The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-08-27

ceased to be subject of interest in
those exalted circles in which the I'M
fortunate bridegroom. moves. Fresh
scandals have eclipsed it, and their
piquant details have drawn the scs-
sips away from this four-year-old
drama. AS / nave reason to believe,
however, that the IpIl facts have never
been revealed 10 the general pubic.
and as my friend Sherlock Holmes had
g. considerable share in clearing the
matter up, l feel that no memoir of
him would be complete without some
little sketch of this remarkable cpl
sode.
Lit was \ few weeks before my own
marriage, during the days wnen l
was still sharing rooms with Holmes
i'm Baker street, that he came
home from an afternoon stroll to
find letter on the table va;:j:l., for
him. l remained indoors all day. icr
the weather had taken a sui,lcp t,iin
TO rain, with autumnal winds aim the
jezail bullet which hail brought back
in one of my limos as u relic oT my At
CHAN campaign. throbhed with dull
persistenCy. With my body IN one
easy-chair aud ny legs upon an"tirr,
| had surrounded myself with cluul
OF newspapers, until az last, salu,ated
with the news of the day. ] tossed
them all aside and lay listiess watch
upon the envelope upon the table. and
Wondering laIi'v who my friends
noble corr spar:dgnt could be.
Here is a very fas l;niilt"e epistl".
I remarked, rs he entered. Your
morning letters. if I remember right,
werefrom fish-monger and tide
WAITER
..Yec, my correspondence has GER
tainly the charm OF variety. he an
swered smiling. and the humber are
usually more intateStiny. THIS looks
like one of those unwe;come social
summonses which call upon a man
either to be bored or t" liz
He broke the seal and glanced over
the contents.
soh, come, it may prove to be
something of interest after all"
Not social, Them
mo, distinctly professional. And
from a noble client?'
MY dear fellow, / congratulate
you
81 assure you, Watson, without af-
fectation, that the status of my client
is matter of less moment to me than
the interest of his case. 1t is just pos
sible, however. that that also may De
wanting in this investigation. You
have been reading the papers d1l1gert-
~. of late. have you not?''
cit looks like it, said 1, ruefully
pointing to a huge bundle in the cor
ner. 81 have had nothing Else to do
1T is fortunate, for you will per-
haps be able to post me up. / read
nothing but the criminal news and the
agony column. The latter is always
Instructive. But if you have followed
recent events so closely yea must have
read about Lord *. Simon and his
wedding.
"Oh yes. with the deepest interest"
ftrr-t-- TT, ;21
bold in my hand is from Lore. St ST.
mon. 1 will read il to you. and in re-
turn you must turn over these pepers
and Jet me have Wl,a.CScr bears upon
the matter. This is what he says.
90 Ny Dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes
Lord Backwater tells me that
may place implicit reliance
upon your judgment and discrc~
ton l have determined, there
fore, to call upon you, and to
consult you in reference to the very
painful event winch has occurred in
connection with my wedding. Mr..
Lestrade, of Scotland Yard, is acting
already in the matter, but he assures
me that he sees no objection to your
cooperation, and that he even thinks
that it might be of some assistance
will call at four o'clock in the after
noon. and, should you have another
engagement at that time, l hope you
will postpone 1t. as this matter is OF
paramount importance.
Yours faithfully.
81. SIMON
at Is dated from Cross enor Man
sions, written with Il quill pen, and
he noble lord has had the misfortune
to get a smear of ink upon the otter
side of his riSnl finger. rC marked
Holmes. as ne fold ii I'D the epistle.
HE says fom O'Clock. it is three
now. He will he here in an hour
'1hef. / nave JL,' time, with your
assistar =. TO set clear upon IN. sub
Il. T -.rn over those p;ipc"-. an ar
range the extracts in their order Of
time, while / take glance as
to who our client is He picked red
covered volume from line of books
of reference beside the mantel-piece.
Here he is said he, sitting down and
fiattening it out upon his knee. Lord !,
Robert Walsingham de We're st. Simon, |
second son of the Duke of BalmoraI-I
Hum, Arms: Azure. three caltropg in
chief over fess sable. Born in 1916. /
He's forty years of age. which is ma
ture for marriage. Was Undcr-sccre- {
tary for the Co'onies in the late Nd /,
miniStrat.on. ','na Duke. his father, |
was at one time Secretary of For
61Bn Affairs. Iney inherit IAN
tagenet blood by direct descent, and
Tudor on the distaff side. Ha. Well.
there is nothing very instructive In all
this l think that l must turn to you,
Watson, for something more solid.
II have very little difficulty in find
ing what / want" said 1, "for the facts
are quite recent. and the matter
struck me as remarkable. l feared to
refer them to you. however, as l knew
that you had an inquiry on hand. and
that you disiked the intrusion of other
matters"
ooh. you mean the little problem of
the Grosvenor Square furniture van
That is quite cleared up now--though.
indeed, it was obvious from the first.
Pray give me the results of your news
paper selections"
Here is the first notice which / can
find 1t is in the personal column of
The Morning Post, and dates. as you
see, some weeks back. "A marriage has
been arranged it says. and will. If
rumor is correct. very shortly take
place. between Lord Robert st. Simon,
second son of the Duke of Balmoral.
and Miss Hatty Doran. the only daugh-
ter of Aloysius Doran., Esq, of San
d.