The Valley of Fear

rk

morning he had sent his message to Scotland Yard, and he was at the Birlstone station at twelve o'clock to welcome us. White Mason was a quiet, comfortable-looking person in a loose tweed suit, with a clean-shaved,

t and messing up all the trails. There has been nothing like this that I can remember. There are some bits that will come home to you, Mr. Holmes, or I am mistaken. And you also, Dr. Watson; for the medicos

lour of the inn and being treated to a rapid sketch of those events which have been outlined in the previous chapter. MacDonald made an occasional n

ded, "most remarkable! I can hardly recall any

time when I took over from Sergeant Wilson between three and four this morning. My word! I made the old mare go! But I need not have been in such a hurry, as it t

ey?" asked Ho

of violence upon it. I was hoping that if Mr. Douglas defended himself with the hammer, he migh

arked Inspector MacDonald. "There has been ma

ed out, the triggers were wired together so that, if you pulled on the hinder one, both barrels were discharged. Whoever fixed that up had made up his mind that he was going to take no chances of missing his man. The sawed gun was

sh above it, E and N s

act

Company-well-known Amer

ractitioner looks at the Harley Street specialist who

right. Wonderful! Wonderful! Do you carry the name

sed the subje

is a weapon used in some parts of America. Apart from the name upon the barrel, the idea had occurred to

lling overfast," said he. "I have heard no evidence

e sill, the queer card, the marks

ican, or had lived long in America. So had Mr. Barker. You don't need to

the b

him? Is he

s been with Douglas ever since he took the Manor House five y

els were sawed. It would fit into any box. How co

w, he had ne

donian as he lost himself in his argument) "I'm asking you to conseedar what it involves if you suppose that this gun was ever brought into the house, and that all these stran

Mr. Mac," said Holmes in

y in making his escape, as the house is surrounded with water. What weapon would he choose? You would say the most silent in the world. Then he could hope when the deed was done to slip quickly from the window, to wade the moat, and to get away at his leisure. That's understandable. But is it understanda

deal of justification. May I ask, Mr. White Mason, whether you examined the farther side of

s. But it is a stone ledge, and

cks or

on

to our going down to the house at once? There may po

t you in touch with all the facts before we go. I suppose if anythi

es before," said Inspector M

e ever separated myself from the official force, it is because they have first separated themselves from me. I have no wish ever to score at their ex

we know," said White Mason cordially. "Come along, Dr. Watson, a

ce been the rampant lion of Capus of Birlstone. A short walk along the winding drive with such sward and oaks around it as one only sees in rural England, then a sudden turn, and the long, low Jacobean house of dingy, liver-coloure

this dark business should have cast its shadow upon the venerable walls! And yet those strange, peaked roofs and quaint, overhung gables were a fitting covering to grim and terr

one on the immediate right of the drawbridg

er narrow for

ed your deductions, Mr. Holmes, to tell us that

d looked across. Then he examined the st

ason. "There is nothing there, no sign that anyo

uld he? Is the wa

colour. The stream b

deep

each side and thr

idea of the man having

could not be

the butler, Ames. The poor old fellow was white and quivering from the shock. The village sergeant

Sergeant Wilson?"

, s

im to warn Mr. Cecil Barker, Mrs. Douglas, and the housekeeper that we may want a word with them presently. Now, gentlem

ommon-sense brain, which should take him some way in his profession. Holmes listened to hi

at this man began by taking off his wedding ring and concealing it; that he then came down here in his dressing gown, trampled

dismiss that,"

rder has been done. What we have to determine is, whet

's hear th

he crime. They got this man down here at a time when everything was still and yet no one was asleep. They then did the deed with the queerest and noisiest we

t does

though he claims to have been the first, but Ames and all of them were on the spot. Do you tell me that in that time the guilty person managed to make fo

," said Holmes. "I am in

, and the door was open; so there was nothing to prevent him. He may have been a common burglar, or he may have had some private grudge against Mr. Douglas. Since Mr. Douglas has spent most of his life in America, and this shotgun seems to be an American weapon, it would seem that the private grudge is the more likely theory. He slipped i

shows that,"

able before he was attacked; otherwise, of course, it would have fallen when he fell. This shows that he was not

all clea

but so it must have been. Mr. Douglas gave it up. Then either in cold blood or in the course of a struggle-Douglas may have gripped the hammer that was found upon the mat-he shot Douglas in this horrible way. He dropped his g

, but just a litt

rly prove to you that he should have done it some other way. What does he mean by allowing his retreat to be cut off like that? What does he mean by using a s

missing no word that was said, with his keen eyes darting to

y. "Dear me! these injuries are really appalling. Can we have the butler in for a moment? . . . Ames, I understa

ently,

ny speculation as

, s

dly a burn. Now, I observe, Ames, that there is a small piece of plas

himself in shaving

him to cut himself

very long

ay point to some nervousness which would indicate that he had reason to appre

e was a little restl

d. We do seem to make a little progress, do we not?

it's in better

d-V. V. 341. It is rough cardboard. H

't thi

not printed in this room," he said; "this is black ink and the other purplish. It was done by a thick pen, a

ir, no

you think

ecret society of some sort; the sa

ea, too," sai

, waits for Mr. Douglas, blows his head nearly off with this weapon, and escapes by wading the moat, after leaving a card beside the dead man, which will

act

the missi

ite

r granted that since dawn every constable within fo

so, Mr.

examining with his lens the blood mark on the sill. "It is clearly the tread of a shoe. It is remarkably broad; a splay-foot, one would say. Curious, because, so far as one

's dumb-bell

's only one. Whe

e may have been only one. I hav

usly; but his remarks were interru

o difficulty in guessing that it was the Cecil Barker of whom I had heard. Hi

ultation," said he, "but you

arre

ellow left his bicycle behind him. Come and have a

ut from a clump of evergreens in which it had been concealed. It was a well used Rudge-Whitworth, splashed

e've got. If we can't find where he went to, at least we are likely to get where he came from. But what in the name of all that is wonderful ma

end answered thoug