├── Exercise Files.tar.gz ├── LICENSE ├── README.md ├── _config.yml └── sherlock.txt /Exercise Files.tar.gz: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- https://raw.githubusercontent.com/UIACC/unix-journey/b6eba57308d95f844d159711a29d449dc6a84a5e/Exercise Files.tar.gz -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /LICENSE: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | MIT License 2 | 3 | Copyright (c) 2019 UIA Code Club 4 | 5 | Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy 6 | of this software and associated documentation files (the "Software"), to deal 7 | in the Software without restriction, including without limitation the rights 8 | to use, copy, modify, merge, publish, distribute, sublicense, and/or sell 9 | copies of the Software, and to permit persons to whom the Software is 10 | furnished to do so, subject to the following conditions: 11 | 12 | The above copyright notice and this permission notice shall be included in all 13 | copies or substantial portions of the Software. 14 | 15 | THE SOFTWARE IS PROVIDED "AS IS", WITHOUT WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR 16 | IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO THE WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY, 17 | FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE AND NONINFRINGEMENT. IN NO EVENT SHALL THE 18 | AUTHORS OR COPYRIGHT HOLDERS BE LIABLE FOR ANY CLAIM, DAMAGES OR OTHER 19 | LIABILITY, WHETHER IN AN ACTION OF CONTRACT, TORT OR OTHERWISE, ARISING FROM, 20 | OUT OF OR IN CONNECTION WITH THE SOFTWARE OR THE USE OR OTHER DEALINGS IN THE 21 | SOFTWARE. 22 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /README.md: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | # UNIX Journey Workshop: 2 | 3 | ### Table of Content: 4 | - [1. What is UNIX?](#1-what-is-unix-?) 5 | - [2. History of UNIX?](#2-history-of-unix) 6 | - [3. UNIX Architecture](#3-unix-architecture) 7 | - [3.1 Kernel](#31-kernel) 8 | - [3.2 shell](#32-shell) 9 | - [3.3 Programs](#33-programs) 10 | - [4. Why use UNIX?](#4-why-use-unix) 11 | - [5. UNIX File system](#5-unix-file-system) 12 | - [5.1 Quick notes](#51-quick-notes) 13 | - [5.2 The File system Hierarchy](#52-the-file-system-hierarchy) 14 | - [6. Basic commands](#6-basic-commands) 15 | - [6.1 Command Structure](#61-command-structure) 16 | - [6.2 Common commands](#62-common-commands) 17 | - [7. process](#7-process) 18 | - [7.1 what is a process?](#71-what-is-a-process) 19 | - [7.2 what processes are running?](#72-what-processes-are-running-now) 20 | - [7.3 multitasking](#73-multitasking) 21 | - [7.4 kill process](#74-kill-processes) 22 | - [7.5 top](#75-top) 23 | - [8. Jobs](#8-jobs) 24 | - [9. Packages](#9-packages) 25 | - [9.1 compression](#91-compression) 26 | - [9.2 install Packages](#92-install-packages) 27 | - [10. cut](#10-cut) 28 | ##### to be added: 29 | - sort 30 | - unique 31 | - permissions 32 | - head/tail 33 | - vim text manipulation 34 | 35 | 36 | # 1. What is UNIX? 37 | - Unix is on of the first widely-used operating systems. 38 | 39 | - Is the basis for many modern Operating systems. 40 | 41 | - Helped set a standard for the multi-tasking multi-user systems 42 | 43 | # 2. History of UNIX 44 | - 1969 Ken Thompson, Dennis Ritchie start working on a file 45 | system, and name their system UNICS, which is later changed 46 | to [UNIX](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JoVQTPbD6UY). 47 | 48 | - 1973 Thompson and Ritchie rewrote UNIX in C (while most of the 49 | operating systems at that time were written in assembly) 50 | 51 | - 1991 Linux, GNU, and others: similar to UNIX, but their source 52 | code rewritten, very popular and widespread, free. 53 | __(Many Linux Distributions: Ubuntu, Fedora, Debian, ...)__ 54 | 55 | # 3. UNIX Architecture 56 | ### 3.1 Kernel: 57 | The part manages and controls the machine and takes care of scheduling of various computer Programs 58 | 59 | ### 3.2 Shell: 60 | A command interpreter that looks after the communication between the user and the system. 61 | 62 | ### 3.1 Programs: 63 | various utility Programs which performs a number of tasks (editing a file, sorting numbers or drawing a plot, .....) 64 | 65 | 66 | # 4. Why use UNIX? 67 | - Allows you to accomplish and automate complicated tasks that would usually require huge manual labor. 68 | 69 | - A rich set of small commands and utilities that can be 70 | combined in unlimited ways to perform complex custom tasks. 71 | 72 | - __It is fun!__ 73 | 74 | - Not limited to pre-configured combinations or menus, as in 75 | personal computer systems. 76 | 77 | - Extremely useful computer skill that will be relevant many years from now. 78 | 79 | # 5. UNIX File system 80 | 81 | ## 5.1 Quick notes: 82 | - the unix file system consists of one single global root directory that encapsulates everything of the machine. no matter how many disks or volumes are there. 83 | 84 | - Files and directories names are case sensitive. 85 | 86 | - The way to separate directories is with a forward slash "/". 87 | 88 | 89 | ## 5.2 The File system Hierarchy: 90 | - __Root__ : Main & parent Directory 91 | 92 | - __/home__: contains all the users and the user data and files 93 | 94 | - __/dev__ : Access to hardware devices 95 | 96 | - __/lib__ : Stores the libraries 97 | 98 | - __/mnt__ : is used to mount disk drives 99 | 100 | - __/usr__ : user installed Programs and files 101 | 102 | - __/etc__ : system Settings 103 | 104 | 105 | # 6. Basic commands: 106 | 107 | #### 6.1 Command Structure: 108 | Command [opt1] [opt2] 109 | 110 | #### 6.2 Common commands: 111 | 112 | - print working directory __*(pwd)*__: 113 | - Prints the full path of the current directory 114 | 115 | - Very handy when you get lost in the directories jungle 116 | 117 | - A useful variable for the strings 118 | 119 | 120 | - list _**(ls) [flags] **_ : 121 | - Lists the content of the current directory. 122 | 123 | ##### common options: 124 | 125 | **' - l '** => List a detailed file/folder information. 126 | 127 | **' - lh '** => List a detailed file/folder information. 128 | 129 | **' - a '** => list hidden files. 130 | 131 | **' - ls '** => sort files by size. 132 | 133 | - change directory _**(cd) **_: 134 | - goes from the current directory to the specified one. 135 | 136 | - defaults to the _**home**_ directory if not given a destination. 137 | 138 | - can take both absolute or relative paths. 139 | 140 | **relative:** 141 | the location of a file or a folder that beginning at the current directory. 142 | 143 | ```shell 144 | cd csc1101 145 | ``` 146 | 147 | **absolute:** 148 | the location of a file or a folder starting at __*(home directory)*__ 149 | ```shell 150 | cd /home/user1/csc1101 151 | ``` 152 | 153 | ##### shortcuts: 154 | **' ~ '** => Current user's home directory. 155 | 156 | **' . '** => The current directory. 157 | 158 | **' .. '** => The parent of the current directory. 159 | 160 | **' - '** => The previous directory. 161 | 162 | - Make a file __*(touch) [flag] *__: 163 | - creates a new file with the name 164 | - Adjusts the timestamp of 165 | 166 | - Make Directory __*(mkdir) [flags] *__ : 167 | 168 | - makes a new directory with the name 169 | 170 | - can use relative and absolute paths to make directories outside the current directory. 171 | 172 | ##### common options: 173 | **' - p '** => creates parent folders as well. 174 | 175 | - Remove File __(rm) [flags] __ 176 | - removes the file called 177 | - Using wildcards you can remove multiple files. 178 | 179 | ##### common options: 180 | **' - i '** => prompt before removal. 181 | 182 | **' - f '** => force remove. 183 | 184 | **' - r '** => recursively remove all files in a directory. 185 | 186 | - Remove Directory __(rmdir) [flags] __ 187 | - removes an empty directory . 188 | - Throws error if the directory is not empty. 189 | 190 | ##### common options: 191 | **' - p '** => removes folder and its ancestors. 192 | 193 | - Copy __(cp) [flags] __ 194 | - copies from location to 195 | 196 | - to copy multiple files you can use wildcards (such as * ) 197 | 198 | - Move __(mv) [flags] __ 199 | - Moves a file or directory from one place to another 200 | 201 | - Also used for renaming, just move from to 202 | 203 | 204 | - File type __(file) __ 205 | - will show you a description of the file’s contents. 