa’s Whitney doctor, and so I had influence over him. I could do it better if I were alone. I gave her my word that I will send him home in a cab within two hours if he were indeed at the adress whose she had given me. And so in ten minutes I leaved my armchair and cheerful sitting-room behind me, and was speeding to the east in a cab on a strange commission, as it seemed to me at the time, though the future only could show how strange it was to be.

3. It was difficult to refuse any of Sherlock Holmes’s requests, for they were always very definite, and put forward in so imperative manner. I felt, however, that when Whitney was put in the cab my mission was practically over; and for the rest, I could not wish anything rather than to be together with my friend in one of this adventures what were the normal condition of his existence. In a few minutes I had written my note, paid Whitney’s bill, led him out to the cab, and seen him driving through the darkness.

4. The most laid silent, but some muttered to themself, and others talked together in a strange, low, monotonous voice, their speech began and then suddenly stoped, each mumbled out his own thoughts and not paid attention to the words of his neighbor. At the end was a small brazier, beside that on a three-legged wooden stool there sat a tall, thin old man, with his face resting upon his two fists, and his elbows upon his knees, staring into the fire.

Holmes flicked the horse, and we drove away through the endless chain of empty streets, which widened gradually, until we were flying across a broad bridge, with the dark river flowing slowly beneath us. Beyond lay another dull deserted area, in the silence we could hear only the heavy, regular steps of the policeman. The dark clouds were drifting slowly across the sky, and a star or two twinkled here and there. Holmes drove in silence, with his head dropped upon his breast, and the look of a man who is lost in thought. I sat beside him, curious to learn what this new quest might be. It seemed to occupy his mind so sorely, but I was afraid to interrupt him. We had driven several miles, and were coming close to suburban villas, when he shook himself, shrugged his shoulders, and lit up his pipe looking like a man who has satisfied himself that he is acting for the best.

“You have a great gift of silence, Watson,” said he. “It makes you a wonderful companion. I need someone to talk to, because my own thoughts are not so pleasant. I was wondering what I should say to this dear little woman tonight when she meets me at the door.”

“You forget that I know nothing about it.”

“I’ll have time to tell you the facts of the case before we get to Lee. It seems absurdly simple, and yet, somehow I can’t solve it. There’s plenty of thread, of course, but I can’t get the end of it into my hand. Now, I’ll describe the case clearly and shortly to you, Watson, and maybe you can see the light where all is dark to me.”

“Tell me, then.”

“Some years ago – in May, 1884 – there came to Lee a gentleman, whose name was Neville St. Clair, who seemed to have lots of money. He took a large villa, laid out a very nice garden,[14] and lived generally in good style. Little by little he made friends in the neighborhood, and in 1887 he married the daughter of a local brewer, and now they have two children. He had no occupation, but was interested in several companies and went into town as a rule in the morning, returning by the train at 5:14 from Cannon Street every night. Mr. St. Clair is now thirty-seven years old, is a man of modest habits, a good husband, a very loving father, and a man who is popular with all who know him. I may add that his whole debts at the present moment amount to 88 pounds l0 shillings, while he has 220 pounds standing to his credit[15] in the Capital and Counties Bank. So there is no reason to think that money troubles have been pressing him.

“Last Monday Mr. Neville St. Clair went into town rather earlier than usual. He said before he went away that he had two important commissions for that day, and that he would bring his little boy home a box of bricks. Now, by the merest chance,[16] his wife received a telegram the same Monday, very shortly after his departure, that a small parcel of considerable value which she had been expecting was waiting for her at the offices of the Aberdeen Shipping Company. Now, if you know London very well, you remember that the office of the company is in Fresno Street, which branches out of Upper Swandam Lane, where you found me tonight. Mrs. St. Clair had her lunch, went to the City, did some shopping, came to the company’s office, got her packet, and at exactly 4:35 she was walking through Swandam Lane on her way back to the station. Have you followed me so far?[17]”

“It is very clear.”

