The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-03-26

murder out of the only eye he could
see with when we had finished, but he
listened to reason and gave up the pa
pers. Having got them / let my man
go, but l wired full particulars to
Forbes this morning. If he is quick
enough to catch his bird, well n good.
But If, as l shrewdly suspect, he finds
the nest empty before he gets there,
why. all the better for the government.
| fancy hat Lord Holdhurst for. one,
and Mr.. Percy Phelps for another.
would very much rather that the affair
never got as far as a police court"
MY God!' gasped our client. do
you tell me that during these long
ten weeks Of agony the stolen papers
We're within the very room with me
all the timer"
$50 it was
"And Joseph! Joseph a villain and a
thief"
Hum! I am afraid Joseph's char
acter is a rather deeper and more dam
gerous n than one might judge from
his appearance. From what | have
heard from him this morning. 1 gather
that he has lost heavily in dabbling with
stocks, and that he is ready to do any
thing on earth to better his fortunes,
Being an absolutely selfish man. when
a chance presented itself he did not
allow either his sisters happiness or
your reputation to hold his hand"
Percy Phelps sank back in his chair.
"My head whirls,' said he. Your words
have dazed me-"
"The principal difficulty. in your
case" remarked Holmes, in his didactic
fashion, clay in the fact Of there being
too much evidence. What was vital
was overlaid and hidden by what was
irrelevant. OF all the facts which were
presented to us we had to pick just
those which we deemed to be essential.
and then piece them together in their
order, so as to reconstruct this very
remarkable chain of events | had
already begun to suspect Joseph, from
the fact that you had intended to travel
home with him that night, and hat
therefore it was a likely enough thing
that he should call for you, knowing
the Foreign Office well, upon his way.
When / heard that some one had been
so anxious to get into the bedroom in
which no one but Joseph could have
concealed s~nything-you told us in your
narrative how you had turned Joseph
Oul WlltH YOU dIIlNcu Will liC UOt-t
tor-my suspicious all changed to GER
t%ainties, especially as the attempt was
made on the first night upon which the
nurse was absent. showing that the
intruder was well acquainted with the
ways of the house"
How blind l have been.'
The facts of the case, as far as +
have worked them out, are these: This
Tacen1 Harpican onforad tho af47Ca
through the Charles street door, and
knowing his way he walked straight
into your room the instant after you
left 1t. Finding no one there he prompt
ly rams the bell, and at the instant that
he did SO his eyes caught the pap
upon the table. A glance showed him
that chance had put in his way a state
document of immense value, and in an
instant he had thrust 1t INTO his pocket
and was gone. A few minutes elapsed,
as you remember. before the sleepy
commissionnaire drew your attention to
the bell, and those We're just enough
to give the thief time to make his es-
cape.
"He made his way to Working by the
first train, and having examined his
booty and assured himself that 1t
really was of immense value, he had
concealed it in what he thought vas a
very safe place, with the intention Of
taking it out again in a day or two, and
carrying it TO the French embassy, or
wherever he thought that a long price
was to be had. Then came you sud-
den return. He, without a moments
warning, was bundled out of his roona,
and from that time onward there were
always at least two of you there to
prevent him from ~regaining his treas
ure. The situation to him must have
been a maddening one. But at last he
thought he saw his chance. He tried
to steal in, but was baffied by your
wakefulness. You may remember that
you did not take you usual ~draught
that night"
Il remember
II fancy that lie had taken steps to
| make that draught ~efiicacious, and that
| he quite relied upon our being un-
conscious. OF course, / understand that
he would repeat the attempt whenever
1t could be lone with safety. Your
leaving the room gave him the chance
he wanted l kept Miss Harrison in il
all day so that he might not anticipate
us. Then, having given him the idea
that the coast was clear, I kept guard
as l have described. | already knew
that the papers were probably in the
room. but L had no desire tc rip. up all
the planking and skirting in search of
them. | let him take them, therefore.
from the hiding-place, and so saved
myself an infinity of trouble. Is there
any other point which l can make
clear?"
"Why did he try the window on the
first OCCASION l asked, when he
might have entered by the door,
I'm reaching the door he would have
to pass seven bedrooms. On the other
hand. he could get out on the lawn
with ease. Anything else?p
"You do not think asked Phelps.
that he had any murderous intention
The knife was only meant as a tool
ut may be So answered Holmes,
struggling his shoulders. Il can only
say for certain that Mr.. Joseph Harris
son is n gentleman to whose mercy |
should be extremely unwilling to trust
1.-THE End.l
THE BUDS OF SPRING.