206 | 207 | - Find File __(find) __ 208 | - looks through any sub-directory to find a file 209 | 210 | - Locate File __(locate) [flag] __ 211 | - similar to find 212 | - no need to specify a starting directory (it searches the system) 213 | 214 | ##### common options: 215 | **' - n '** => limit the result to 20 entries. 216 | 217 | **' - c '** => count the number of results. 218 | 219 | - current user __(whoami)__ 220 | - prints the name of the current user. 221 | 222 | - __(which)__ 223 | - used to locate the executable file associated with the given command. 224 | 225 | 226 | # 7. Process 227 | ### 7.1 What is a process? 228 | - An instance of a running program. 229 | 230 | - More specific than a program 231 | 232 | - Each process is given a unique id (PID) 233 | 234 | ### 7.2 What processes are running now? 235 | - process screenshot __(ps) [flags]__ 236 | - Reports a snapshot of the current running processes, including 237 | PIDs 238 | - Lists the processes created by the user in the current terminal 239 | 240 | ##### common options: 241 | **' - e '** => every process currently running. 242 | 243 | **' - u user'** => processes created by this user. 244 | 245 | ### 7.3 Multitasking 246 | - Quick switching back and forth between processes makes it 247 | seem as though they are all running simultaneously. 248 | 249 | - Each process has a priority that can be set and changed by the user. 250 | 251 | - priorities range from -20(highest) to 19(lowest), if process is started with out a priority defaults to 0 252 | 253 | - nice process __(nice) [flags] __ 254 | - starts a process with the set priority. 255 | 256 | - if priority is not set default is 10 257 | 258 | - only root user can set priority below 0 259 | 260 | 261 | ##### common options: 262 | **' - n '** => priority. 263 | 264 | 265 | - renice process __(renice) [flags] __ 266 | - changes the priority of a running process. 267 | 268 | - can change the processes created by this user only 269 | 270 | - only root user can set priority below 0 271 | ##### common options: 272 | **' - n '** => priority. 273 | 274 | ### 7.4 Kill processes 275 | - kill process __(kill) __ 276 | - Kills the process with this ID. 277 | 278 | - kill all processes __(killall) [flag] __ 279 | - Kills all the processes of the current program. 280 | 281 | ##### common options: 282 | 283 | **' - TERM '** => Terminates execution (default). 284 | 285 | **' - HUP '** => Hang-up (restarts the program). 286 | 287 | **' - KILL '** => Like bleach, can kill anything. 288 | 289 | ### 7.5 TOP 290 | - running processes __(top)__ 291 | - All in one stop for process management 292 | 293 | ##### common options: 294 | 295 | **' h '** => Help menu. 296 | **' Z '** => Set colors. 297 | **' k/K '** => Kill a Process. 298 | **' r '** => renice. 299 | 300 | # 8. Jobs 301 | - Check jobs __(jobs)__ 302 | - Prints the current jobs with details and job id. 303 | 304 | - resume job __(bg) __ 305 | - Restart a stopped background process. 306 | 307 | - foreground __(fg) __ 308 | - Bring a background process to the foreground. 309 | 310 | - kill job __(kill) %__ 311 | - kills the job with the given id. 312 | 313 | # 9. Packages 314 | 315 | ### 9.1 Compression 316 | - compress file __(gzip) __ 317 | - can compress a single file. 318 | - doesn't create a new compressed file 319 | - compresses the file into a ".gz" archive. 320 | 321 | - decompress file __(gunzip) __ 322 | - decompresses the file. 323 | 324 | - compress file __(tar) cvf __ 325 | - compress as full directories. 326 | - creates a new copy that is compressed. 327 | - compresses the file into a ".tar" archive. 328 | 329 | - "c" => create 330 | - "v" => verbose / show progress 331 | - "f" => file name 332 | 333 | - decompress file __(tar) xvf __ 334 | - decompresses the file. 335 | 336 | - "x" => extract 337 | - "v" => verbose / show progress 338 | - "f" => file name 339 | 340 | ### 9.2 install packages 341 | - Debian package management __(apt) [option] __ 342 | - manages the packages on the device. 343 | 344 | #### options: 345 | - "install" => installs a package 346 | - "remove" => removes a package 347 | - "show" => shows the details of a package 348 | 349 | # 10. cut: 350 | - Cut on delimiter__(cut) [flag] __ 351 | - returns parth of the text. 352 | 353 | #### options: 354 | - "c" => returns character 355 | - "f" => returns a field 356 | - "d" => change the delimiter to break on 357 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /_config.yml: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | theme: jekyll-theme-cayman 2 | title: UIA Code Club (Unix Journey) 3 | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- /sherlock.txt: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1 | To Sherlock Holmes she is always THE woman. I have seldom heard 2 | him mention her under any other name. In his eyes she eclipses 3 | and predominates the whole of her sex. It was not that he felt 4 | any emotion akin to love for Irene Adler. All emotions, and that 5 | one particularly, were abhorrent to his cold, precise but 6 | admirably balanced mind. He was, I take it, the most perfect 7 | reasoning and observing machine that the world has seen, but as a 8 | lover he would have placed himself in a false position. He never 9 | spoke of the softer passions, save with a gibe and a sneer. They 10 | were admirable things for the observer--excellent for drawing the 11 | veil from men's motives and actions. But for the trained reasoner 12 | to admit such intrusions into his own delicate and finely 13 | adjusted temperament was to introduce a distracting factor which 14 | might throw a doubt upon all his mental results. Grit in a 15 | sensitive instrument, or a crack in one of his own high-power 16 | lenses, would not be more disturbing than a strong emotion in a 17 | nature such as his. And yet there was but one woman to him, and 18 | that woman was the late Irene Adler, of dubious and questionable 19 | memory. 20 | 21 | I had seen little of Holmes lately. My marriage had drifted us 22 | away from each other. My own complete happiness, and the 23 | home-centred interests which rise up around the man who first 24 | finds himself master of his own establishment, were sufficient to 25 | absorb all my attention, while Holmes, who loathed every form of 26 | society with his whole Bohemian soul, remained in our lodgings in 27 | Baker Street, buried among his old books, and alternating from 28 | week to week between cocaine and ambition, the drowsiness of the 29 | drug, and the fierce energy of his own keen nature. He was still, 30 | as ever, deeply attracted by the study of crime, and occupied his 31 | immense faculties and extraordinary powers of observation in 32 | following out those clues, and clearing up those mysteries which 33 | had been abandoned as hopeless by the official police. From time 34 | to time I heard some vague account of his doings: of his summons 35 | to Odessa in the case of the Trepoff murder, of his clearing up 36 | of the singular tragedy of the Atkinson brothers at Trincomalee, 37 | and finally of the mission which he had accomplished so 38 | delicately and successfully for the reigning family of Holland. 39 | Beyond these signs of his activity, however, which I merely 40 | shared with all the readers of the daily press, I knew little of 41 | my former friend and companion. 42 | 43 | One night--it was on the twentieth of March, 1888--I was 44 | returning from a journey to a patient (for I had now returned to 45 | civil practice), when my way led me through Baker Street. As I 46 | passed the well-remembered door, which must always be associated 47 | in my mind with my wooing, and with the dark incidents of the 48 | Study in Scarlet, I was seized with a keen desire to see Holmes 49 | again, and to know how he was employing his extraordinary powers. 