RubyGems - git-scribe - Versions diffs - 0.0.4 → 0.0.5 - Mend

git-scribe 0.0.4 → 0.0.5

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data/example/output/the_red-headed_league.html DELETED Viewed

@@ -1,950 +0,0 @@
-<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "http://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
-<html xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">
-  <head>
-    <meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8" />
-    <link rel="stylesheet" href="master.css" type="text/css" />
-    <title>The Red-Headed League</title>
-  </head>
-  <body>
-    <div class="nav" id="navheader">
-    <table width="100%">
-      <tr><td width="33%" align="left">
-         <a href="title.html">Prev</a><br/>
-         A Scandal in Bohemia
-      </td><td width="33%" align="center">
-         <a href="index.html">Home</a><br/>
-         <strong>The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes</strong>
-      </td><td width="33%" align="right">
-          <a href="a_case_of_identity.html">Next</a><br/>
-          A Case of Identity
-      </td></tr>
-    </table>
-    </div>
-    <hr/>
-    <div class="content">
-      <div class="section" lang="en" xml:lang="en">
-<div class="titlepage"><div><div><h2 class="title" style="clear: both">
-<a id="_the_red_headed_league"></a>The Red-Headed League</h2></div></div></div>
-<p>I had called upon my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, one day in the
-autumn of last year and found him in deep conversation with a
-very stout, florid-faced, elderly gentleman with fiery red hair.
-With an apology for my intrusion, I was about to withdraw when
-Holmes pulled me abruptly into the room and closed the door
-behind me.</p>
-<p>"You could not possibly have come at a better time, my dear
-Watson," he said cordially.</p>
-<p>"I was afraid that you were engaged."</p>
-<p>"So I am. Very much so."</p>
-<p>"Then I can wait in the next room."</p>
-<p>"Not at all. This gentleman, Mr. Wilson, has been my partner and
-helper in many of my most successful cases, and I have no
-doubt that he will be of the utmost use to me in yours also."</p>
-<p>The stout gentleman half rose from his chair and gave a bob of
-greeting, with a quick little questioning glance from his small
-fat-encircled eyes.</p>
-<p>"Try the settee," said Holmes, relapsing into his armchair and
-putting his fingertips together, as was his custom when in
-judicial moods. "I know, my dear Watson, that you share my love
-of all that is bizarre and outside the conventions and humdrum
-routine of everyday life. You have shown your relish for it by
-the enthusiasm which has prompted you to chronicle, and, if you
-will excuse my saying so, somewhat to embellish so many of my own
-little adventures."</p>
-<p>"Your cases have indeed been of the greatest interest to me," I
-observed.</p>
-<p>"You will remember that I remarked the other day, just before we
-went into the very simple problem presented by Miss Mary
-Sutherland, that for strange effects and extraordinary
-combinations we must go to life itself, which is always far more
-daring than any effort of the imagination."</p>
-<p>"A proposition which I took the liberty of doubting."</p>
-<p>"You did, Doctor, but none the less you must come round to my
-view, for otherwise I shall keep on piling fact upon fact on you
-until your reason breaks down under them and acknowledges me to
-be right. Now, Mr. Jabez Wilson here has been good enough to call
-upon me this morning, and to begin a narrative which promises to
-be one of the most singular which I have listened to for some
-time. You have heard me remark that the strangest and most unique
-things are very often connected not with the larger but with the
-smaller crimes, and occasionally, indeed, where there is room for
-doubt whether any positive crime has been committed. As far as I
-have heard it is impossible for me to say whether the present
-case is an instance of crime or not, but the course of events is
-certainly among the most singular that I have ever listened to.
-Perhaps, Mr. Wilson, you would have the great kindness to
-recommence your narrative. I ask you not merely because my friend
-Dr. Watson has not heard the opening part but also because the
-peculiar nature of the story makes me anxious to have every
-possible detail from your lips. As a rule, when I have heard some
-slight indication of the course of events, I am able to guide
-myself by the thousands of other similar cases which occur to my
-memory. In the present instance I am forced to admit that the
-facts are, to the best of my belief, unique."</p>
-<p>The portly client puffed out his chest with an appearance of some
-little pride and pulled a dirty and wrinkled newspaper from the
-inside pocket of his greatcoat. As he glanced down the
-advertisement column, with his head thrust forward and the paper
-flattened out upon his knee, I took a good look at the man and
-endeavoured, after the fashion of my companion, to read the
-indications which might be presented by his dress or appearance.</p>
-<p>I did not gain very much, however, by my inspection. Our visitor
-bore every mark of being an average commonplace British
-tradesman, obese, pompous, and slow. He wore rather baggy grey
-shepherd’s check trousers, a not over-clean black frock-coat,
-unbuttoned in the front, and a drab waistcoat with a heavy brassy
-Albert chain, and a square pierced bit of metal dangling down as
-an ornament. A frayed top-hat and a faded brown overcoat with a
-wrinkled velvet collar lay upon a chair beside him. Altogether,
-look as I would, there was nothing remarkable about the man save
-his blazing red head, and the expression of extreme chagrin and
-discontent upon his features.</p>
-<p>Sherlock Holmes' quick eye took in my occupation, and he shook
-his head with a smile as he noticed my questioning glances.
-"Beyond the obvious facts that he has at some time done manual
-labour, that he takes snuff, that he is a Freemason, that he has
-been in China, and that he has done a considerable amount of
-writing lately, I can deduce nothing else."</p>
-<p>Mr. Jabez Wilson started up in his chair, with his forefinger
-upon the paper, but his eyes upon my companion.</p>
-<p>"How, in the name of good-fortune, did you know all that, Mr.
