The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1913-05-28
A SCANDAL
IN BOHEMIA
BY SIR A. CONAN DOYLE.

returned. The land.ady informed me
that he had left the house shortly
after eight o'clock in the morning.
sat down beside the fire, however,
with the intention Of awaiting him,
however long he might be. / was
already deeply interested in his in
quiry, for, though it was surrounded
by none of the grim and strange fea-
lures which were associated with the
two crimes which I have already re-
corded, still the nature of the case
and the exalted station of his client
gave it character Of its own. In
deed, apart from the nature of the
investigation which my friend had on
hand, there was something in his
mastery grasp of a situation, and his
keen, incisiye reasoning, which made
it pleasure to me to study his sys-
tenn of work, and to follow the quick,
subtle methods by which he disentan-
gled the most inextricable mysteries.
So accustomed was I to his invari-
able success that the very possibility
Of his failing had ceased to enter
into my head.
It was close, upon four before the
door opened, and a drunken-looking
groom, ill-kempt and side-whiskered,
with an inhamed face and disreput-
able clothes, walked into the room.
Accustomed as / was to my friends
amazing powers in the use of dis
guises, had to look three times be-
fore I was certain that it was indeed
he. With a nod he vanished into the
bedroom, when he emerged five min
utes tweed-suited and respectable, as
OF old. Putting his hands into his
pockets, he stretched out his legs in
front Of the fire, and laughed hearth
" for some minutes.
t'Well, reallyn' he cried, and then
he choked, and laughed again until
he was obliged to lie back, limp and
helpless, in the chair.
'tWhat is it?"
s'It,s quite too funny. I am sure
you could never guess how employ
ed my morning, or what I ended by
doing"
"I can't imagine. 7 suppose that
you have been watching the habits,
and, perhaps, the house, OF Miss Irene
Adler"
ttQnite so, but the sequel was rath-
er unusual. I viii tell you, however.
left the house a little after eight
o'clock this morning in the character
of groom out OF work. There is
wonderful sympathy and freemasonry
among horsy men. Be one of them,
and you will know all that there is to
know. I soon found Briony Lodge.
It is bijou villa, with a garden at
the back, but built out in the front
right up to the road, two stories.
Chuhb lock to the door. Large Sit
ting-room on the right side, well fur
nished, with long windows almost to
the floor, and those preposterous
English window-fasteners which a
child could open. Behind there was
nothing remarkable, save that the
passage window could be reached
from the top Of the coach-house. I
walked round it and examined it
closely from every point Of view, but
without noting anything else Of in
terest.
.I then lounged down the street,
and found, as expected, that there
was a news in q lane which runs
down by ore wall Of the garden. l
lent the hostlers a hand in rubbing
down their horses, and I received in
exchange twopence, glass Of half
and-half, two fills of shag tobacco,
and as much information as I could
desire about Miss Adler, to say moth
ing of a half dozen other people in
the neighborhood, in whom was not
in the least interested, but whose
biographies I was compelled to listen
to-"
s.And what Of Irene Adler?" ask
ed.
ooh, she has turned all the mems
heads down in that part. She is the
daintiest thing under bonnet on this
planet. So say the Serpentine News,
to a man. She lives quietly, sings at
concerts, drives out at five every day,
and returns at seven sharp for din
ner. Seldom goes out at other times,
except when she sings. Has only one
male visitor, but a good deal Of him.
He is dark, handsome, and dashing;
never calls less than once day, and
often twice. He is a Mr.. Godfrey
Norton of the Inner Temple. See the
advantages Of a cabman as conf
dant. They had driven him home a
dozen times from Serpentine News,
and knew all about him. When I had
listened to all that they had to tell,
I began to walk up and down near
Briony Lodge once more, and to
think over my plan of campaign.
This Godfrey Norton was evil
IDENTIFY an important factor in the
matter. He was a lawyer. That
sounded ominous. What was the re-
lation between them, and what the
object Of his repeated visits? Was
she his client, his friend, or his mis-
tress? If the former, she had prob
ably transferred the photograph to
his keeping. If the latter, it was less
likely. On the issue Of this question
depended whether 7 should continue
my work at Briony Lodge, Or turn
my attention to the gentleman's
chambers in the Temple. It was a.
delicate point, and it widened the
field Of my inquiry. I fear that I
bore you with details, but I>have- to
let you see my little difficulties, if
you are to understand the situation"