50 | His rooms were brilliantly lit, and, even as I looked up, I saw 51 | his tall, spare figure pass twice in a dark silhouette against 52 | the blind. He was pacing the room swiftly, eagerly, with his head 53 | sunk upon his chest and his hands clasped behind him. To me, who 54 | knew his every mood and habit, his attitude and manner told their 55 | own story. He was at work again. He had risen out of his 56 | drug-created dreams and was hot upon the scent of some new 57 | problem. I rang the bell and was shown up to the chamber which 58 | had formerly been in part my own. 59 | 60 | His manner was not effusive. It seldom was; but he was glad, I 61 | think, to see me. With hardly a word spoken, but with a kindly 62 | eye, he waved me to an armchair, threw across his case of cigars, 63 | and indicated a spirit case and a gasogene in the corner. Then he 64 | stood before the fire and looked me over in his singular 65 | introspective fashion. 66 | 67 | "Wedlock suits you," he remarked. "I think, Watson, that you have 68 | put on seven and a half pounds since I saw you." 69 | 70 | "Seven!" I answered. 71 | 72 | "Indeed, I should have thought a little more. Just a trifle more, 73 | I fancy, Watson. And in practice again, I observe. You did not 74 | tell me that you intended to go into harness." 75 | 76 | "Then, how do you know?" 77 | 78 | "I see it, I deduce it. How do I know that you have been getting 79 | yourself very wet lately, and that you have a most clumsy and 80 | careless servant girl?" 81 | 82 | "My dear Holmes," said I, "this is too much. You would certainly 83 | have been burned, had you lived a few centuries ago. It is true 84 | that I had a country walk on Thursday and came home in a dreadful 85 | mess, but as I have changed my clothes I can't imagine how you 86 | deduce it. As to Mary Jane, she is incorrigible, and my wife has 87 | given her notice, but there, again, I fail to see how you work it 88 | out." 89 | 90 | He chuckled to himself and rubbed his long, nervous hands 91 | together. 92 | 93 | "It is simplicity itself," said he; "my eyes tell me that on the 94 | inside of your left shoe, just where the firelight strikes it, 95 | the leather is scored by six almost parallel cuts. Obviously they 96 | have been caused by someone who has very carelessly scraped round 97 | the edges of the sole in order to remove crusted mud from it. 98 | Hence, you see, my double deduction that you had been out in vile 99 | weather, and that you had a particularly malignant boot-slitting 100 | specimen of the London slavey. As to your practice, if a 101 | gentleman walks into my rooms smelling of iodoform, with a black 102 | mark of nitrate of silver upon his right forefinger, and a bulge 103 | on the right side of his top-hat to show where he has secreted 104 | his stethoscope, I must be dull, indeed, if I do not pronounce 105 | him to be an active member of the medical profession." 106 | 107 | I could not help laughing at the ease with which he explained his 108 | process of deduction. "When I hear you give your reasons," I 109 | remarked, "the thing always appears to me to be so ridiculously 110 | simple that I could easily do it myself, though at each 111 | successive instance of your reasoning I am baffled until you 112 | explain your process. And yet I believe that my eyes are as good 113 | as yours." 114 | 115 | "Quite so," he answered, lighting a cigarette, and throwing 116 | himself down into an armchair. "You see, but you do not observe. 117 | The distinction is clear. For example, you have frequently seen 118 | the steps which lead up from the hall to this room." 119 | 120 | "Frequently." 121 | 122 | "How often?" 123 | 124 | "Well, some hundreds of times." 125 | 126 | "Then how many are there?" 127 | 128 | "How many? I don't know." 129 | 130 | "Quite so! You have not observed. And yet you have seen. That is 131 | just my point. Now, I know that there are seventeen steps, 132 | because I have both seen and observed. By-the-way, since you are 133 | interested in these little problems, and since you are good 134 | enough to chronicle one or two of my trifling experiences, you 135 | may be interested in this." He threw over a sheet of thick, 136 | pink-tinted note-paper which had been lying open upon the table. 137 | "It came by the last post," said he. "Read it aloud." 138 | 139 | The note was undated, and without either signature or address. 140 | 141 | "There will call upon you to-night, at a quarter to eight 142 | o'clock," it said, "a gentleman who desires to consult you upon a 143 | matter of the very deepest moment. Your recent services to one of 144 | the royal houses of Europe have shown that you are one who may 145 | safely be trusted with matters which are of an importance which 146 | can hardly be exaggerated. This account of you we have from all 147 | quarters received. Be in your chamber then at that hour, and do 148 | not take it amiss if your visitor wear a mask." 149 | 150 | "This is indeed a mystery," I remarked. "What do you imagine that 151 | it means?" 152 | 153 | "I have no data yet. It is a capital mistake to theorize before 154 | one has data. Insensibly one begins to twist facts to suit 155 | theories, instead of theories to suit facts. But the note itself. 156 | What do you deduce from it?" 157 | 158 | I carefully examined the writing, and the paper upon which it was 159 | written. 160 | 161 | "The man who wrote it was presumably well to do," I remarked, 162 | endeavouring to imitate my companion's processes. "Such paper 163 | could not be bought under half a crown a packet. It is peculiarly 164 | strong and stiff." 165 | 166 | "Peculiar--that is the very word," said Holmes. "It is not an 167 | English paper at all. Hold it up to the light." 168 | 169 | I did so, and saw a large "E" with a small "g," a "P," and a 170 | large "G" with a small "t" woven into the texture of the paper. 171 | 172 | "What do you make of that?" asked Holmes. 173 | 174 | "The name of the maker, no doubt; or his monogram, rather." 175 | 176 | "Not at all. The 'G' with the small 't' stands for 177 | 'Gesellschaft,' which is the German for 'Company.' It is a 178 | customary contraction like our 'Co.' 'P,' of course, stands for 179 | 'Papier.' Now for the 'Eg.' Let us glance at our Continental 180 | Gazetteer." He took down a heavy brown volume from his shelves. 181 | "Eglow, Eglonitz--here we are, Egria. It is in a German-speaking 182 | country--in Bohemia, not far from Carlsbad. 'Remarkable as being 183 | the scene of the death of Wallenstein, and for its numerous 184 | glass-factories and paper-mills.' Ha, ha, my boy, what do you 185 | make of that?" His eyes sparkled, and he sent up a great blue 186 | triumphant cloud from his cigarette. 187 | 188 | "The paper was made in Bohemia," I said. 189 | 190 | "Precisely. And the man who wrote the note is a German. Do you 191 | note the peculiar construction of the sentence--'This account of 192 | you we have from all quarters received.' A Frenchman or Russian 193 | could not have written that. It is the German who is so 194 | uncourteous to his verbs. It only remains, therefore, to discover 195 | what is wanted by this German who writes upon Bohemian paper and 196 | prefers wearing a mask to showing his face. And here he comes, if 197 | I am not mistaken, to resolve all our doubts." 198 | 199 | As he spoke there was the sharp sound of horses' hoofs and 200 | grating wheels against the curb, followed by a sharp pull at the 201 | bell. Holmes whistled. 202 | 203 | "A pair, by the sound," said he. "Yes," he continued, glancing 204 | out of the window. "A nice little brougham and a pair of 205 | beauties. A hundred and fifty guineas apiece. There's money in 206 | this case, Watson, if there is nothing else." 207 | 208 | "I think that I had better go, Holmes." 209 | 210 | "Not a bit, Doctor. Stay where you are. I am lost without my 211 | Boswell. And this promises to be interesting. It would be a pity 212 | to miss it." 213 | 214 | "But your client--" 215 | 216 | "Never mind him. I may want your help, and so may he. Here he 217 | comes. Sit down in that armchair, Doctor, and give us your best 218 | attention." 219 | 220 | A slow and heavy step, which had been heard upon the stairs and 221 | in the passage, paused immediately outside the door. Then there 222 | was a loud and authoritative tap. 223 | 224 | "Come in!" said Holmes. 