-Holmes?" he asked. "How did you know, for example, that I did
-manual labour. It’s as true as gospel, for I began as a ship’s
-carpenter."</p>
-<p>"Your hands, my dear sir. Your right hand is quite a size larger
-than your left. You have worked with it, and the muscles are more
-developed."</p>
-<p>"Well, the snuff, then, and the Freemasonry?"</p>
-<p>"I won’t insult your intelligence by telling you how I read that,
-especially as, rather against the strict rules of your order, you
-use an arc-and-compass breastpin."</p>
-<p>"Ah, of course, I forgot that. But the writing?"</p>
-<p>"What else can be indicated by that right cuff so very shiny for
-five inches, and the left one with the smooth patch near the
-elbow where you rest it upon the desk?"</p>
-<p>"Well, but China?"</p>
-<p>"The fish that you have tattooed immediately above your right
-wrist could only have been done in China. I have made a small
-study of tattoo marks and have even contributed to the literature
-of the subject. That trick of staining the fishes' scales of a
-delicate pink is quite peculiar to China. When, in addition, I
-see a Chinese coin hanging from your watch-chain, the matter
-becomes even more simple."</p>
-<p>Mr. Jabez Wilson laughed heavily. "Well, I never!" said he. "I
-thought at first that you had done something clever, but I see
-that there was nothing in it, after all."</p>
-<p>"I begin to think, Watson," said Holmes, "that I make a mistake
-in explaining. <span class="emphasis"><em>Omne ignotum pro magnifico,</em></span> you know, and my
-poor little reputation, such as it is, will suffer shipwreck if I
-am so candid. Can you not find the advertisement, Mr. Wilson?"</p>
-<p>"Yes, I have got it now," he answered with his thick red finger
-planted halfway down the column. "Here it is. This is what began
-it all. You just read it for yourself, sir."</p>
-<p>I took the paper from him and read as follows:</p>
-<p>"TO THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE: On account of the bequest of the late
-Ezekiah Hopkins, of Lebanon, Pennsylvania, U. S. A., there is now
-another vacancy open which entitles a member of the League to a
-salary of 4 pounds a week for purely nominal services. All
-red-headed men who are sound in body and mind and above the age
-of twenty-one years, are eligible. Apply in person on Monday, at
-eleven o’clock, to Duncan Ross, at the offices of the League, 7
-Pope’s Court, Fleet Street."</p>
-<p>"What on earth does this mean?" I ejaculated after I had twice
-read over the extraordinary announcement.</p>
-<p>Holmes chuckled and wriggled in his chair, as was his habit when
-in high spirits. "It is a little off the beaten track, isn’t it?"
-said he. "And now, Mr. Wilson, off you go at scratch and tell us
-all about yourself, your household, and the effect which this
-advertisement had upon your fortunes. You will first make a note,
-Doctor, of the paper and the date."</p>
-<p>"It is The Morning Chronicle of April 27, 1890. Just two months
-ago."</p>
-<p>"Very good. Now, Mr. Wilson?"</p>
-<p>"Well, it is just as I have been telling you, Mr. Sherlock
-Holmes," said Jabez Wilson, mopping his forehead; "I have a small
-pawnbroker’s business at Coburg Square, near the City. It’s not a
-very large affair, and of late years it has not done more than
-just give me a living. I used to be able to keep two assistants,
-but now I only keep one; and I would have a job to pay him but
-that he is willing to come for half wages so as to learn the
-business."</p>
-<p>"What is the name of this obliging youth?" asked Sherlock Holmes.</p>
-<p>"His name is Vincent Spaulding, and he’s not such a youth,
-either. It’s hard to say his age. I should not wish a smarter
-assistant, Mr. Holmes; and I know very well that he could better
-himself and earn twice what I am able to give him. But, after
-all, if he is satisfied, why should I put ideas in his head?"</p>
-<p>"Why, indeed? You seem most fortunate in having an employé who
-comes under the full market price. It is not a common experience
-among employers in this age. I don’t know that your assistant is
-not as remarkable as your advertisement."</p>
-<p>"Oh, he has his faults, too," said Mr. Wilson. "Never was such a
-fellow for photography. Snapping away with a camera when he ought
-to be improving his mind, and then diving down into the cellar
-like a rabbit into its hole to develop his pictures. That is his
-main fault, but on the whole he’s a good worker. There’s no vice
-in him."</p>
-<p>"He is still with you, I presume?"</p>
-<p>"Yes, sir. He and a girl of fourteen, who does a bit of simple
-cooking and keeps the place clean—that’s all I have in the
-house, for I am a widower and never had any family. We live very
-quietly, sir, the three of us; and we keep a roof over our heads
-and pay our debts, if we do nothing more.</p>
-<p>"The first thing that put us out was that advertisement.
