The San Francisco Call. Newspaper, May 28, 1905, Page 2

THE SAN FRANCISCO SUNDAY CALL. . ord Bell The - « hardly with eve etic face looked The ent in question is nce that pub- —I might al- to European most moment. It that peace Tnless its with the ut- as well not hat is aimed it is that its ally known.” Mr. Trelawney h obliged if you the circumstances n & very few words, letter—for it was a 1tate—was re- of such ver left it in n it across each se in Whitehall Ter- my bedroom in a box. It was there last t I am certain. I actually le I was dressing for document inside. The dispatch- I am a light We are both t no one could have uring the night. e paper is gone.” before you went to ad gone to the theater. 1 her. It was half-past it to our room.” rs the dispatch-box T permitted to enter that housemaid in the morn- valet, or my ‘e's maid, of the dny?v“‘rhcy are s who have been with Eesides, neither of have known that nodded approvingly. known, sir, how high 1s duty,” ‘said he. “I in the case of & secret intimate domestic ties.” an Secretary bowed. o more than justice, sir. have never breathed wife upon this matter.” ve guessed?” “No, Mr. Holmes, she could not have guessed—nor Could any one have guessed.” “Have you 10st any documents before?" “No, sir.” “Who is there in England who aid kifow of the existence of this letter?” ch member of the Cabinet was in- sterday, but the pledge of attends every Cabinet incressed by "the solemn h was given by the Prime vod heavens, to think that within g few houps I should myself have lost it!” His bandsome face was dis- torted with a spasm of despair, and his bands tore ‘st his Halr. For a moment was it would rise superior * ad has seen n who wrote it. I am that hi inisters—that al channels have not been need 1 offi considered for some little time. must ask you more par- cument is, and why smen exchanged a quick Premler’s - shaggy eve- cd in a frown. Holmes, the envelope is a long, e of pale blue color. Ther ed with a crou n large, bold hand- d il 5 d Holmes, *that, in- ing and indeed essential as these my inquiries must go more to the ot of things. What was the state secret of the uimost 1 fear that I cannot o I see that it is necessary. d of the powers W you can find ich you are ve deserved well of your coun- 1 earned any reward which it lles ur power to bestow.” >ck Holmes rose with a smile. of the most busy men in 3 aid he, “and in my own 1 have also a good many calls 1 regret that I c help you in this matter, and any continuation of this interview would be a waste of time. The Premier sprang to his feet with quick, fierce gleam of his deep-set before which a Cabinet has cowered. am not accustomed, sir,” he began, but mastered hjs anger and resumed his seat. For a minute or more we all sat sflence. Then the old statesman ged his s iders. ‘We must accept your terms, Mr. Holmes. No doubt you are right, and it is unreasonable for us to expect you to act unles we give you- our entire con- fid, agree with you,” said the younger statesman. ¢ “Then I will tell. you, relying entirely upon your honor and that of your col- league, Dr. Watson. 1 may appeal to your patriotism also, for I could mnot imagine a greater misfortune for the country than that this affair should come ou may safely trust us.” “The letter, they, is from a certain forelgn potentate who has been ruffied some recent colonial developments of country. It has been written hur- and upon his own responsibiiity en- Inquiries have shown that his Ministers know nothing of the matter. At the seme time it is couched in so unfor- tunate a manner, and certain phrases in it are of so provocative a character, that its puplication would undoubtedly lead to dangerous state of feeling in this There would be such a ferment, sir, I do not hesitate to say that within a week of the publication of that letter this country would be involved in a great wa }?";lmes wrote a name upon a slip of paper and handed it to the Premier. “Exactly. It was he. And it is this jetter—this letter which may well mean the expenditure of a thousand millions and the lives of 100,000 men—which has become lost in this unaccountable fash- n. . o Have you informed the sender?” Yes, sir: @ cipher telegram has been dispatched.” “Perhaps he desires the puvlication of the letter.” “No, sir; we have strong reason to be- lieve that he already understands that he has acted in an indiscreet and hot- headed manner. It would be a greater blow to him 'and to his country than to us if this letter were to come out.” “If this is so, whose interestis it that the letter should come out? Why should eny one desire to steal it or to publish it “There, Mr. Holmes you take me into regions of high International politics. But if you consider the European situa- tion you will have no difficulty in percely- ing the motive. The whole of BEurope is an armed camp. There is a double league which makes a fair balance of military power. Great Britain holds the scales. If Britain were driven into wan with one confederacy it would assure the supremacy of the otaer confederacy, whether they joined In the war gr not. Do you follow?” “Very clearly. It ig then the interest of the enemies of this potentate to secure and publish this letter, so as to make a breach between his country and ours?” “Yes, sir.”’ “And to whom would this document be sent if it fell into the hands of an enemy 7’ ““To any of the great Chancelleries of Europe. It is probably speeding on its way thither at the present Instant as fast as steam can take it.” relawney Hope dropped his head on hi? chest and groaned aloud. The Pre- mier placed bis hand kindly upon his shoulder. “It s your misfortune, my dear fellow. No one can blame you. There is no pre- caution which you have neglected. Now, Mr. Holmes, you are in full possession of the factg. What course do you rec- ommend? Holmes shook his head mournfully. “You think, sir, that unless this docu- ment is recovered there will be war?” “I think it is very probable.” ‘“Then, sir, prepart for war.” “That is & hard saying, Mr. Holmes. “Consider the facts sir. It is incon- ceivable that it was taken after 11:30 at night, since I understand that Mr. Hope and his wife were both in the room from that hour until the loss was found out. It was taken then yesterday evening be- tween 7:30 and 11:30, probably near the earlier hour, since whoever took it evi- dently knew that it was there, and would naturally secure it as early as pos- sible. Now, sir, if a document of. this importance were taken at that hour, where can it be new? No one has any reason to retain it. It has been passed rapidly on to those who need it. What chance have we now to overtake or even to ‘trace it? It Is beyond our reach.” The Prime Minister rose from the set- tee. “What you say is perfectly logical, Mr. Holmes. I feel that the matter js indeed out of ovr hands.” “Let us presume, for argument’s sake, that the document was taken by the maid or by the valet—" “They are both old and tried servants.” “I understand you to say that your room Is on the second floor, that there Is no entrance from without, and that from within no one could go up unob- served. It must, then, be somebody in the house who has taken it. To whaom would the thief take it?. To ome of sev- eral international sples and secret agents, whose names are tolerably familiar to me. There are three who may be sald to be the heads of thelr profession. I will begin my research by going round and finding if each of them is at-his post. If one is missing—especially if he has dis- appeared since last night—we will have some indication as to where the docu- ment has gone.” ““Why should he be missing?” asked the European Secretary. ‘‘He would take the letter to an embassy in London as likely as not.” “‘I fancy not. These agents work inde- pendently, and their relations with the embassies are often strained.” The Prime Minister nodded his quicscence. “‘I believe you are right, Mr. Holmes. He would take so valuable a prize to headquarters with ‘his own hands. I think that your course of action is an excellent one. Meanwhile, Hope, we can- not negleet all gur other duties on ac- count of this one. misfortune. Should there be any fresh developments during the day ‘we shall communicate with you, and you will no doubt let us know ‘the results of your own inquiries.”” The two statesmen bowed and walked gravely from the room. When our iliustrious visitors had de- parted Holmes lit his pipé In silence,k ana sat for some time lost in the deepest thought. I had opened the morning paper and was immersed in a sensational crime which had occured in London the night before, when my friend gave an exclamation, sprang to his feet and laid his pipe down upon the mantelpiece. “Yes,” sald he, “there is no better way of approaching ‘it. The situation is des- perate, but not- hopel Even now, it we could be sure -which: of them has taken it, it is just possible that it has not- yet passed out of his hands. After all, it is a question of money with these fellows, and I have the British treasury behind me. If it's on the market I'll buy it—if it means another penny on the income-tax. It is conceivable that the fellow might hold it back to see what bids come from this side before he tries his luck on thé cther. There are only those three capable of playing so hold a game—there are Oberstein, La Rothiere and Eduardo Lucas. I will see each of them.” 1 glanced at my morning paper. “Is that Eduarde Lucas of Godolphin street?” “‘Yes, “You will not see him.” “Why not?” “He was murdered in his house ilast night.” My friend has so often astonished me in the course of our adventures that it was with a sense of exuitation that I replized how completely I had astonished him. He stared in amazement, and then snatched the paper from my hands. This was the paragraph which I had been en- gaged in reading when he rose from his chair, MURDER IN WESTMINSTER. A crime cf .mysterious charaster was com- mitted last night at 16 Godolphin street, one of the old-fushioned and- secluded rows of eighteenth century houses which lis between the river and the ‘Abbey, almost in the shadow of ihe great Tower of the Houses of Parlia-' ment. This small but selest mansion has been inhabited for some years vy Mr. Eduardo Lu- cas, well known in ‘society circles both on ac- count of his charming personality and because he has the well deserved -Teputation of being ¢ne of the best amateur tenors in the country. Mr. Lucas is an unmarried man, thirty-four years of ege, ar:d his establishment coasists of Mrs. Pringle, un elderly housekeeper, and of Mitton, his valet. The former retires early and siceps at the top of the house. The valet was out for the evening, visiting a friend at Hammersmith. ten o'clock onward Mr. Lucas had the. houss to himself. What curred during that time has not yet transpired, ac- > no_angwer. reefving foom. he advemced info the ced, but & pushed open the door and entered. m was in a state of wild disorder, the furniture all being swept 10 gne side, and ane chalr lying on its back in tne center. e this chalr, and ‘stil] grasping one of its legs, lay the unfortunate-tenant of the: house. He had been stabbed to the heart and must have died instantly. The knife with which the committed was & carved Ind had been nnm 5" ttempt t no - at 0 re- the 10 Mr. Tduardo Lucas was 80 known and p that his viclent and W&Mfl painful interest and i sympathy a Wwidespread circie of friends. i % ““Well, Watson, w! do you make of - this?” asked Holmes,. after-a long pause. 