225 | 226 | A man entered who could hardly have been less than six feet six 227 | inches in height, with the chest and limbs of a Hercules. His 228 | dress was rich with a richness which would, in England, be looked 229 | upon as akin to bad taste. Heavy bands of astrakhan were slashed 230 | across the sleeves and fronts of his double-breasted coat, while 231 | the deep blue cloak which was thrown over his shoulders was lined 232 | with flame-coloured silk and secured at the neck with a brooch 233 | which consisted of a single flaming beryl. Boots which extended 234 | halfway up his calves, and which were trimmed at the tops with 235 | rich brown fur, completed the impression of barbaric opulence 236 | which was suggested by his whole appearance. He carried a 237 | broad-brimmed hat in his hand, while he wore across the upper 238 | part of his face, extending down past the cheekbones, a black 239 | vizard mask, which he had apparently adjusted that very moment, 240 | for his hand was still raised to it as he entered. From the lower 241 | part of the face he appeared to be a man of strong character, 242 | with a thick, hanging lip, and a long, straight chin suggestive 243 | of resolution pushed to the length of obstinacy. 244 | 245 | "You had my note?" he asked with a deep harsh voice and a 246 | strongly marked German accent. "I told you that I would call." He 247 | looked from one to the other of us, as if uncertain which to 248 | address. 249 | 250 | "Pray take a seat," said Holmes. "This is my friend and 251 | colleague, Dr. Watson, who is occasionally good enough to help me 252 | in my cases. Whom have I the honour to address?" 253 | 254 | "You may address me as the Count Von Kramm, a Bohemian nobleman. 255 | I understand that this gentleman, your friend, is a man of honour 256 | and discretion, whom I may trust with a matter of the most 257 | extreme importance. If not, I should much prefer to communicate 258 | with you alone." 259 | 260 | I rose to go, but Holmes caught me by the wrist and pushed me 261 | back into my chair. "It is both, or none," said he. "You may say 262 | before this gentleman anything which you may say to me." 263 | 264 | The Count shrugged his broad shoulders. "Then I must begin," said 265 | he, "by binding you both to absolute secrecy for two years; at 266 | the end of that time the matter will be of no importance. At 267 | present it is not too much to say that it is of such weight it 268 | may have an influence upon European history." 269 | 270 | "I promise," said Holmes. 271 | 272 | "And I." 273 | 274 | "You will excuse this mask," continued our strange visitor. "The 275 | august person who employs me wishes his agent to be unknown to 276 | you, and I may confess at once that the title by which I have 277 | just called myself is not exactly my own." 278 | 279 | "I was aware of it," said Holmes dryly. 280 | 281 | "The circumstances are of great delicacy, and every precaution 282 | has to be taken to quench what might grow to be an immense 283 | scandal and seriously compromise one of the reigning families of 284 | Europe. To speak plainly, the matter implicates the great House 285 | of Ormstein, hereditary kings of Bohemia." 286 | 287 | "I was also aware of that," murmured Holmes, settling himself 288 | down in his armchair and closing his eyes. 289 | 290 | Our visitor glanced with some apparent surprise at the languid, 291 | lounging figure of the man who had been no doubt depicted to him 292 | as the most incisive reasoner and most energetic agent in Europe. 293 | Holmes slowly reopened his eyes and looked impatiently at his 294 | gigantic client. 295 | 296 | "If your Majesty would condescend to state your case," he 297 | remarked, "I should be better able to advise you." 298 | 299 | The man sprang from his chair and paced up and down the room in 300 | uncontrollable agitation. Then, with a gesture of desperation, he 301 | tore the mask from his face and hurled it upon the ground. "You 302 | are right," he cried; "I am the King. Why should I attempt to 303 | conceal it?" 304 | 305 | "Why, indeed?" murmured Holmes. "Your Majesty had not spoken 306 | before I was aware that I was addressing Wilhelm Gottsreich 307 | Sigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein, and 308 | hereditary King of Bohemia." 309 | 310 | "But you can understand," said our strange visitor, sitting down 311 | once more and passing his hand over his high white forehead, "you 312 | can understand that I am not accustomed to doing such business in 313 | my own person. Yet the matter was so delicate that I could not 314 | confide it to an agent without putting myself in his power. I 315 | have come incognito from Prague for the purpose of consulting 316 | you." 317 | 318 | "Then, pray consult," said Holmes, shutting his eyes once more. 319 | 320 | "The facts are briefly these: Some five years ago, during a 321 | lengthy visit to Warsaw, I made the acquaintance of the well-known 322 | adventuress, Irene Adler. The name is no doubt familiar to you." 323 | 324 | "Kindly look her up in my index, Doctor," murmured Holmes without 325 | opening his eyes. For many years he had adopted a system of 326 | docketing all paragraphs concerning men and things, so that it 327 | was difficult to name a subject or a person on which he could not 328 | at once furnish information. In this case I found her biography 329 | sandwiched in between that of a Hebrew rabbi and that of a 330 | staff-commander who had written a monograph upon the deep-sea 331 | fishes. 332 | 333 | "Let me see!" said Holmes. "Hum! Born in New Jersey in the year 334 | 1858. Contralto--hum! La Scala, hum! Prima donna Imperial Opera 335 | of Warsaw--yes! Retired from operatic stage--ha! Living in 336 | London--quite so! Your Majesty, as I understand, became entangled 337 | with this young person, wrote her some compromising letters, and 338 | is now desirous of getting those letters back." 339 | 340 | "Precisely so. But how--" 341 | 342 | "Was there a secret marriage?" 343 | 344 | "None." 345 | 346 | "No legal papers or certificates?" 347 | 348 | "None." 349 | 350 | "Then I fail to follow your Majesty. If this young person should 351 | produce her letters for blackmailing or other purposes, how is 352 | she to prove their authenticity?" 353 | 354 | "There is the writing." 355 | 356 | "Pooh, pooh! Forgery." 357 | 358 | "My private note-paper." 359 | 360 | "Stolen." 361 | 362 | "My own seal." 363 | 364 | "Imitated." 365 | 366 | "My photograph." 367 | 368 | "Bought." 369 | 370 | "We were both in the photograph." 371 | 372 | "Oh, dear! That is very bad! Your Majesty has indeed committed an 373 | indiscretion." 374 | 375 | "I was mad--insane." 376 | 377 | "You have compromised yourself seriously." 378 | 379 | "I was only Crown Prince then. I was young. I am but thirty now." 380 | 381 | "It must be recovered." 382 | 383 | "We have tried and failed." 384 | 385 | "Your Majesty must pay. It must be bought." 386 | 387 | "She will not sell." 388 | 389 | "Stolen, then." 390 | 391 | "Five attempts have been made. Twice burglars in my pay ransacked 392 | her house. Once we diverted her luggage when she travelled. Twice 393 | she has been waylaid. There has been no result." 394 | 395 | "No sign of it?" 396 | 397 | "Absolutely none." 398 | 399 | Holmes laughed. "It is quite a pretty little problem," said he. 400 | 401 | "But a very serious one to me," returned the King reproachfully. 402 | 403 | "Very, indeed. And what does she propose to do with the 404 | photograph?" 405 | 406 | "To ruin me." 407 | 408 | "But how?" 409 | 410 | "I am about to be married." 411 | 412 | "So I have heard." 413 | 414 | "To Clotilde Lothman von Saxe-Meningen, second daughter of the 415 | King of Scandinavia. You may know the strict principles of her 416 | family. She is herself the very soul of delicacy. A shadow of a 417 | doubt as to my conduct would bring the matter to an end." 418 | 419 | "And Irene Adler?" 420 | 421 | "Threatens to send them the photograph. And she will do it. I 422 | know that she will do it. You do not know her, but she has a soul 423 | of steel. She has the face of the most beautiful of women, and 424 | the mind of the most resolute of men. Rather than I should marry 425 | another woman, there are no lengths to which she would not 426 | go--none." 427 | 428 | "You are sure that she has not sent it yet?" 429 | 430 | "I am sure." 431 | 432 | "And why?" 433 | 434 | "Because she has said that she would send it on the day when the 435 | betrothal was publicly proclaimed. That will be next Monday." 