-Spaulding, he came down into the office just this day eight
-weeks, with this very paper in his hand, and he says:</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>I wish to the Lord, Mr. Wilson, that I was a red-headed man.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Why that?</em></span> I asks.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Why,</em></span> says he, <span class="emphasis"><em>here’s another vacancy on the League of the
-Red-headed Men. It’s worth quite a little fortune to any man who
-gets it, and I understand that there are more vacancies than
-there are men, so that the trustees are at their wits</em></span> end what
-to do with the money. If my hair would only change colour, here’s
-a nice little crib all ready for me to step into.'</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Why, what is it, then?</em></span> I asked. You see, Mr. Holmes, I am a
-very stay-at-home man, and as my business came to me instead of
-my having to go to it, I was often weeks on end without putting
-my foot over the door-mat. In that way I didn’t know much of what
-was going on outside, and I was always glad of a bit of news.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Have you never heard of the League of the Red-headed Men?</em></span> he
-asked with his eyes open.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Never.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Why, I wonder at that, for you are eligible yourself for one
-of the vacancies.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>And what are they worth?</em></span> I asked.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Oh, merely a couple of hundred a year, but the work is slight,
-and it need not interfere very much with one’s other
-occupations.</em></span></p>
-<p>"Well, you can easily think that that made me prick up my ears,
-for the business has not been over-good for some years, and an
-extra couple of hundred would have been very handy.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Tell me all about it,</em></span> said I.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Well,</em></span> said he, showing me the advertisement, <span class="emphasis"><em>you can see for
-yourself that the League has a vacancy, and there is the address
-where you should apply for particulars. As far as I can make out,
-the League was founded by an American millionaire, Ezekiah
-Hopkins, who was very peculiar in his ways. He was himself
-red-headed, and he had a great sympathy for all red-headed men;
-so when he died it was found that he had left his enormous
-fortune in the hands of trustees, with instructions to apply the
-interest to the providing of easy berths to men whose hair is of
-that colour. From all I hear it is splendid pay and very little to
-do.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>But,</em></span> said I, <span class="emphasis"><em>there would be millions of red-headed men who
-would apply.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Not so many as you might think,</em></span> he answered. <span class="emphasis"><em>You see it is
-really confined to Londoners, and to grown men. This American had
-started from London when he was young, and he wanted to do the
-old town a good turn. Then, again, I have heard it is no use your
-applying if your hair is light red, or dark red, or anything but
-real bright, blazing, fiery red. Now, if you cared to apply, Mr.
-Wilson, you would just walk in; but perhaps it would hardly be
-worth your while to put yourself out of the way for the sake of a
-few hundred pounds.</em></span></p>
-<p>"Now, it is a fact, gentlemen, as you may see for yourselves,
-that my hair is of a very full and rich tint, so that it seemed
-to me that if there was to be any competition in the matter I
-stood as good a chance as any man that I had ever met. Vincent
-Spaulding seemed to know so much about it that I thought he might
-prove useful, so I just ordered him to put up the shutters for
-the day and to come right away with me. He was very willing to
-have a holiday, so we shut the business up and started off for
-the address that was given us in the advertisement.</p>
-<p>"I never hope to see such a sight as that again, Mr. Holmes. From
-north, south, east, and west every man who had a shade of red in
-his hair had tramped into the city to answer the advertisement.
-Fleet Street was choked with red-headed folk, and Pope’s Court
-looked like a coster’s orange barrow. I should not have thought
-there were so many in the whole country as were brought together
-by that single advertisement. Every shade of colour they
-were—straw, lemon, orange, brick, Irish-setter, liver, clay;
-but, as Spaulding said, there were not many who had the real
-vivid flame-coloured tint. When I saw how many were waiting, I
-would have given it up in despair; but Spaulding would not hear
-of it. How he did it I could not imagine, but he pushed and
-pulled and butted until he got me through the crowd, and right up
-to the steps which led to the office. There was a double stream
-upon the stair, some going up in hope, and some coming back
-dejected; but we wedged in as well as we could and soon found
-ourselves in the office."</p>
-<p>"Your experience has been a most entertaining one," remarked
-Holmes as his client paused and refreshed his memory with a huge
-pinch of snuff. "Pray continue your very interesting statement."</p>
-<p>"There was nothing in the office but a couple of wooden chairs
-and a deal table, behind which sat a small man with a head that
-was even redder than mine. He said a few words to each candidate
-as he came up, and then he always managed to find some fault in
-them which would disqualify them. Getting a vacancy did not seem
-to be such a very easy matter, after all. However, when our turn
-came the little man was much more favourable to me than to any of
-the others, and he closed the door as we entered, so that he
-might have a private word with us.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>This is Mr. Jabez Wilson,</em></span> said my assistant, <span class="emphasis"><em>and he is
-willing to fill a vacancy in the League.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>And he is admirably suited for it,</em></span> the other answered. <span class="emphasis"><em>He has
-every requirement. I cannot recall when I have seen anything so
-fine.</em></span> He took a step backward, cocked his head on one side, and
-gazed at my hair until I felt quite bashful. Then suddenly he
-plunged forward, wrung my hand, and congratulated me warmly on my
-success.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>It would be injustice to hesitate,</em></span> said he. <span class="emphasis"><em>You will,
-however, I am sure, excuse me for taking an obvious precaution.</em></span>
-With that he seized my hair in both his hands, and tugged until I
-yelled with the pain. <span class="emphasis"><em>There is water in your eyes,</em></span> said he as
-he released me. <span class="emphasis"><em>I perceive that all is as it should be. But we
-have to be careful, for we have twice been deceived by wigs and
-once by paint. I could tell you tales of cobbler’s wax which
-would disgust you with human nature.</em></span> He stepped over to the
-window and shouted through it at the top of his voice that the
-vacancy was filled. A groan of disappointment came up from below,
-and the folk all trooped away in different directions until there
-was not a red-head to be seen except my own and that of the
-manager.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>My name,</em></span> said he, <span class="emphasis"><em>is Mr. Duncan Ross, and I am myself one of
-the pensioners upon the fund left by our noble benefactor. Are
-you a married man, Mr. Wilson? Have you a family?</em></span></p>
-<p>"I answered that I had not.</p>
-<p>"His face fell immediately.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Dear me!</em></span> he said gravely, <span class="emphasis"><em>that is very serious indeed! I am
-sorry to hear you say that. The fund was, of course, for the
-propagation and spread of the red-heads as well as for their
-maintenance. It is exceedingly unfortunate that you should be a
-bachelor.</em></span></p>
-<p>"My face lengthened at this, Mr. Holmes, for I thought that I was
-not to have the vacancy after all; but after thinking it over for
-a few minutes he said that it would be all right.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>In the case of another,</em></span> said he, <span class="emphasis"><em>the objection might be
-fatal, but we must stretch a point in favour of a man with such a
-head of hair as yours. When shall you be able to enter upon your
-new duties?</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Well, it is a little awkward, for I have a business already,</em></span>
-said I.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Oh, never mind about that, Mr. Wilson!</em></span> said Vincent Spaulding.