“If you remember, Monday was a very hot day, and Mrs. St. Clair walked slowly, looking around as she hoped to see a cab, because she did not like the neighborhood where she was. While she was walking in this way down Swandam Lane, she suddenly heard an exclamation or cry, and was struck cold[18] to see her husband looking down at her and, as it seemed to her, calling her from a second-floor window. The window was open, and she distinctly saw his face, which she describes as being terribly anxious. He waved his hands frantically to her, and then disappeared from the window so suddenly that it seemed to her that he had been plucked back by some irresistible force from behind. The only thing which she could notice with her quick feminine eye[19] was that although he wore some dark coat, such as he had gone to town in, he had on neither collar nor necktie.

“Convinced that something was wrong with him, she ran down the steps – because the house was none other than the opium den in which you found me tonight – and running through the front room she tried to climb up the stairs which led to the first floor. At the foot of the stairs,[20] however, she met this Lascar of whom I have spoken, who pushed her back and, with a help of a guard, let her out into the street. Filled with the most maddening doubts and fears, she ran down the lane and, by rare good-fortune, met in Fresno Street several constables with an inspector, all on their way to their beat. The inspector and two men accompanied her back, and in spite of the continued resistance of the proprietor, they made their way to the room in which Mr. St. Clair had last been seen. There was no sign of him there. In fact, on the whole floor there was no one except for a crippled man of an ugly appearance, who, it seems, lived there. Both he and the Lascar swore that no one else had been in the front room during the afternoon. They denied everything so positively[21] that the inspector was uncertain, and had almost begun to believe that Mrs. St. Clair had the delusion when, with a cry, she ran to a small deal box which lay upon the table and tore the lid from it. Out there fell the children’s bricks. It was the toy which he had promised to bring home.

“This discovery, and the evident confusion of the cripple, made the inspector realize that the matter was serious. The rooms were carefully examined, and results all pointed to a terrible crime. The front room was plainly furnished as a sitting-room and led into a small bedroom, which looked out upon the back of one of the wharves. Between the wharf and the bedroom window is a narrow strip, which is dry at low tide but is covered at high tide with at least four and a half feet of water. The bedroom window was a broad one and opened from below. On examination traces of blood were seen upon the windowsill, and several drops were visible upon the wooden floor of the bedroom. Behind a curtain in the front room were all the clothes of Mr. Neville St. Clair, except for his coat. His boots, his socks, his hat, and his watch – all were there. There were no signs of violence upon any of it, and there were no other traces of Mr. Neville St. Clair. He must have gone out of the window, because no other exit could be discovered, and many bloodstains upon the sill gave little promise that he could save himself by swimming, because the tide was at its highest point at the moment of the tragedy.

“And now as to the villains who seemed to be immediately involved in the matter. The Lascar was known to be a man of the shadowy past,[22] but, by Mrs. St. Clair’s story, he has been at the foot of the stair within a few seconds of her husband’s appearance at the window, so he could have been only an accessory to the crime. He denied everything, and he protested that he knew nothing about the doings of Hugh Boone, his lodger, and that he could not explain the presence of the missing gentleman’s clothes.

“That’s all about the Lascar manager. Now for the horrible cripple who lives upon the second floor of the opium den, and who was certainly the last human being whose eyes saw Neville St. Clair. His name is Hugh Boone, and his anxious face is one which is familiar to every man who goes much to the City. He is a professional beggar, but to avoid the police regulations he pretends to sell matches. Some little distance down Threadneedle Street, upon the left-hand side, there is, as you may have noticed, a small angle in the wall. Here it is that this creature takes his daily seat, cross-legged with his tiny stock of matches on his lap, and because he looks piteous, a small rain of charity falls into the dirty leather cap which lies upon the pavement beside him. I have watched the fellow more than once before ever I thought of making his professional acquaintance, and I have been surprised at the amount of money he got in a short time. His appearance, you see, is so remarkable that no one can pass him without looking at him. A shock of orange hair,[23] a pale face disfigured by a horrible scar, which has turned up the outer edge of his upper lip, a bulldog chin, and a pair of dark eyes, which present a contrast to the colour of his hair, all mark him out amoung the common crowd of beggars and so, too, does his wit, for he is always ready with a reply to the nonsence which may be thrown at him by the passers-by. This is the man who has been the lodger at the opium den and the last man to see the gentleman for whom we are looking.”