436 | 437 | "Oh, then we have three days yet," said Holmes with a yawn. "That 438 | is very fortunate, as I have one or two matters of importance to 439 | look into just at present. Your Majesty will, of course, stay in 440 | London for the present?" 441 | 442 | "Certainly. You will find me at the Langham under the name of the 443 | Count Von Kramm." 444 | 445 | "Then I shall drop you a line to let you know how we progress." 446 | 447 | "Pray do so. I shall be all anxiety." 448 | 449 | "Then, as to money?" 450 | 451 | "You have carte blanche." 452 | 453 | "Absolutely?" 454 | 455 | "I tell you that I would give one of the provinces of my kingdom 456 | to have that photograph." 457 | 458 | "And for present expenses?" 459 | 460 | The King took a heavy chamois leather bag from under his cloak 461 | and laid it on the table. 462 | 463 | "There are three hundred pounds in gold and seven hundred in 464 | notes," he said. 465 | 466 | Holmes scribbled a receipt upon a sheet of his note-book and 467 | handed it to him. 468 | 469 | "And Mademoiselle's address?" he asked. 470 | 471 | "Is Briony Lodge, Serpentine Avenue, St. John's Wood." 472 | 473 | Holmes took a note of it. "One other question," said he. "Was the 474 | photograph a cabinet?" 475 | 476 | "It was." 477 | 478 | "Then, good-night, your Majesty, and I trust that we shall soon 479 | have some good news for you. And good-night, Watson," he added, 480 | as the wheels of the royal brougham rolled down the street. "If 481 | you will be good enough to call to-morrow afternoon at three 482 | o'clock I should like to chat this little matter over with you." 483 | 484 | 485 | II. 486 | 487 | At three o'clock precisely I was at Baker Street, but Holmes had 488 | not yet returned. The landlady informed me that he had left the 489 | house shortly after eight o'clock in the morning. I sat down 490 | beside the fire, however, with the intention of awaiting him, 491 | however long he might be. I was already deeply interested in his 492 | inquiry, for, though it was surrounded by none of the grim and 493 | strange features which were associated with the two crimes which 494 | I have already recorded, still, the nature of the case and the 495 | exalted station of his client gave it a character of its own. 496 | Indeed, apart from the nature of the investigation which my 497 | friend had on hand, there was something in his masterly grasp of 498 | a situation, and his keen, incisive reasoning, which made it a 499 | pleasure to me to study his system of work, and to follow the 500 | quick, subtle methods by which he disentangled the most 501 | inextricable mysteries. So accustomed was I to his invariable 502 | success that the very possibility of his failing had ceased to 503 | enter into my head. 504 | 505 | It was close upon four before the door opened, and a 506 | drunken-looking groom, ill-kempt and side-whiskered, with an 507 | inflamed face and disreputable clothes, walked into the room. 508 | Accustomed as I was to my friend's amazing powers in the use of 509 | disguises, I had to look three times before I was certain that it 510 | was indeed he. With a nod he vanished into the bedroom, whence he 511 | emerged in five minutes tweed-suited and respectable, as of old. 512 | Putting his hands into his pockets, he stretched out his legs in 513 | front of the fire and laughed heartily for some minutes. 514 | 515 | "Well, really!" he cried, and then he choked and laughed again 516 | until he was obliged to lie back, limp and helpless, in the 517 | chair. 518 | 519 | "What is it?" 520 | 521 | "It's quite too funny. I am sure you could never guess how I 522 | employed my morning, or what I ended by doing." 523 | 524 | "I can't imagine. I suppose that you have been watching the 525 | habits, and perhaps the house, of Miss Irene Adler." 526 | 527 | "Quite so; but the sequel was rather unusual. I will tell you, 528 | however. I left the house a little after eight o'clock this 529 | morning in the character of a groom out of work. There is a 530 | wonderful sympathy and freemasonry among horsey men. Be one of 531 | them, and you will know all that there is to know. I soon found 532 | Briony Lodge. It is a bijou villa, with a garden at the back, but 533 | built out in front right up to the road, two stories. Chubb lock 534 | to the door. Large sitting-room on the right side, well 535 | furnished, with long windows almost to the floor, and those 536 | preposterous English window fasteners which a child could open. 537 | Behind there was nothing remarkable, save that the passage window 538 | could be reached from the top of the coach-house. I walked round 539 | it and examined it closely from every point of view, but without 540 | noting anything else of interest. 541 | 542 | "I then lounged down the street and found, as I expected, that 543 | there was a mews in a lane which runs down by one wall of the 544 | garden. I lent the ostlers a hand in rubbing down their horses, 545 | and received in exchange twopence, a glass of half and half, two 546 | fills of shag tobacco, and as much information as I could desire 547 | about Miss Adler, to say nothing of half a dozen other people in 548 | the neighbourhood in whom I was not in the least interested, but 549 | whose biographies I was compelled to listen to." 550 | 551 | "And what of Irene Adler?" I asked. 552 | 553 | "Oh, she has turned all the men's heads down in that part. She is 554 | the daintiest thing under a bonnet on this planet. So say the 555 | Serpentine-mews, to a man. She lives quietly, sings at concerts, 556 | drives out at five every day, and returns at seven sharp for 557 | dinner. Seldom goes out at other times, except when she sings. 558 | Has only one male visitor, but a good deal of him. He is dark, 559 | handsome, and dashing, never calls less than once a day, and 560 | often twice. He is a Mr. Godfrey Norton, of the Inner Temple. See 561 | the advantages of a cabman as a confidant. They had driven him 562 | home a dozen times from Serpentine-mews, and knew all about him. 563 | When I had listened to all they had to tell, I began to walk up 564 | and down near Briony Lodge once more, and to think over my plan 565 | of campaign. 566 | 567 | "This Godfrey Norton was evidently an important factor in the 568 | matter. He was a lawyer. That sounded ominous. What was the 569 | relation between them, and what the object of his repeated 570 | visits? Was she his client, his friend, or his mistress? If the 571 | former, she had probably transferred the photograph to his 572 | keeping. If the latter, it was less likely. On the issue of this 573 | question depended whether I should continue my work at Briony 574 | Lodge, or turn my attention to the gentleman's chambers in the 575 | Temple. It was a delicate point, and it widened the field of my 576 | inquiry. I fear that I bore you with these details, but I have to 577 | let you see my little difficulties, if you are to understand the 578 | situation." 579 | 580 | "I am following you closely," I answered. 581 | 582 | "I was still balancing the matter in my mind when a hansom cab 583 | drove up to Briony Lodge, and a gentleman sprang out. He was a 584 | remarkably handsome man, dark, aquiline, and moustached--evidently 585 | the man of whom I had heard. He appeared to be in a 586 | great hurry, shouted to the cabman to wait, and brushed past the 587 | maid who opened the door with the air of a man who was thoroughly 588 | at home. 589 | 590 | "He was in the house about half an hour, and I could catch 591 | glimpses of him in the windows of the sitting-room, pacing up and 592 | down, talking excitedly, and waving his arms. Of her I could see 593 | nothing. Presently he emerged, looking even more flurried than 594 | before. As he stepped up to the cab, he pulled a gold watch from 595 | his pocket and looked at it earnestly, 'Drive like the devil,' he 596 | shouted, 'first to Gross & Hankey's in Regent Street, and then to 597 | the Church of St. Monica in the Edgeware Road. Half a guinea if 598 | you do it in twenty minutes!' 