-<span class="emphasis"><em>I should be able to look after that for you.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>What would be the hours?</em></span> I asked.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Ten to two.</em></span></p>
-<p>"Now a pawnbroker’s business is mostly done of an evening, Mr.
-Holmes, especially Thursday and Friday evening, which is just
-before pay-day; so it would suit me very well to earn a little in
-the mornings. Besides, I knew that my assistant was a good man,
-and that he would see to anything that turned up.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>That would suit me very well,</em></span> said I. <span class="emphasis"><em>And the pay?</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Is 4 pounds a week.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>And the work?</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Is purely nominal.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>What do you call purely nominal?</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Well, you have to be in the office, or at least in the
-building, the whole time. If you leave, you forfeit your whole
-position forever. The will is very clear upon that point. You
-don’t comply with the conditions if you budge from the office
-during that time.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>It’s only four hours a day, and I should not think of leaving,</em></span>
-said I.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>No excuse will avail,</em></span> said Mr. Duncan Ross; <span class="emphasis"><em>neither sickness
-nor business nor anything else. There you must stay, or you lose
-your billet.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>And the work?</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Is to copy out the "Encyclopaedia Britannica." There is the first
-volume of it in that press. You must find your own ink, pens, and
-blotting-paper, but we provide this table and chair. Will you be
-ready to-morrow?</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Certainly,</em></span> I answered.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Then, good-bye, Mr. Jabez Wilson, and let me congratulate you
-once more on the important position which you have been fortunate
-enough to gain.</em></span> He bowed me out of the room and I went home with
-my assistant, hardly knowing what to say or do, I was so pleased
-at my own good fortune.</p>
-<p>"Well, I thought over the matter all day, and by evening I was in
-low spirits again; for I had quite persuaded myself that the
-whole affair must be some great hoax or fraud, though what its
-object might be I could not imagine. It seemed altogether past
-belief that anyone could make such a will, or that they would pay
-such a sum for doing anything so simple as copying out the
-<span class="emphasis"><em>Encyclopaedia Britannica.</em></span> Vincent Spaulding did what he could to
-cheer me up, but by bedtime I had reasoned myself out of the
-whole thing. However, in the morning I determined to have a look
-at it anyhow, so I bought a penny bottle of ink, and with a
-quill-pen, and seven sheets of foolscap paper, I started off for
-Pope’s Court.</p>
-<p>"Well, to my surprise and delight, everything was as right as
-possible. The table was set out ready for me, and Mr. Duncan Ross
-was there to see that I got fairly to work. He started me off
-upon the letter A, and then he left me; but he would drop in from
-time to time to see that all was right with me. At two o’clock he
-bade me good-day, complimented me upon the amount that I had
-written, and locked the door of the office after me.</p>
-<p>"This went on day after day, Mr. Holmes, and on Saturday the
-manager came in and planked down four golden sovereigns for my
-week’s work. It was the same next week, and the same the week
-after. Every morning I was there at ten, and every afternoon I
-left at two. By degrees Mr. Duncan Ross took to coming in only
-once of a morning, and then, after a time, he did not come in at
-all. Still, of course, I never dared to leave the room for an
-instant, for I was not sure when he might come, and the billet
-was such a good one, and suited me so well, that I would not risk
-the loss of it.</p>
-<p>"Eight weeks passed away like this, and I had written about
-Abbots and Archery and Armour and Architecture and Attica, and
-hoped with diligence that I might get on to the B’s before very
-long. It cost me something in foolscap, and I had pretty nearly
-filled a shelf with my writings. And then suddenly the whole
-business came to an end."</p>
-<p>"To an end?"</p>
-<p>"Yes, sir. And no later than this morning. I went to my work as
-usual at ten o’clock, but the door was shut and locked, with a
-little square of cardboard hammered on to the middle of the
-panel with a tack. Here it is, and you can read for yourself."</p>
-<p>He held up a piece of white cardboard about the size of a sheet
-of note-paper. It read in this fashion:</p>
-<pre class="literallayout">THE RED-HEADED LEAGUE</pre>
-<pre class="literallayout">IS</pre>
-<pre class="literallayout">DISSOLVED.</pre>
-<pre class="literallayout">October 9, 1890.</pre>
-<p>Sherlock Holmes and I surveyed this curt announcement and the
-rueful face behind it, until the comical side of the affair so
-completely overtopped every other consideration that we both
-burst out into a roar of laughter.</p>
-<p>"I cannot see that there is anything very funny," cried our
-client, flushing up to the roots of his flaming head. "If you can
-do nothing better than laugh at me, I can go elsewhere."</p>
-<p>"No, no," cried Holmes, shoving him back into the chair from
-which he had half risen. "I really wouldn’t miss your case for
-the world. It is most refreshingly unusual. But there is, if you
-will excuse my saying so, something just a little funny about it.