5 77 was Zrery?? . facts. I-beg you then, ! me exactiy what “It 1s an 'lamazing coincidence.” “A coincidence! Here is one of the three men whom we had named as pos- sible actors in Whis drama, and he meets a violent death during the very hours when we know that that drama was being enacted. The odds are enormous against it being coincidence. No figures can éxpress them. No, my dear Watson, the two events are ‘con- nected—must be connected. It is for us to find the connection.” “But now the official police know all” / “Not at all. They know all they see at Godolphin street. They know—and shall know—nothing of Whitehall Ter- race. Only we know of hoth events and ‘can trace the relation between them. There is one obvious point which would, in any case, have turned my suspiclous against Lucas. Godol- phin street, Westminster, is only a few minutes’ walk from Whitehall Terrace. The other secret agents whom I have named live in the exereme West End. It was easier, therefore, for Lucas than for the others to establish a connection or receive a message from the European Secretary’s household—a small thing, and yet where events are compressed ~ into a few hours it may prove essential. Halloa! what have we here?” Mrs. Hudson had appeared must with a lady’'s card upon her salver. Holmes glanced at it, raised his eycbrows, and bhanded it over to me. “Ask Lady Hilda Trelawney Hope if she will be kin enough to- step up,” said he. A moment ment, already so distinguished that morning, was further honored by the entrance. of the most lovely woman in London. I had often heard ef the beauty of the youngest daughter of the Duke of BRelminster, but no description of it. and no contemplation of colorless photographs, had prepared me for the subtle, delicate charm and the beauti- fui coloring of that exaquisite head. And vet as we saw it that autumn morning, it was not its beguty which would be the first thing to impress the observer. The cheek was lovely but it was paled with emotion, the ecyes were bright but it was the brightness of fever, the sensitivemouth was tight and drawn in an effort after self-com- mand. Terror—not beauty—was what sprang first to the eye as our fair vis- itor stood framed for an instant in the open door. “Has my husband been - here, Holmes?"” “Yes, madam, he has been here.” “Mr. Holmes, I implore you not to tell him that I came here” Holmes bowed coldly and motioned the lady to a chair. 4 % “Your ladyship places me in a very . delicate position. I beg that you will sit down and tell me what you desire, but I fear that I cannot make any un- conditional promise.” . She swept across the room and seated herself with her back to the window. It was a queenly presence—tall, grace: ful and Intensely womanly. “Mr. Holmes,” she said—and her white-gloved hands clasped and un- clapsed as she spoke—'I will speak Mr. ‘t:(-lnkly to y:m in the hopes thilt uc‘:{ luce you to speak fi < in retu There is completa'eozflg’n between iny husband and me on all matters save one. That one is politics. .On this his lips are sealed. He tells me not 3 Now, I am aware that there was a m deplorable occurrence in our-house last night. , I know that a paper.has diss nnfwad'. But because the matter is political m: hi ref) to_tak uld y. husband ses to_ take you would Adence. ~Now *What me into his complete confidence. it is essential—essential, I say—that 1 should thoroughly understand it. You are the only other person, save these politicians, who knows the . e for finr client’ interests keep you- silent, for I assure : “From ‘whiéh You that his interests, if he would only dropped in the first shock of see it, would be !ut served by taking me into his co ”&0“ confldence. What.- was this paper which was stolen?” impossible.” She groaned and sank her face in her - Yoi }' }t'w'wk ov n t ove me, e ks iy “Is ‘my husband's political 3 = x aster I understoqd that terridie public co ences might arise from the loss of this document.” - “It he sald so, I certainly cannot deny {t.” ) “Of what nature are they?” “Nay, madam; there n you ask me more than I can possibly answer.” “Then I will up no mere of your time. I ot blame you, Mr. Holmes, ltpl' ha refused to speak more free- y; and lam, what you ask me is really s :lut see that this is so, madam. ysband nks fit to keep you this matter, is it for learned the true d's etles. Once more I ‘beg that you will say nothing of my visit" 4 < 5 : She looked back at us from tne door, & great service it het -l:éhn me 0] {nt. ?;1‘ t’uu‘fd n: i th s tled u n_one point.” ul unted face, e star i ‘ eyes and the dPawn mouth. Then she career suffer h this incident?” .urlers 1t 1s set signt talnly have a very unfortu- this dis- = “Hum! of her son—her manner, her suppressed excite- ment, Her restlessness, her tepacity in asking questions. Rememper that she comes of a caste who do not lightly show emotion.’” & “She was certainly much moved. “Remember also the curlous ecarnest- ness with which she assured us that it was best for her husband that she should know all. What did she mean by that? And you must have observed, Watson, how she maneuvered to have the light at her back. She did not wish us to read her expression.” “Yes, she chose the one chalr in the room. “And vet the motives of women are so Inscrutable. You remesabar the woman at-Margate whom I suspected .for the same reason. No powder om her nose— that proved to be the correst solution. How can you build on a _quick- sand? = Their most trivial tion may mean - volumes,. or tieir most extra- ordinary conduct may ‘depend upom . a hairpin or a eurling tongs. Good morn- ing. Watson." . “You are oft?” "!‘-.lvm'hn-.ww;_wn Godolphin strest” with of the regular establishment. With Eduardo