599 | 600 | "Away they went, and I was just wondering whether I should not do 601 | well to follow them when up the lane came a neat little landau, 602 | the coachman with his coat only half-buttoned, and his tie under 603 | his ear, while all the tags of his harness were sticking out of 604 | the buckles. It hadn't pulled up before she shot out of the hall 605 | door and into it. I only caught a glimpse of her at the moment, 606 | but she was a lovely woman, with a face that a man might die for. 607 | 608 | "'The Church of St. Monica, John,' she cried, 'and half a 609 | sovereign if you reach it in twenty minutes.' 610 | 611 | "This was quite too good to lose, Watson. I was just balancing 612 | whether I should run for it, or whether I should perch behind her 613 | landau when a cab came through the street. The driver looked 614 | twice at such a shabby fare, but I jumped in before he could 615 | object. 'The Church of St. Monica,' said I, 'and half a sovereign 616 | if you reach it in twenty minutes.' It was twenty-five minutes to 617 | twelve, and of course it was clear enough what was in the wind. 618 | 619 | "My cabby drove fast. I don't think I ever drove faster, but the 620 | others were there before us. The cab and the landau with their 621 | steaming horses were in front of the door when I arrived. I paid 622 | the man and hurried into the church. There was not a soul there 623 | save the two whom I had followed and a surpliced clergyman, who 624 | seemed to be expostulating with them. They were all three 625 | standing in a knot in front of the altar. I lounged up the side 626 | aisle like any other idler who has dropped into a church. 627 | Suddenly, to my surprise, the three at the altar faced round to 628 | me, and Godfrey Norton came running as hard as he could towards 629 | me. 630 | 631 | "'Thank God,' he cried. 'You'll do. Come! Come!' 632 | 633 | "'What then?' I asked. 634 | 635 | "'Come, man, come, only three minutes, or it won't be legal.' 636 | 637 | "I was half-dragged up to the altar, and before I knew where I was 638 | I found myself mumbling responses which were whispered in my ear, 639 | and vouching for things of which I knew nothing, and generally 640 | assisting in the secure tying up of Irene Adler, spinster, to 641 | Godfrey Norton, bachelor. It was all done in an instant, and 642 | there was the gentleman thanking me on the one side and the lady 643 | on the other, while the clergyman beamed on me in front. It was 644 | the most preposterous position in which I ever found myself in my 645 | life, and it was the thought of it that started me laughing just 646 | now. It seems that there had been some informality about their 647 | license, that the clergyman absolutely refused to marry them 648 | without a witness of some sort, and that my lucky appearance 649 | saved the bridegroom from having to sally out into the streets in 650 | search of a best man. The bride gave me a sovereign, and I mean 651 | to wear it on my watch-chain in memory of the occasion." 652 | 653 | "This is a very unexpected turn of affairs," said I; "and what 654 | then?" 655 | 656 | "Well, I found my plans very seriously menaced. It looked as if 657 | the pair might take an immediate departure, and so necessitate 658 | very prompt and energetic measures on my part. At the church 659 | door, however, they separated, he driving back to the Temple, and 660 | she to her own house. 'I shall drive out in the park at five as 661 | usual,' she said as she left him. I heard no more. They drove 662 | away in different directions, and I went off to make my own 663 | arrangements." 664 | 665 | "Which are?" 666 | 667 | "Some cold beef and a glass of beer," he answered, ringing the 668 | bell. "I have been too busy to think of food, and I am likely to 669 | be busier still this evening. By the way, Doctor, I shall want 670 | your co-operation." 671 | 672 | "I shall be delighted." 673 | 674 | "You don't mind breaking the law?" 675 | 676 | "Not in the least." 677 | 678 | "Nor running a chance of arrest?" 679 | 680 | "Not in a good cause." 681 | 682 | "Oh, the cause is excellent!" 683 | 684 | "Then I am your man." 685 | 686 | "I was sure that I might rely on you." 687 | 688 | "But what is it you wish?" 689 | 690 | "When Mrs. Turner has brought in the tray I will make it clear to 691 | you. Now," he said as he turned hungrily on the simple fare that 692 | our landlady had provided, "I must discuss it while I eat, for I 693 | have not much time. It is nearly five now. In two hours we must 694 | be on the scene of action. Miss Irene, or Madame, rather, returns 695 | from her drive at seven. We must be at Briony Lodge to meet her." 696 | 697 | "And what then?" 698 | 699 | "You must leave that to me. I have already arranged what is to 700 | occur. There is only one point on which I must insist. You must 701 | not interfere, come what may. You understand?" 702 | 703 | "I am to be neutral?" 704 | 705 | "To do nothing whatever. There will probably be some small 706 | unpleasantness. Do not join in it. It will end in my being 707 | conveyed into the house. Four or five minutes afterwards the 708 | sitting-room window will open. You are to station yourself close 709 | to that open window." 710 | 711 | "Yes." 712 | 713 | "You are to watch me, for I will be visible to you." 714 | 715 | "Yes." 716 | 717 | "And when I raise my hand--so--you will throw into the room what 718 | I give you to throw, and will, at the same time, raise the cry of 719 | fire. You quite follow me?" 720 | 721 | "Entirely." 722 | 723 | "It is nothing very formidable," he said, taking a long cigar-shaped 724 | roll from his pocket. "It is an ordinary plumber's smoke-rocket, 725 | fitted with a cap at either end to make it self-lighting. 726 | Your task is confined to that. When you raise your cry of fire, 727 | it will be taken up by quite a number of people. You may then 728 | walk to the end of the street, and I will rejoin you in ten 729 | minutes. I hope that I have made myself clear?" 730 | 731 | "I am to remain neutral, to get near the window, to watch you, 732 | and at the signal to throw in this object, then to raise the cry 733 | of fire, and to wait you at the corner of the street." 734 | 735 | "Precisely." 736 | 737 | "Then you may entirely rely on me." 738 | 739 | "That is excellent. I think, perhaps, it is almost time that I 740 | prepare for the new role I have to play." 741 | 742 | He disappeared into his bedroom and returned in a few minutes in 743 | the character of an amiable and simple-minded Nonconformist 744 | clergyman. His broad black hat, his baggy trousers, his white 745 | tie, his sympathetic smile, and general look of peering and 746 | benevolent curiosity were such as Mr. John Hare alone could have 747 | equalled. It was not merely that Holmes changed his costume. His 748 | expression, his manner, his very soul seemed to vary with every 749 | fresh part that he assumed. The stage lost a fine actor, even as 750 | science lost an acute reasoner, when he became a specialist in 751 | crime. 752 | 753 | It was a quarter past six when we left Baker Street, and it still 754 | wanted ten minutes to the hour when we found ourselves in 755 | Serpentine Avenue. It was already dusk, and the lamps were just 756 | being lighted as we paced up and down in front of Briony Lodge, 757 | waiting for the coming of its occupant. The house was just such 758 | as I had pictured it from Sherlock Holmes' succinct description, 759 | but the locality appeared to be less private than I expected. On 760 | the contrary, for a small street in a quiet neighbourhood, it was 761 | remarkably animated. There was a group of shabbily dressed men 762 | smoking and laughing in a corner, a scissors-grinder with his 763 | wheel, two guardsmen who were flirting with a nurse-girl, and 764 | several well-dressed young men who were lounging up and down with 765 | cigars in their mouths. 766 | 767 | "You see," remarked Holmes, as we paced to and fro in front of 768 | the house, "this marriage rather simplifies matters. The 769 | photograph becomes a double-edged weapon now. The chances are 770 | that she would be as averse to its being seen by Mr. Godfrey 771 | Norton, as our client is to its coming to the eyes of his 772 | princess. Now the question is, Where are we to find the 773 | photograph?" 