-Pray what steps did you take when you found the card upon the
-door?"</p>
-<p>"I was staggered, sir. I did not know what to do. Then I called
-at the offices round, but none of them seemed to know anything
-about it. Finally, I went to the landlord, who is an accountant
-living on the ground-floor, and I asked him if he could tell me
-what had become of the Red-headed League. He said that he had
-never heard of any such body. Then I asked him who Mr. Duncan
-Ross was. He answered that the name was new to him.</p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Well,</em></span> said I, <span class="emphasis"><em>the gentleman at No. 4.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>What, the red-headed man?</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Yes.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Oh,</em></span> said he, <span class="emphasis"><em>his name was William Morris. He was a solicitor
-and was using my room as a temporary convenience until his new
-premises were ready. He moved out yesterday.</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Where could I find him?</em></span></p>
-<p>"<span class="emphasis"><em>Oh, at his new offices. He did tell me the address. Yes, 17
-King Edward Street, near St. Paul’s.</em></span></p>
-<p>"I started off, Mr. Holmes, but when I got to that address it was
-a manufactory of artificial knee-caps, and no one in it had ever
-heard of either Mr. William Morris or Mr. Duncan Ross."</p>
-<p>"And what did you do then?" asked Holmes.</p>
-<p>"I went home to Saxe-Coburg Square, and I took the advice of my
-assistant. But he could not help me in any way. He could only say
-that if I waited I should hear by post. But that was not quite
-good enough, Mr. Holmes. I did not wish to lose such a place
-without a struggle, so, as I had heard that you were good enough
-to give advice to poor folk who were in need of it, I came right
-away to you."</p>
-<p>"And you did very wisely," said Holmes. "Your case is an
-exceedingly remarkable one, and I shall be happy to look into it.
-From what you have told me I think that it is possible that
-graver issues hang from it than might at first sight appear."</p>
-<p>"Grave enough!" said Mr. Jabez Wilson. "Why, I have lost four
-pound a week."</p>
-<p>"As far as you are personally concerned," remarked Holmes, "I do
-not see that you have any grievance against this extraordinary
-league. On the contrary, you are, as I understand, richer by some
-30 pounds, to say nothing of the minute knowledge which you have
-gained on every subject which comes under the letter A. You have
-lost nothing by them."</p>
-<p>"No, sir. But I want to find out about them, and who they are,
-and what their object was in playing this prank—if it was a
-prank—upon me. It was a pretty expensive joke for them, for it
-cost them two and thirty pounds."</p>
-<p>"We shall endeavour to clear up these points for you. And, first,
-one or two questions, Mr. Wilson. This assistant of yours who
-first called your attention to the advertisement—how long had he
-been with you?"</p>
-<p>"About a month then."</p>
-<p>"How did he come?"</p>
-<p>"In answer to an advertisement."</p>
-<p>"Was he the only applicant?"</p>
-<p>"No, I had a dozen."</p>
-<p>"Why did you pick him?"</p>
-<p>"Because he was handy and would come cheap."</p>
-<p>"At half-wages, in fact."</p>
-<p>"Yes."</p>
-<p>"What is he like, this Vincent Spaulding?"</p>
-<p>"Small, stout-built, very quick in his ways, no hair on his face,
-though he’s not short of thirty. Has a white splash of acid upon
-his forehead."</p>
-<p>Holmes sat up in his chair in considerable excitement. "I thought
-as much," said he. "Have you ever observed that his ears are
-pierced for earrings?"</p>
-<p>"Yes, sir. He told me that a gipsy had done it for him when he
-was a lad."</p>
-<p>"Hum!" said Holmes, sinking back in deep thought. "He is still
-with you?"</p>
-<p>"Oh, yes, sir; I have only just left him."</p>
-<p>"And has your business been attended to in your absence?"</p>
-<p>"Nothing to complain of, sir. There’s never very much to do of a
-morning."</p>
-<p>"That will do, Mr. Wilson. I shall be happy to give you an
-opinion upon the subject in the course of a day or two. To-day is
-Saturday, and I hope that by Monday we may come to a conclusion."</p>
-<p>"Well, Watson," said Holmes when our visitor had left us, "what
-do you make of it all?"</p>
-<p>"I make nothing of it," I answered frankly. "It is a most
-mysterious business."</p>
-<p>"As a rule," said Holmes, "the more bizarre a thing is the less
-mysterious it proves to be. It is your commonplace, featureless
-crimes which are really puzzling, just as a commonplace face is
-the most difficult to identify. But I must be prompt over this
-matter."</p>
-<p>"What are you going to do, then?" I asked.</p>
-<p>"To smoke," he answered. "It is quite a three pipe problem, and I
-beg that you won’t speak to me for fifty minutes." He curled
-himself up in his chair, with his thin knees drawn up to his
-hawk-like nose, and there he sat with his eyes closed and his
-black clay pipe thrusting out like the bill of some strange bird.