“But a cripple!” said I. “What could he have done against a man in the prime of life?[24]”

“He is a cripple in the sense that he walks with a limp; but in other respects he appears to be a strong man. Surely your medical experience would tell you, Watson, that weakness in one part is often compensated for by exceptional strength in the others.”

“Please continue your story.”

“Mrs. St. Clair had fainted at the sight of the blood upon the window, and she was accompanied home in a cab by the police, as her presence could not be useful to them in their investigations. Inspector Barton, who had charge of the case, made a very careful examination of the crime scene, but without finding anything which threw any light upon the matter.[25] There had been made one mistake: Boone was not arrested immediately, he had a few minutes during which he might have communicated with Lascar, but this fault was soon remedied, and he was caught and searched, but nothing suspicious was found. There were, it is true, some blood-stains upon his right shirt-sleeve, but he pointed to his ring-finger, which had been cut near the nail, and explained that the bleeding came from there, adding that he had been to the window not long before, and that the stains which had been observed there certainly came from the same source. He denied having ever seen Mr. Neville St. Clair and swore that the presence of the clothes in his room was as much a mystery to him as to the police. As to Mrs. St. Clair’s claim that she had actually seen her husband at the window, he said that she must have been mad or dreaming. He was taken, loudly protesting, to the police-station, while the inspector remained at the crime scene in the hope that, when the water is gone, some fresh clew may appear.

“And it did, though they hardly found upon the mud-bank what they had feared to find. It was Neville St. Clair’s coat, and not Neville St. Clair. And what do you think they found in the pockets?”

“I cannot imagine.”

“No, I don’t think you would guess. Every pocket stuffed with pennies and half-pennies – 421 pennies and 270 half-pennies. It was no wonder[26] that it had not been swept away by the tide. But a human body is a different matter. There is a strong stream between the wharf and the house. It is possible that the weighted coat had remained when the body had been swept away into the river.”

“But I understand that all the other clothes were found in the room. Would the body be dressed only in a coat?”

“No, Watson, but the facts might be explained. Suppose that this man Boone had thrown Neville St. Clair through the window, there is nobody who could have seen it. What would he do then? He would of course try to get rid of the victim’s clothes by throwing it out of the window. Then it would occur to him that it would swim and not sink. He has little time, because he has heard the noise downstairs when the wife tried to make her way up, and perhaps he has already heard from the proprietor that the police are hurrying up the street. There is not a moment to be lost. He runs to some secret hiding place, where he has kept his pennies, and he puts as many coins as he can into the pockets to make sure the coat would sink. He throws it out, and would have done the same with the rest, but he had heard the steps below, and only just had time to close the window when the police appeared.”

“It certainly sounds probable.”

“Well, we will take it as a working hypothesis for want of a better.[27] Boone, as I have told you, was arrested and taken to the station, but there had never before been anything against him. He had for years been known as a professional beggar, but his life appeared to have been very quiet and innocent. The questions we have to solve – what Neville St. Clair was doing in the opium den, what happened to him when he was there, where is he now, and what Hugh Boone had to do with his disappearance[28] – they are all as far from a solution as ever. To tell the truth I cannot recall any case within my experience which looked at the first glance[29] so simple, but which was so difficult.”

I. Retell the facts we know about the crime committed. Complete the table below.

II. Note the use of the tenses in the phrase given below. What tenses are employed and why? Reconstruct the sequence of events.