774 | 775 | "Where, indeed?" 776 | 777 | "It is most unlikely that she carries it about with her. It is 778 | cabinet size. Too large for easy concealment about a woman's 779 | dress. She knows that the King is capable of having her waylaid 780 | and searched. Two attempts of the sort have already been made. We 781 | may take it, then, that she does not carry it about with her." 782 | 783 | "Where, then?" 784 | 785 | "Her banker or her lawyer. There is that double possibility. But 786 | I am inclined to think neither. Women are naturally secretive, 787 | and they like to do their own secreting. Why should she hand it 788 | over to anyone else? She could trust her own guardianship, but 789 | she could not tell what indirect or political influence might be 790 | brought to bear upon a business man. Besides, remember that she 791 | had resolved to use it within a few days. It must be where she 792 | can lay her hands upon it. It must be in her own house." 793 | 794 | "But it has twice been burgled." 795 | 796 | "Pshaw! They did not know how to look." 797 | 798 | "But how will you look?" 799 | 800 | "I will not look." 801 | 802 | "What then?" 803 | 804 | "I will get her to show me." 805 | 806 | "But she will refuse." 807 | 808 | "She will not be able to. But I hear the rumble of wheels. It is 809 | her carriage. Now carry out my orders to the letter." 810 | 811 | As he spoke the gleam of the side-lights of a carriage came round 812 | the curve of the avenue. It was a smart little landau which 813 | rattled up to the door of Briony Lodge. As it pulled up, one of 814 | the loafing men at the corner dashed forward to open the door in 815 | the hope of earning a copper, but was elbowed away by another 816 | loafer, who had rushed up with the same intention. A fierce 817 | quarrel broke out, which was increased by the two guardsmen, who 818 | took sides with one of the loungers, and by the scissors-grinder, 819 | who was equally hot upon the other side. A blow was struck, and 820 | in an instant the lady, who had stepped from her carriage, was 821 | the centre of a little knot of flushed and struggling men, who 822 | struck savagely at each other with their fists and sticks. Holmes 823 | dashed into the crowd to protect the lady; but just as he reached 824 | her he gave a cry and dropped to the ground, with the blood 825 | running freely down his face. At his fall the guardsmen took to 826 | their heels in one direction and the loungers in the other, while 827 | a number of better-dressed people, who had watched the scuffle 828 | without taking part in it, crowded in to help the lady and to 829 | attend to the injured man. Irene Adler, as I will still call her, 830 | had hurried up the steps; but she stood at the top with her 831 | superb figure outlined against the lights of the hall, looking 832 | back into the street. 833 | 834 | "Is the poor gentleman much hurt?" she asked. 835 | 836 | "He is dead," cried several voices. 837 | 838 | "No, no, there's life in him!" shouted another. "But he'll be 839 | gone before you can get him to hospital." 840 | 841 | "He's a brave fellow," said a woman. "They would have had the 842 | lady's purse and watch if it hadn't been for him. They were a 843 | gang, and a rough one, too. Ah, he's breathing now." 844 | 845 | "He can't lie in the street. May we bring him in, marm?" 846 | 847 | "Surely. Bring him into the sitting-room. There is a comfortable 848 | sofa. This way, please!" 849 | 850 | Slowly and solemnly he was borne into Briony Lodge and laid out 851 | in the principal room, while I still observed the proceedings 852 | from my post by the window. The lamps had been lit, but the 853 | blinds had not been drawn, so that I could see Holmes as he lay 854 | upon the couch. I do not know whether he was seized with 855 | compunction at that moment for the part he was playing, but I 856 | know that I never felt more heartily ashamed of myself in my life 857 | than when I saw the beautiful creature against whom I was 858 | conspiring, or the grace and kindliness with which she waited 859 | upon the injured man. And yet it would be the blackest treachery 860 | to Holmes to draw back now from the part which he had intrusted 861 | to me. I hardened my heart, and took the smoke-rocket from under 862 | my ulster. After all, I thought, we are not injuring her. We are 863 | but preventing her from injuring another. 864 | 865 | Holmes had sat up upon the couch, and I saw him motion like a man 866 | who is in need of air. A maid rushed across and threw open the 867 | window. At the same instant I saw him raise his hand and at the 868 | signal I tossed my rocket into the room with a cry of "Fire!" The 869 | word was no sooner out of my mouth than the whole crowd of 870 | spectators, well dressed and ill--gentlemen, ostlers, and 871 | servant-maids--joined in a general shriek of "Fire!" Thick clouds 872 | of smoke curled through the room and out at the open window. I 873 | caught a glimpse of rushing figures, and a moment later the voice 874 | of Holmes from within assuring them that it was a false alarm. 875 | Slipping through the shouting crowd I made my way to the corner 876 | of the street, and in ten minutes was rejoiced to find my 877 | friend's arm in mine, and to get away from the scene of uproar. 878 | He walked swiftly and in silence for some few minutes until we 879 | had turned down one of the quiet streets which lead towards the 880 | Edgeware Road. 881 | 882 | "You did it very nicely, Doctor," he remarked. "Nothing could 883 | have been better. It is all right." 884 | 885 | "You have the photograph?" 886 | 887 | "I know where it is." 888 | 889 | "And how did you find out?" 890 | 891 | "She showed me, as I told you she would." 892 | 893 | "I am still in the dark." 894 | 895 | "I do not wish to make a mystery," said he, laughing. "The matter 896 | was perfectly simple. You, of course, saw that everyone in the 897 | street was an accomplice. They were all engaged for the evening." 898 | 899 | "I guessed as much." 900 | 901 | "Then, when the row broke out, I had a little moist red paint in 902 | the palm of my hand. I rushed forward, fell down, clapped my hand 903 | to my face, and became a piteous spectacle. It is an old trick." 904 | 905 | "That also I could fathom." 906 | 907 | "Then they carried me in. She was bound to have me in. What else 908 | could she do? And into her sitting-room, which was the very room 909 | which I suspected. It lay between that and her bedroom, and I was 910 | determined to see which. They laid me on a couch, I motioned for 911 | air, they were compelled to open the window, and you had your 912 | chance." 913 | 914 | "How did that help you?" 915 | 916 | "It was all-important. When a woman thinks that her house is on 917 | fire, her instinct is at once to rush to the thing which she 918 | values most. It is a perfectly overpowering impulse, and I have 919 | more than once taken advantage of it. In the case of the 920 | Darlington substitution scandal it was of use to me, and also in 921 | the Arnsworth Castle business. A married woman grabs at her baby; 922 | an unmarried one reaches for her jewel-box. Now it was clear to 923 | me that our lady of to-day had nothing in the house more precious 924 | to her than what we are in quest of. She would rush to secure it. 925 | The alarm of fire was admirably done. The smoke and shouting were 926 | enough to shake nerves of steel. She responded beautifully. The 927 | photograph is in a recess behind a sliding panel just above the 928 | right bell-pull. She was there in an instant, and I caught a 929 | glimpse of it as she half-drew it out. When I cried out that it 930 | was a false alarm, she replaced it, glanced at the rocket, rushed 931 | from the room, and I have not seen her since. I rose, and, making 932 | my excuses, escaped from the house. I hesitated whether to 933 | attempt to secure the photograph at once; but the coachman had 934 | come in, and as he was watching me narrowly it seemed safer to 935 | wait. A little over-precipitance may ruin all." 936 | 937 | "And now?" I asked. 