-I had come to the conclusion that he had dropped asleep, and
-indeed was nodding myself, when he suddenly sprang out of his
-chair with the gesture of a man who has made up his mind and put
-his pipe down upon the mantelpiece.</p>
-<p>"Sarasate plays at the St. James’s Hall this afternoon," he
-remarked. "What do you think, Watson? Could your patients spare
-you for a few hours?"</p>
-<p>"I have nothing to do to-day. My practice is never very
-absorbing."</p>
-<p>"Then put on your hat and come. I am going through the City
-first, and we can have some lunch on the way. I observe that
-there is a good deal of German music on the programme, which is
-rather more to my taste than Italian or French. It is
-introspective, and I want to introspect. Come along!"</p>
-<p>We travelled by the Underground as far as Aldersgate; and a short
-walk took us to Saxe-Coburg Square, the scene of the singular
-story which we had listened to in the morning. It was a poky,
-little, shabby-genteel place, where four lines of dingy
-two-storied brick houses looked out into a small railed-in
-enclosure, where a lawn of weedy grass and a few clumps of faded
-laurel-bushes made a hard fight against a smoke-laden and
-uncongenial atmosphere. Three gilt balls and a brown board with
-"JABEZ WILSON" in white letters, upon a corner house, announced
-the place where our red-headed client carried on his business.
-Sherlock Holmes stopped in front of it with his head on one side
-and looked it all over, with his eyes shining brightly between
-puckered lids. Then he walked slowly up the street, and then down
-again to the corner, still looking keenly at the houses. Finally
-he returned to the pawnbroker’s, and, having thumped vigorously
-upon the pavement with his stick two or three times, he went up
-to the door and knocked. It was instantly opened by a
-bright-looking, clean-shaven young fellow, who asked him to step
-in.</p>
-<p>"Thank you," said Holmes, "I only wished to ask you how you would
-go from here to the Strand."</p>
-<p>"Third right, fourth left," answered the assistant promptly,
-closing the door.</p>
-<p>"Smart fellow, that," observed Holmes as we walked away. "He is,
-in my judgment, the fourth smartest man in London, and for daring
-I am not sure that he has not a claim to be third. I have known
-something of him before."</p>
-<p>"Evidently," said I, "Mr. Wilson’s assistant counts for a good
-deal in this mystery of the Red-headed League. I am sure that you
-inquired your way merely in order that you might see him."</p>
-<p>"Not him."</p>
-<p>"What then?"</p>
-<p>"The knees of his trousers."</p>
-<p>"And what did you see?"</p>
-<p>"What I expected to see."</p>
-<p>"Why did you beat the pavement?"</p>
-<p>"My dear doctor, this is a time for observation, not for talk. We
-are spies in an enemy’s country. We know something of Saxe-Coburg
-Square. Let us now explore the parts which lie behind it."</p>
-<p>The road in which we found ourselves as we turned round the
-corner from the retired Saxe-Coburg Square presented as great a
-contrast to it as the front of a picture does to the back. It was
-one of the main arteries which conveyed the traffic of the City
-to the north and west. The roadway was blocked with the immense
-stream of commerce flowing in a double tide inward and outward,
-while the footpaths were black with the hurrying swarm of
-pedestrians. It was difficult to realise as we looked at the line
-of fine shops and stately business premises that they really
-abutted on the other side upon the faded and stagnant square
-which we had just quitted.</p>
-<p>"Let me see," said Holmes, standing at the corner and glancing
-along the line, "I should like just to remember the order of the
-houses here. It is a hobby of mine to have an exact knowledge of
-London. There is Mortimer’s, the tobacconist, the little
-newspaper shop, the Coburg branch of the City and Suburban Bank,
-the Vegetarian Restaurant, and McFarlane’s carriage-building
-depot. That carries us right on to the other block. And now,
-Doctor, we’ve done our work, so it’s time we had some play. A
-sandwich and a cup of coffee, and then off to violin-land, where
-all is sweetness and delicacy and harmony, and there are no
-red-headed clients to vex us with their conundrums."</p>
-<p>My friend was an enthusiastic musician, being himself not only a
-very capable performer but a composer of no ordinary merit. All
-the afternoon he sat in the stalls wrapped in the most perfect
-happiness, gently waving his long, thin fingers in time to the
-music, while his gently smiling face and his languid, dreamy eyes
-were as unlike those of Holmes the sleuth-hound, Holmes the
-relentless, keen-witted, ready-handed criminal agent, as it was
-possible to conceive. In his singular character the dual nature
-alternately asserted itself, and his extreme exactness and
-astuteness represented, as I have often thought, the reaction
-against the poetic and contemplative mood which occasionally
-predominated in him. The swing of his nature took him from
-extreme languor to devouring energy; and, as I knew well, he was
-never so truly formidable as when, for days on end, he had been
-lounging in his armchair amid his improvisations and his
-black-letter editions. Then it was that the lust of the chase
-would suddenly come upon him, and that his brilliant reasoning
-power would rise to the level of intuition, until those who were
-unacquainted with his methods would look askance at him as on a
-man whose knowledge was not that of other mortals. When I saw him
-that afternoon so enwrapped in the music at St. James’s Hall I
-felt that an evil time might be coming upon those whom he had set
-himself to hunt down.</p>
-<p>"You want to go home, no doubt, Doctor," he remarked as we
-emerged.</p>
-<p>"Yes, it would be as well."</p>
-<p>"And I have some business to do which will take some hours. This
-business at Coburg Square is serious."</p>
-<p>"Why serious?"</p>
-<p>"A considerable crime is in contemplation. I have every reason to
-believe that we shall be in time to stop it. But to-day being
-Saturday rather complicates matters. I shall want your help
-to-night."</p>
-<p>"At what time?"</p>
-<p>"Ten will be early enough."</p>
-<p>"I shall be at Baker Street at ten."</p>
-<p>"Very well. And, I say, Doctor, there may be some little danger,
-so kindly put your army revolver in your pocket." He waved his
-hand, turned on his heel, and disappeared in an instant among the
-crowd.</p>
-<p>I trust that I am not more dense than my neighbours, but I was
-always oppressed with a sense of my own stupidity in my dealings
-with Sherlock Holmes. Here I had heard what he had heard, I had
-seen what he had seen, and yet from his words it was evident that
-he saw clearly not only what had happened but what was about to
-happen, while to me the whole business was still confused and
-grotesque. As I drove home to my house in Kensington I thought
-over it all, from the extraordinary story of the red-headed
-copier of the "Encyclopaedia" down to the visit to Saxe-Coburg
-Square, and the ominous words with which he had parted from me.