Now, by the merest chance, his wife received a telegram the same Monday, very shortly after his departure, that a small parcel of considerable value which she had been expecting was waiting for her at the offices of the Aberdeen Shipping Company.

1. Mrs. St. Clair receives a telegram;

2. Mr. St. Clair leaves his house;

3. Mrs. St. Clair is expecting a parcel;

4. The parcel is delivered to the offices of the Aberdeen Shipping Company.

III. Translate the following sentences from Russian into English, using the correct tenses.

1. Доктор Ватсон поехал в притон, потому что к нему пришла жена Айзы Уитни и попросила вытащить оттуда мужа, который находился там уже двое суток.

2. Когда Ватсон приехал в притон и в темноте искал Айзу Уитни, он обнаружил там Холмса, который переоделся стариком.

3. Ватсон отправил Айзу Уитни домой и дождался Холмса, который попросил присоединиться к нему по пути из притона, где он выслеживал преступника.

4. Как и предложил Холмс, Ватсон отправил жене записку о том, что встретил друга и помогает ему вести расследование.

IV. Study the expressions in italics. What images have caused the existence of such meanings?

Between a slop-shop and a gin-shop, there were steep steps leading down to a black gap like the mouth of a cave.

At the foot of the stairs, however, she met this Lascar of whom I have spoken, who pushed her back and, with a help of a guard, let her out into the street.

V. Translate the expression given below. Do some of them correspond with their Russian equivalents?

Mouth of a bottle; mouth of a river; mouth of a volcano; foot of a page; foot of a table; foot of a mountain.

VII. What other figurative meanings of different parts of the body do you know?

VIII. Look at the table below. Note the use of the Active and Passive voices. Do all the sentences stand in the right place? Find out in what sort of sentences each voice is likely to be used.

IX. Rewrite the sentences into the opposite voice.

While Sherlock Holmes had been telling the details of event, we had been driving through the outskirts of the great town until the last houses had been left behind, and we rode across the countryside. Just as he finished, however, we drove through two villages, where there were still a few lights in the windows.

“We are on the outskirts of Lee,” said my friend. “We have visited three English counties in our short drive, starting in Middlesex, passing over an angle of Surrey, and ending in Kent. See that light among the trees? That is The Cedars, and beside that lamp sits a woman and I’m sure her anxious ears have already heard the clink of our horse’s feet.”

“But why are you not conducting the case from Baker Street?” I asked.

“Because there are many inquiries which must be made out here. Mrs. St. Clair has most kindly put two rooms at my disposal,[30] and you may stay and be sure that she will have nothing but a welcome for my friend and colleague. I don’t want to meet her, Watson, when I have no news of her husband. Here we are.”

We had stopped in front of a large villa which was surrounded by its own garden. A servant had taken the horses away, and I followed Holmes up the small path which led to the house. As we came closer, the door opened, and a little blonde woman stood in the opening, dressed in some sort of light mousseline de soie.[31] She stood with her figure outlined against the light, one hand upon the door, one half-raised in her impatience, with bright eyes and her mouth open she was a standing question.

“Well?” she cried, “well?” And then, seeing that there were two of us, she gave a cry of hope. But Holmes shook his head and shrugged his shoulders.

“No good news?”

“None.”

“No bad?”

“No.”

“Thank God for that. But come in. You must be tired, for you have had a long day.”

“This is my friend, Dr. Watson. He has helped me a lot in several of my cases, and a lucky chance has made it possible for me to bring him here and involve him in this investigation.”

“I am glad to see you,” said she, shaking my hand warmly. “Sorry for the inconvenience you may feel here, the trouble has come so suddenly upon us.”

“My dear madam,” said I, “I am an old soldier. Besides I can very well see that no apology is needed. If I can help, either you or my friend here, I will be indeed happy.”

“Now, Mr. Sherlock Holmes,” said the lady as we entered a well-lit dining-room, upon the table of which was a cold supper, “I should very much like to ask you one or two plain questions. Please give me plain answers to them.”

