Books at Bedtime
The sign of the 4, chapter 11, the great agra treasure
Our captive sat in the cabin opposite to the iron box which he had done so much work and waited so long to gain
He was sunburned, reckless eyed fellow, with a network of lines and wrinkles all over his mahogany features which told of a hard open air life
There was a single evidence about his bearded chin which marked a man who was not to be easily turned from his purpose
His age may have been 50 or thereabouts for his black curly hair was thickly shocked with grey
His face in repose was not an unpleasing one though his heavy brows and aggressive chin gave him as I had seen lately a terrible expression when moved to anger
He sat now with his handcuffed hands upon his lap and his head sunk upon his breast while he looked with his keen twinkling eyes at the box which had been the cause of his ill-doings
It seemed to me that there was more sorrow than anger in his rigid and contained countenance
Once he looked up at me with a gleam of something like humour in his eyes
I don't believe that I can swing over the job I give you my word on the book that I never raised hands against Mr. Shalto
It was that little hell hound-tonger who shot one of his cursed darts into him
I had no part in it sir I was grieved as if I had been my own blood red letter
I had welded the little devil with the slack end of the rope for it but it was done and I could not undo it
"Have a cigar," said Holmes, "and you at best take a pull out of my flask. You are very wet. How could you expect so small and weaker man as this little black fellow to overpower Mr. Shalto and hold him while you were climbing the rope?"
"You seem to know as much about it as if you were there sir," the truth is that I'd hoped to find the room clear
"I knew the habits of the house pretty well and it was the time when Mr. Shalto usually went down to his supper
I shall make no secret of the business. The best defence that I can make is just the simple truth
Now, if it had been the old major I would have swung for him with a light heart. I would have thought no more of nithing him than of smoking this cigar
But it's cursed his heart that I should be lagged over this young Shalto with whom I had no quarrel whatsoever
You are under the charge of Mr. Ass-Elne Jones of Scotland Yard. He is going to bring you up to my rooms and I shall ask you for a true account of the matter
You must make a clean breast of it, but if you do I hope that I may be of use to you
I think I can prove that the poison acts so quickly that the man was dead before you even reached his room
That he was, sir. I never got such a turn in my life as when I saw him grinning at me with his head on his shoulder as I climbed through the window
It fairly shook me, sir. I'd have killed a tonga for it if I had not scrambled off
That was how he came to leave his club and some of his darts too as he tells me
Which I dare say helped put you on our track though how you kept on it is more than I can tell
I don't feel no malice against you for it but it does seem a queer thing here with a bit of smile
That I who have a fair claim to nigh upon half a million of the money should spend the first half of my life building a breakwater in the adamans
And I'm likely to spend the other half digging drains at Dartmore
It was an evil day for me when I first clapped eyes upon the merchant Acnec and to do so with the Acra treasure
Which never brought anything but a curse yet upon the man who owned it
To him it brought murder, to Major Sholto it brought fear and guilt and to me it has meant slavery for life
At this moment a Thelny Jones thrust his bored face and heavy shoulders into the tiny cabin
Quite a family party human mark I think I shall have a pull at the first
Well I think we may all congratulate each other
Pity we didn't take the other alive but there was no choice I say Holmes you must confess that you cut it rather fine
It was all we could do to overhaul her
All is well that ends well said Holmes but I certainly did not know that the aurora was such a clipper
Smith says she is one of the fastest launchers on the river and that if he had had another man to help him with the engines we should never have caught her
He swears he knew nothing of this norwood business
Neither he did cried our prisoner not a word I chose his launch because I heard that she was a flyer
We told him nothing but we paid him well and he was to get something handsome if we reached our vessel
The Esmeralda at Gravesland outward bound for the Brazils
Well if he has done no wrong we shall see that no wrong comes to him
If we are pretty quick in catching our men we are not so quick and condemning them
It was amusing to notice how the consequential Jones was already begin to give himself airs on the strength of the capture
From the slight smile which played over Sherlock Holmes' face I could see that the speech had not been lost upon him
We will be at Voxel Bridge presently said Jones and she will land you Dr Watson with the treasure box
I need hardly tell you that I am taking a very grave responsibility upon myself in doing this
It is most irregular but of course an agreement is an agreement
I must however as a matter of duty send an expector with you since you are so valuable a charge you will drive no doubt
Yes I shall drive it is a pity there is no key that we may make an inventory first
You will have to break it open where is the key my man?