-What was this nocturnal expedition, and why should I go armed?
-Where were we going, and what were we to do? I had the hint from
-Holmes that this smooth-faced pawnbroker’s assistant was a
-formidable man—a man who might play a deep game. I tried to
-puzzle it out, but gave it up in despair and set the matter aside
-until night should bring an explanation.</p>
-<p>It was a quarter-past nine when I started from home and made my
-way across the Park, and so through Oxford Street to Baker
-Street. Two hansoms were standing at the door, and as I entered
-the passage I heard the sound of voices from above. On entering
-his room I found Holmes in animated conversation with two men,
-one of whom I recognised as Peter Jones, the official police
-agent, while the other was a long, thin, sad-faced man, with a
-very shiny hat and oppressively respectable frock-coat.</p>
-<p>"Ha! Our party is complete," said Holmes, buttoning up his
-pea-jacket and taking his heavy hunting crop from the rack.
-"Watson, I think you know Mr. Jones, of Scotland Yard? Let me
-introduce you to Mr. Merryweather, who is to be our companion in
-to-night’s adventure."</p>
-<p>"We’re hunting in couples again, Doctor, you see," said Jones in
-his consequential way. "Our friend here is a wonderful man for
-starting a chase. All he wants is an old dog to help him to do
-the running down."</p>
-<p>"I hope a wild goose may not prove to be the end of our chase,"
-observed Mr. Merryweather gloomily.</p>
-<p>"You may place considerable confidence in Mr. Holmes, sir," said
-the police agent loftily. "He has his own little methods, which
-are, if he won’t mind my saying so, just a little too theoretical
-and fantastic, but he has the makings of a detective in him. It
-is not too much to say that once or twice, as in that business of
-the Sholto murder and the Agra treasure, he has been more nearly
-correct than the official force."</p>
-<p>"Oh, if you say so, Mr. Jones, it is all right," said the
-stranger with deference. "Still, I confess that I miss my rubber.
-It is the first Saturday night for seven-and-twenty years that I
-have not had my rubber."</p>
-<p>"I think you will find," said Sherlock Holmes, "that you will
-play for a higher stake to-night than you have ever done yet, and
-that the play will be more exciting. For you, Mr. Merryweather,
-the stake will be some 30,000 pounds; and for you, Jones, it will
-be the man upon whom you wish to lay your hands."</p>
-<p>"John Clay, the murderer, thief, smasher, and forger. He’s a
-young man, Mr. Merryweather, but he is at the head of his
-profession, and I would rather have my bracelets on him than on
-any criminal in London. He’s a remarkable man, is young John
-Clay. His grandfather was a royal duke, and he himself has been
-to Eton and Oxford. His brain is as cunning as his fingers, and
-though we meet signs of him at every turn, we never know where to
-find the man himself. He’ll crack a crib in Scotland one week,
-and be raising money to build an orphanage in Cornwall the next.
-I’ve been on his track for years and have never set eyes on him
-yet."</p>
-<p>"I hope that I may have the pleasure of introducing you to-night.
-I’ve had one or two little turns also with Mr. John Clay, and I
-agree with you that he is at the head of his profession. It is
-past ten, however, and quite time that we started. If you two
-will take the first hansom, Watson and I will follow in the
-second."</p>
-<p>Sherlock Holmes was not very communicative during the long drive
-and lay back in the cab humming the tunes which he had heard in
-the afternoon. We rattled through an endless labyrinth of gas-lit
-streets until we emerged into Farrington Street.</p>
-<p>"We are close there now," my friend remarked. "This fellow
-Merryweather is a bank director, and personally interested in the
-matter. I thought it as well to have Jones with us also. He is
-not a bad fellow, though an absolute imbecile in his profession.
-He has one positive virtue. He is as brave as a bulldog and as
-tenacious as a lobster if he gets his claws upon anyone. Here we
-are, and they are waiting for us."</p>
-<p>We had reached the same crowded thoroughfare in which we had
-found ourselves in the morning. Our cabs were dismissed, and,
-following the guidance of Mr. Merryweather, we passed down a
-narrow passage and through a side door, which he opened for us.
-Within there was a small corridor, which ended in a very massive
-iron gate. This also was opened, and led down a flight of winding
-stone steps, which terminated at another formidable gate. Mr.