“Certainly, madam.”

“Do not worry about my feelings. I am not hysterical. I simply wish to hear your real, real opinion.”

“About what?”

“In your heart of hearts,[32] do you think that Neville is alive?”

Sherlock Holmes seemed to be confused by the question. “Frankly, now!” she repeated.

“Frankly, then, madam, I do not.”

“You think that he is dead?”

“I do.”

“Murdered?”

“I don’t say that. Perhaps.”

“And on what day did he meet his death?”

“On Monday.”

“Then perhaps, Mr. Holmes, you will be good enough to explain how it is that I have received a letter from him today.”

Sherlock Holmes jumped out of his chair.

“What!” he cried.

“Yes, today.” She stood smiling, holding up a little sheet of paper.

“May I see it?”

“Certainly.”

He took it from her impatiently, laid it on the table and examined it carefully in the lamplight. I had left my chair and was looking at it over his shoulder. The envelope was very cheap and was stamped with the Gravesend postmark and with the date of that very day, or rather of the day before, because it was after midnight.

“Surely this is not your husband’s writing, madam,” said Holmes.

“No, but the enclosure is.”

“I can also see that the man who addressed the envelope had to go and ask about the address.”

“How can you tell that?”

“The name, you see, is in perfectly black ink, which has dried itself. The rest is of the gray colour, which shows that blotting-paper[33] has been used. If it had been written at once, and then blotted, none would be of a deep black colour. This man has written the name, and there has then been a pause before he wrote the address, which can only mean that he didn’t know it. It is, of course, a detail, but there is nothing so important as details. Let us now see the letter. Ha! there has been some object here!”

“Yes, there was a ring. His signet-ring.[34]”

“And you are sure that this is your husband’s writing?”

“One of them.”

“One?”

“His writing when he wrote in a hurry. It is very unlike his usual writing, but I know it well.”

“ ‘Dearest do not be frightened. All will come well. There is a huge mistake which it may take some little time to put right. Wait in patience. – NEVILLE.’ Written in pencil upon the leaf of a book, no water-mark. Hum! Posted today in Gravesend by a man with a dirty finger. Ha! And the envelope has been sealed by a person who had been chewing tobacco. And are you sure that it is your husband’s hand, madam?”

“Absolutely. Neville wrote those words.”

“And they were posted today at Gravesend. Well, Mrs. St. Clair, the clouds lighten, though I can’t say that the danger is over.”

“But he must be alive, Mr. Holmes.”

“Unless this is a clever forgery to put us on the wrong scent.[35] The ring, after all, proves nothing. It may have been taken from him.”

“No, no; it is, it is his own writing!”

“Very well. It may, however, have been written on Monday and only posted today.”

“That is possible.”

“If so, something may have happened between.”

“Oh, you must not discourage me, Mr. Holmes. I know that all is well with him. There is such strong sympathy between us that I should know if evil came upon him.[36] On the last day that I saw him he cut himself in the bedroom. I was in the dining-room, but I rushed upstairs immediately, because I was sure that something had happened. Do you think that I would react on such a trifle, but wouldn’t feel his death?”

“I have seen too much and I know that the impression of a woman may be more valuable than the logical conclusion. And in this letter you certainly have a very strong piece of evidence to prove your view. But if your husband is alive and able to write letters, why would he be away from you?”

“I cannot imagine. It is unexplainable.”

“And on Monday he said nothing before leaving you?”

“No.”

“And you were surprised to see him in Swandam Lane?”

“Very much so.”

“Was the window open?”

“Yes.”

“Then, maybe, he called you?”

“Maybe.”

“He only, as I understand, gave an inarticulate cry?”

“Yes.”

“A call for help, you thought?”

“Yes. He waved his hands.”

“But it might have been a cry of surprise. He didn’t expect to see you, and it might have caused him to throw up his hands?”

