The San Francisco call., 1905-04-30


& Coz
Y T was in the year 's5 that COM
.bination OF events, into which L
need not enter, caused Sherlock
Holmes and myself to spend some
weeks IN one OF our great university
towns, andsit was during this time that
the small but instructive adventure
which / am about TO relate befell US. Ii
VIII be obvious that any details which
would help the reader TO exactly iden-
. tify the college or the criminal would
he inJudicious and offensive. So painful
q scandal may well be allowed to die
out. With due discretion the incident
. itself may, however. be described, since
IT serves 10 illustrate some Of those
, qualities for which my friend was re-
markable. 1 VIII endeavor in my state
ment to avoid such terms as would
serve 10 limit the events 10 any partic-
ular place or give a clew as to the peo-
pie concerned
We were residing at the time in fur
'nlshed lodgings close to library where
Sherlock Holmes was pursuing some
laborious researches in early English
charters-researches which led to re-
suits so striking that they may be the
subject Of one of my future narratives.
Here it was that one evening we re-
ceived a visit from an acquaintance,
Hilton Soames, tutor and lecturer at
the College of st. Luke's. Mr.. Soames
was tail, spare man, of a nervous
apd excitable temperament. 1 had al
ways known him to be restless in his
manner. but on this particular occa-
sion he was in such q state of uncon-
roliable agitation that il was clear
something very unusual had occurred.
1 trust, Mr.. Holmes, that you can
spare me a few hours Of your valuab bic
time. We have had very painful Incl
dent at st. Luke's, and really, but for
The happy chance of your being in town
should have been at a loss what to
do"
I am very busy just now and 1 de-
sire no distractions, my friend an
swered. Il should much prefer that YOU
called in the aid of the police"
No, no, my dear sir; such a. course
IS Utterly impossible, When once the
Law is evoked il cannot ae STAYED
again, and this is. just one of those
cases where, for the credit of the COL
lege, IL is most essential TO avoid scan
oal- Your discretion is as well known
az your powers and you are the one
man in the world who can. help me. I
8 beg you, Mr.. Holmes, to do what you
can
Ny friends temper had. not improved
since he had been deprived Of the con-
genial surroundings of Baker street.
Without his scrapbooks. his chemicals
and his homely untidiness, he was such
an uncomfortable man. He shrugged
his shoulders in ungracious acquiesc-
ence, while our visitor in hurried words
and with much excitable gesticulation
poured forth his story.
4 must explain TO you, Mr.. Holmes.
that tomorrow is the first day of the
examination for the Fortescue schoI-
arship. / am one Of the examiners.
@ My subject is Greek, and the first of
the papers consists OF a large passage
OF Greek translation which the can
oidate has not seen. This passage is
printed on the examination paper, and
1t would naturally be an immense
advantage if the candidate could pre-
pare il in advance. For this reason
secret.
To-day, about O'Clock. the proofs
of this paper arrived from the printers.
I had to read il over carefully. as the
text must be absolutely correct. At
four-thirty my task was not yet COM
pieted. 1 had. however, promised to
take tea in friends rooms so I left
the proof upon my desk. was abb
sent rather more than an hour
You are aware, Mr.. Holmes, that
our college doors are double green
baize one within and a heavy oak one
without As 1 approached my outer
door ! was amazed to see a kew in il.
For an instant 1 imagined that had
left my own key there, but on feeling
In my pocket 1 found that il was all
right. The only duplicate which ex-
listed, so far as / knew, was that which
belonged TO my servant, Bannister-
man who has looked after nv room
for ten years and whose honesty is alb
solutely above suspicion. I found that
the key was indeed his, that he had
entered my room to know if 1 wanted
tea and that he had very carelesslv
left the key in the door when he. ca me
out His visit TO my room must have
been within a very few minutes OF my,
leaving 1t. His forgetfulness about
the key would have mattered little
upon any other occasion. but on this
one day it has produced the most de-
plorable consequences.
The moment I looked at my table
] was aware that some one had rum
maged among my papers. The proof
was IN three long slips 1 had left
them all together. Now I found that
one of them was lying on the floor
one was on the side table near the
window and the third was where 7
had left it,
Holmes stirred for the first time.
The first page on the floor the
second IN the window, the third where
you left it." said he.
Exactly, Mr.. Holmes. You amaze
me. How could you possibly know
that2"
pray continue your interesting
statement"
For an instant I imagined that
Bannister had taken the unpardonablA
liberty of examining my papers. He
denied II, however, with the utmost
earnestness, and I am convinced that
he was speaking the truth. The all
ternative was that some one passing
had observed the key in the door. had
known that / was out and had en-
tered TO look at the papers. A large
sum of money is at stake, for the
scholarship is a very valuable one. and
an unscrupu1ous man might Very. well
run a risk in order to gain an advan-
tage over his fellows.
"Bannister was very much unset
by the incident. He had nearly faint
ed when we found that the papers
had undoubtedly been tampered with.