It is at the bottom of the river said small shortly
Hmm there is no use giving us this unnecessary trouble
We have had work enough already though, however doctor
I need not warn you to be careful bring the box back with you to Baker Street rooms you will find us there on our way to the station
They landed me at Voxel with my heavy iron box and with a bluff genial inspector as my companion
A quarter of an hour's drive brought us to Mrs Cecil Forrestes
The servant seemed surprised at so late a visitor
Mrs Cecil Forrestes was out for the evening she explained and likely to be very late
Miss Mauston however was in the drawing room so to the drawing room I went box in hand leaving the obliging inspector in the cab
She was seated by the open window dressed in some sort of white diaphanus material
with a little touch of scarlet at the neck and waist
The soft light of a shaded lamp fell upon her as she leaned back in the basket chair
playing over her sweet grey face and tinting with a dull metallic sparkle the rich coils of her luxuriant hair
One white arm and hand grouped over the side of the chair and her whole poise and figure spoke of an absorbing man and collie
At the sound of my footfall she sprang to her feet however and a bright flush of surprise and of pleasure coloured her pale cheeks
"I heard a cab arrive" she said
"I thought that Mrs. Forrestes had come back very early but I never dreamed that it may be you
"What news have you brought me?"
"I have brought something better than news," said I
"I am putting down the box upon the table and speaking joevely and boisterously though my heart was heavy within me
"I have brought you something which is worth all the news in the world
"I have brought you a fortune"
She glanced at the iron box
"Is that the treasure then?" she asked called in
"Yes, this is the great agro treasure
"Half of it is yours and half is Thaddeus' shoulders
"You have a couple of hundred thousand each, think of that
"An annuity of ten thousand pounds
"There will be a few richer ladies in England
"Is that not glorious?"
"I think that I must have been rather overacting my delight
"And that she detected a hollow ring of my congratulations
"For I saw her eyebrows rise a little and she glanced me curiously
"If I have it," she said, "I owe it to you
"No, no I answered, not to me, but to my friend Sherlock Holmes
"With all the will in the world, I could never have followed up a clue
"which is taxed even his analytical genius
"As it was, we very lately lost it at the last moment
"Pray sit down and tell me all about it, Dr. Watson," said she
"I narrated briefly what had occurred since I'd seen her last
"Homes is new method of search, the discovery of the aurora,
"the appearance of a Thelny Jones, our expedition in the evening
"and the wild chase down the Thames
"She listened with parted lips and shining eyes
"to my recital of the adventures
"When I spoke of the dart which had so narrowly missed us,
"she turned so white that I feared that she was about to faint
"It is nothing," she said, "as I hastened to pour her out some water
"I am all right again, it was a shock to me to hear
"that I had placed my friends in such horrible peril
"That is all over," I answered, "it was nothing
"I will tell you no more gloomy details
"Let us turn to something brighter
"There is the treasure, what could be brighter than that?
"I got to leave to bring it with me, thinking that it would interest you
"to be the first to see it
"It would be of greatest interest to me," she said,
"that there was no eagerness in her voice, however
"It had struck her, doubtless, that it might seeming gracious
"upon her part to be indifferent to a prize
"that had cost so much to win
"What a pretty box," she said, stooping over it
"This is Indian work, I suppose
"Yes, it is Bernard's metalwork
"And so heavy," she exclaimed, trying to raise it
"The box alone must be of some value, where is the key?"
"Small through it into the Thames," I answered
"I must borrow Mrs. Forestler's poker
"There was, in the front, a thick and broad house,
"wrought in the image of a sitting-butter
"Under this, I thrust the end of the poker
"and twisted it outward as a lever
"The house sprang open with a loud snap
"With trembling fingers, I flung back the lid
"We both stood gazing in astonishment
"The box was empty
"No wonder that it was heavy
"The ironwork was two-thirds of an inch thick
"All around, it was massive, well-made and solid
"Like a chest, constructed to carry things of great price
"But not one shred or crum of metal or jewelry lay within it
"It was absolutely and completely empty
"The treasure is lost, Mrs. Mauston, calmly
"As I listened to the words and realised what they meant
"A great shadow seemed to pass from my soul
"I did not know how the acro-trasier had weighed me down
"Until now that it was finally removed
"It was selfish, no doubt, disloyal, wrong
"But I could not realise nothing saved
"That the golden barrier was gone from between us
"Thank God I had calculated for my very heart
"She looked at me with a quick questioning smile
"Why did you say that, she asked?
"Because you are within my reach again," I said, taking her hand
"She did not withdraw it
"Because I love you, Mary, as truly as ever a man
"had loved a woman
"Because this treasure, these riches sealed my lips
"Now that they are gone, I can tell you how I love you
"That is why I said, thank God."
Then I say, thank God too, she whispered as she drew her to my side
"Whoever had lost her treasure, I knew that night
"That I had gained one."