“It is possible.”

“And you thought somebody pulled him back?”

“He disappeared so suddenly.”

“He might have jumped back. You did not see anyone else in the room?”

“No, but this horrible man confessed he had been there, and the Lascar was at the foot of the stairs.”

“Quite so. Your husband, as far as you could see, had his ordinary clothes on?”

“But without his collar or tie. I certainly saw it.”

“Had he ever spoken of Swandam Lane?”

“Never.”

“Had he ever showed any signs of having taken opium?”

“Never.”

“Thank you, Mrs. St. Clair. Those are the main points about which I wanted to be absolutely clear. We shall now have a little supper and then go to sleep, because we may have a very busy day tomorrow.”

A large and comfortable double-bedded room was prepared for us, and I went quickly to bed, because I was tired after my night of adventure. Sherlock Holmes was a man, however, who, when he had an unsolved problem upon his mind, would work for days, and even for a week, without rest, turning it over, looking at it from every point of view until he had either solved it or understood that he had not had enough facts. Soon I realized that he was now preparing for an all-night sitting. He took off his coat and waistcoat, put on a large blue dressing-gown, and then walked about the room taking pillows from his bed and cushions from the sofa and armchairs. With these he constructed a sort of Eastern divan, upon which he sat cross-legged, with some tobacco and a box of matches laid out in front of him. In the light of the lamp I saw him sitting there, an old pipe between his lips, his eyes fixed indifferently upon the corner of the ceiling, the blue smoke curling up from him, silent, motionless, with the light shining upon his aquiline features.

I. Study the expression in italics. What is the other way to express the same meaning?

…and you may stay and be sure that she will have nothing but a welcome for my friend and colleague.

a – adjective – прилагательное

adv – adverb – наречие

n – noun – имя существительное

v – verb – глагол

absorb – v поглощать

acquaintance – n знакомство, знакомый

addict – v увлечься, пристраститься, быть заядлым любителем чего-либо

amount – v равняться чему-либо, составлять (какую-либо сумму)

apology – n извинение

aquiline – a орлиный

ashamed – a пристыженный

authorities – n начальство, администрация, власти

back – v поддерживать, финансировать

bar – n прут решетки

beat – n обход

beggar – n попрошайка, нищий

betray – v выдавать, предавать

bleed – v кровоточить

blot – n пятно, позор, бесчестие

blot – v стирать, сглаживать

bow – v гнуть(ся), сгибать(ся), наклонять(ся)

brazier – n жаровня

brewer – n пивовар

brick – n кирпич; кубик

cart – n повозка, телега, экипаж

cell – n тюремная камера

charge – v возлагать ответственность; осуждать, ставить в вину

charity – n милостыня, подаяние

chew – v жевать

chronicler – n хроникер, летописец

chuckle – v посмеиваться

clew – n разгадка

clink – n звон

coarsely – adv грубо

collar – n воротник

comfort – v успокаивать, утешать, подбадривать, обнадеживать

commission – n поручение

commit – v совершать

concern – v иметь отношение, быть замешанным

condition – n условие

conduct – v вести

confess – v признавать(ся)

county – n графство

court – n суд

crippled – a хромой, искалеченный

curious – a любопытный

curl – v клубиться, виться

cushion – n диванная подушка

deal – n доска, древесина

debt – n долг

definite – a ясный, точный, четкий

delusion – n галлюцинация

den – n притон

detain – v задерживать, арестовывать

develop – v развивать(ся)

discourage – v удручать, лишать силы духа, обескураживать

discovery – n открытие

distinctly – adv отчетливо, четко, ясно

dock – n док, пристань, причал

dregs – n отбросы общества, отребье

dressing-gown – n халат

drift – v относить, гнать (ветром, течением)