938 | 939 | "Our quest is practically finished. I shall call with the King 940 | to-morrow, and with you, if you care to come with us. We will be 941 | shown into the sitting-room to wait for the lady, but it is 942 | probable that when she comes she may find neither us nor the 943 | photograph. It might be a satisfaction to his Majesty to regain 944 | it with his own hands." 945 | 946 | "And when will you call?" 947 | 948 | "At eight in the morning. She will not be up, so that we shall 949 | have a clear field. Besides, we must be prompt, for this marriage 950 | may mean a complete change in her life and habits. I must wire to 951 | the King without delay." 952 | 953 | We had reached Baker Street and had stopped at the door. He was 954 | searching his pockets for the key when someone passing said: 955 | 956 | "Good-night, Mister Sherlock Holmes." 957 | 958 | There were several people on the pavement at the time, but the 959 | greeting appeared to come from a slim youth in an ulster who had 960 | hurried by. 961 | 962 | "I've heard that voice before," said Holmes, staring down the 963 | dimly lit street. "Now, I wonder who the deuce that could have 964 | been." 965 | 966 | 967 | III. 968 | 969 | I slept at Baker Street that night, and we were engaged upon our 970 | toast and coffee in the morning when the King of Bohemia rushed 971 | into the room. 972 | 973 | "You have really got it!" he cried, grasping Sherlock Holmes by 974 | either shoulder and looking eagerly into his face. 975 | 976 | "Not yet." 977 | 978 | "But you have hopes?" 979 | 980 | "I have hopes." 981 | 982 | "Then, come. I am all impatience to be gone." 983 | 984 | "We must have a cab." 985 | 986 | "No, my brougham is waiting." 987 | 988 | "Then that will simplify matters." We descended and started off 989 | once more for Briony Lodge. 990 | 991 | "Irene Adler is married," remarked Holmes. 992 | 993 | "Married! When?" 994 | 995 | "Yesterday." 996 | 997 | "But to whom?" 998 | 999 | "To an English lawyer named Norton." 1000 | 1001 | "But she could not love him." 1002 | 1003 | "I am in hopes that she does." 1004 | 1005 | "And why in hopes?" 1006 | 1007 | "Because it would spare your Majesty all fear of future 1008 | annoyance. If the lady loves her husband, she does not love your 1009 | Majesty. If she does not love your Majesty, there is no reason 1010 | why she should interfere with your Majesty's plan." 1011 | 1012 | "It is true. And yet--Well! I wish she had been of my own 1013 | station! What a queen she would have made!" He relapsed into a 1014 | moody silence, which was not broken until we drew up in 1015 | Serpentine Avenue. 1016 | 1017 | The door of Briony Lodge was open, and an elderly woman stood 1018 | upon the steps. She watched us with a sardonic eye as we stepped 1019 | from the brougham. 1020 | 1021 | "Mr. Sherlock Holmes, I believe?" said she. 1022 | 1023 | "I am Mr. Holmes," answered my companion, looking at her with a 1024 | questioning and rather startled gaze. 1025 | 1026 | "Indeed! My mistress told me that you were likely to call. She 1027 | left this morning with her husband by the 5:15 train from Charing 1028 | Cross for the Continent." 1029 | 1030 | "What!" Sherlock Holmes staggered back, white with chagrin and 1031 | surprise. "Do you mean that she has left England?" 1032 | 1033 | "Never to return." 1034 | 1035 | "And the papers?" asked the King hoarsely. "All is lost." 1036 | 1037 | "We shall see." He pushed past the servant and rushed into the 1038 | drawing-room, followed by the King and myself. The furniture was 1039 | scattered about in every direction, with dismantled shelves and 1040 | open drawers, as if the lady had hurriedly ransacked them before 1041 | her flight. Holmes rushed at the bell-pull, tore back a small 1042 | sliding shutter, and, plunging in his hand, pulled out a 1043 | photograph and a letter. The photograph was of Irene Adler 1044 | herself in evening dress, the letter was superscribed to 1045 | "Sherlock Holmes, Esq. To be left till called for." My friend 1046 | tore it open and we all three read it together. It was dated at 1047 | midnight of the preceding night and ran in this way: 1048 | 1049 | "MY DEAR MR. SHERLOCK HOLMES,--You really did it very well. You 1050 | took me in completely. Until after the alarm of fire, I had not a 1051 | suspicion. But then, when I found how I had betrayed myself, I 1052 | began to think. I had been warned against you months ago. I had 1053 | been told that if the King employed an agent it would certainly 1054 | be you. And your address had been given me. Yet, with all this, 1055 | you made me reveal what you wanted to know. Even after I became 1056 | suspicious, I found it hard to think evil of such a dear, kind 1057 | old clergyman. But, you know, I have been trained as an actress 1058 | myself. Male costume is nothing new to me. I often take advantage 1059 | of the freedom which it gives. I sent John, the coachman, to 1060 | watch you, ran up stairs, got into my walking-clothes, as I call 1061 | them, and came down just as you departed. 1062 | 1063 | "Well, I followed you to your door, and so made sure that I was 1064 | really an object of interest to the celebrated Mr. Sherlock 1065 | Holmes. Then I, rather imprudently, wished you good-night, and 1066 | started for the Temple to see my husband. 1067 | 1068 | "We both thought the best resource was flight, when pursued by 1069 | so formidable an antagonist; so you will find the nest empty when 1070 | you call to-morrow. As to the photograph, your client may rest in 1071 | peace. I love and am loved by a better man than he. The King may 1072 | do what he will without hindrance from one whom he has cruelly 1073 | wronged. I keep it only to safeguard myself, and to preserve a 1074 | weapon which will always secure me from any steps which he might 1075 | take in the future. I leave a photograph which he might care to 1076 | possess; and I remain, dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes, 1077 | 1078 | "Very truly yours, 1079 | "IRENE NORTON, née ADLER." 1080 | 1081 | "What a woman--oh, what a woman!" cried the King of Bohemia, when 1082 | we had all three read this epistle. "Did I not tell you how quick 1083 | and resolute she was? Would she not have made an admirable queen? 1084 | Is it not a pity that she was not on my level?" 1085 | 1086 | "From what I have seen of the lady she seems indeed to be on a 1087 | very different level to your Majesty," said Holmes coldly. "I am 1088 | sorry that I have not been able to bring your Majesty's business 1089 | to a more successful conclusion." 1090 | 1091 | "On the contrary, my dear sir," cried the King; "nothing could be 1092 | more successful. I know that her word is inviolate. The 1093 | photograph is now as safe as if it were in the fire." 1094 | 1095 | "I am glad to hear your Majesty say so." 1096 | 1097 | "I am immensely indebted to you. Pray tell me in what way I can 1098 | reward you. This ring--" He slipped an emerald snake ring from 1099 | his finger and held it out upon the palm of his hand. 1100 | 1101 | "Your Majesty has something which I should value even more 1102 | highly," said Holmes. 1103 | 1104 | "You have but to name it." 1105 | 1106 | "This photograph!" 1107 | 1108 | The King stared at him in amazement. 1109 | 1110 | "Irene's photograph!" he cried. "Certainly, if you wish it." 1111 | 1112 | "I thank your Majesty. Then there is no more to be done in the 1113 | matter. I have the honour to wish you a very good-morning." He 1114 | bowed, and, turning away without observing the hand which the 1115 | King had stretched out to him, he set off in my company for his 1116 | chambers. 1117 | 1118 | And that was how a great scandal threatened to affect the kingdom 1119 | of Bohemia, and how the best plans of Mr. Sherlock Holmes were 1120 | beaten by a woman's wit. He used to make merry over the 1121 | cleverness of women, but I have not heard him do it of late. And 1122 | when he speaks of Irene Adler, or when he refers to her 1123 | photograph, it is always under the honourable title of the woman. 1124 | --------------------------------------------------------------------------------