editor – n редактор

elbow – n локоть

enclosure – n вложение

execution – n казнь, наказание

faint – v падать в обморок

fine – n штраф

fist – n кулак

flick – v слегка удрать, хлестнуть; сбросить, стряхнуть

flow – v струиться, течь

forehead – n лоб

forgery – n подделка, подлог, фальшивка

frankly – adv открыто, откровенно

frantically – adv безумно, неистово, яростно

furnished – a меблированный, обставленный

gap – n дыра

ghastly – a наводящий ужас, жуткий, страшный

glance – v бросить взгляд

good-fortune – n удача, везение, счастливый случай

gradually – adv постепенно

greenroom – n артистическое фойе, гримерка

hearty – a сердечный, веселый, искренний

hollow – n выемка, углубление

hypothesis – n гипотеза

hysterical – a истерический, истеричный

inarticulate – a нечленораздельный

indebted – a обязанный

inflict – v наносить рану, причинять боль

ink – n чернила

innocent – a невинный

inquiry – n расследование, следствие

investigation – n расследование, следствие

irresistible – a непреодолимый

ledger – n бухгалтерская книга, гроссбух

lid – n крышка, веко

light-house – n маяк

limp – n хромота

lodger – n жилец, квартирант, съемщик

madden – v сводить с ума

make up – v гримировать(ся)

moisten – v увлажнять, мочить, смачивать

motionless – a неподвижный

mumble – v бормотать, бурчать

mutter – v бормотать, говорить тихо

necktie – n галстук

neighborhood – n соседство, окрестность

noble – a благородный

occupation – n род деятельности, занятие

ordinary – a обыкновенный, обычный, простой

ostensibly – a якобы, по видимости

outline – v обрисовывать, очерчивать контур

outskirts – n окраина, предместья

owe – v быть должным

parcel – n посылка

pat – v похлопывать

pavement – n тротуар

peel – v снимать, очищать, соскабливать, отшелушивать

pipe – n трубка

piteous – a жалкий, достойный сострадания

pluck – v выдергивать, срывать

pour – v литься

prey – n добыча, жертва

principal – n ректор, директор

proprietor – n собственник, владелец, хозяин

prosecute – v преследовать в судебном порядке

protrude – v высовываться, выдаваться, выступать, торчать

publicity – n гласность

quest – n поиски

recall – v вспоминать

refined – a изысканный, утонченный, благородный

regulation – n правил, норма, порядок, инструкция

remedy – v исправлять

request – n просьба, требование

riverside – n берег реки, прибрежная полоса

salute – v приветствовать, отдавать честь

satisfy – v удовлетворять

scar – n шрам

seal – v скреплять печатью

self-control – n самообладание

shrug – v пожимать(плечами)

shuffle – v шаркать, волочить ноги

skill – n умение, навык, искусство, мастерство

slave – n раб

slop-shop – n магазин дешевого готового платья

sob – v рыдать, всхлипывать

sorely – adv чрезвычайно, в высшей степени; мучительно, тягостно

source – n источник

stamp – v штамповать, запечатывать

stout – a крепкий, плотный; полный, тучный

stuff – v набивать, запихивать, засовывать

stupefy – v притуплять, лишать чувствительности, вводить в оцепенение

sweep – v сметать, сносить

tattered – a изорванный, оборванный, в лохмотьях

thread – n нить, связь

tide – n прилив

tiny – a крошечный

trace – n след

trap – n ловушка

trusty – a верный, надежный

twinkle – v мерцать, подмигивать

twist – v скручивать, извивать, искривлять

twitch – v дергать, тащить

unkempt – a непричесанный, взлохмаченный

valuable – a ценный

veil – n вуаль

villain – n злодей, негодяй

violence – n насилие

visible – a видимый, очевидный, явный

waistcoat – n жилет

water jug – n кувшин для воды

wave – v махать

wharf – n пристань, причал, верфь

whistle – v свистеть

widen – v расширяться

wig – n парик

windowsill – n подоконник

wit – n остроумие, ум

wreck – n развалина

wrinkle – n морщина

writing – n почерк