-Merryweather stopped to light a lantern, and then conducted us
-down a dark, earth-smelling passage, and so, after opening a
-third door, into a huge vault or cellar, which was piled all
-round with crates and massive boxes.</p>
-<p>"You are not very vulnerable from above," Holmes remarked as he
-held up the lantern and gazed about him.</p>
-<p>"Nor from below," said Mr. Merryweather, striking his stick upon
-the flags which lined the floor. "Why, dear me, it sounds quite
-hollow!" he remarked, looking up in surprise.</p>
-<p>"I must really ask you to be a little more quiet!" said Holmes
-severely. "You have already imperilled the whole success of our
-expedition. Might I beg that you would have the goodness to sit
-down upon one of those boxes, and not to interfere?"</p>
-<p>The solemn Mr. Merryweather perched himself upon a crate, with a
-very injured expression upon his face, while Holmes fell upon his
-knees upon the floor and, with the lantern and a magnifying lens,
-began to examine minutely the cracks between the stones. A few
-seconds sufficed to satisfy him, for he sprang to his feet again
-and put his glass in his pocket.</p>
-<p>"We have at least an hour before us," he remarked, "for they can
-hardly take any steps until the good pawnbroker is safely in bed.
-Then they will not lose a minute, for the sooner they do their
-work the longer time they will have for their escape. We are at
-present, Doctor—as no doubt you have divined—in the cellar of
-the City branch of one of the principal London banks. Mr.
-Merryweather is the chairman of directors, and he will explain to
-you that there are reasons why the more daring criminals of
-London should take a considerable interest in this cellar at
-present."</p>
-<p>"It is our French gold," whispered the director. "We have had
-several warnings that an attempt might be made upon it."</p>
-<p>"Your French gold?"</p>
-<p>"Yes. We had occasion some months ago to strengthen our resources
-and borrowed for that purpose 30,000 napoleons from the Bank of
-France. It has become known that we have never had occasion to
-unpack the money, and that it is still lying in our cellar. The
-crate upon which I sit contains 2,000 napoleons packed between
-layers of lead foil. Our reserve of bullion is much larger at
-present than is usually kept in a single branch office, and the
-directors have had misgivings upon the subject."</p>
-<p>"Which were very well justified," observed Holmes. "And now it is
-time that we arranged our little plans. I expect that within an
-hour matters will come to a head. In the meantime Mr.
-Merryweather, we must put the screen over that dark lantern."</p>
-<p>"And sit in the dark?"</p>
-<p>"I am afraid so. I had brought a pack of cards in my pocket, and
-I thought that, as we were a partie carrée, you might have your
-rubber after all. But I see that the enemy’s preparations have
-gone so far that we cannot risk the presence of a light. And,
-first of all, we must choose our positions. These are daring men,
-and though we shall take them at a disadvantage, they may do us
-some harm unless we are careful. I shall stand behind this crate,
-and do you conceal yourselves behind those. Then, when I flash a
-light upon them, close in swiftly. If they fire, Watson, have no
-compunction about shooting them down."</p>
-<p>I placed my revolver, cocked, upon the top of the wooden case
-behind which I crouched. Holmes shot the slide across the front
-of his lantern and left us in pitch darkness—such an absolute
-darkness as I have never before experienced. The smell of hot
-metal remained to assure us that the light was still there, ready
-to flash out at a moment’s notice. To me, with my nerves worked
-up to a pitch of expectancy, there was something depressing and
-subduing in the sudden gloom, and in the cold dank air of the
-vault.</p>
-<p>"They have but one retreat," whispered Holmes. "That is back
-through the house into Saxe-Coburg Square. I hope that you have
-done what I asked you, Jones?"</p>
-<p>"I have an inspector and two officers waiting at the front door."</p>
-<p>"Then we have stopped all the holes. And now we must be silent
-and wait."</p>
-<p>What a time it seemed! From comparing notes afterwards it was but
-an hour and a quarter, yet it appeared to me that the night must
-have almost gone and the dawn be breaking above us. My limbs
-were weary and stiff, for I feared to change my position; yet my
-nerves were worked up to the highest pitch of tension, and my
-hearing was so acute that I could not only hear the gentle
-breathing of my companions, but I could distinguish the deeper,
-heavier in-breath of the bulky Jones from the thin, sighing note
-of the bank director. From my position I could look over the case
-in the direction of the floor. Suddenly my eyes caught the glint
-of a light.</p>
-<p>At first it was but a lurid spark upon the stone pavement. Then
-it lengthened out until it became a yellow line, and then,
-without any warning or sound, a gash seemed to open and a hand
-appeared, a white, almost womanly hand, which felt about in the
-centre of the little area of light. For a minute or more the
-hand, with its writhing fingers, protruded out of the floor. Then
-it was withdrawn as suddenly as it appeared, and all was dark
-again save the single lurid spark which marked a chink between
-the stones.</p>
-<p>Its disappearance, however, was but momentary. With a rending,
-tearing sound, one of the broad, white stones turned over upon
-its side and left a square, gaping hole, through which streamed
-the light of a lantern. Over the edge there peeped a clean-cut,
-boyish face, which looked keenly about it, and then, with a hand
-on either side of the aperture, drew itself shoulder-high and
-waist-high, until one knee rested upon the edge. In another
-instant he stood at the side of the hole and was hauling after
-him a companion, lithe and small like himself, with a pale face
-and a shock of very red hair.</p>
-<p>"It’s all clear," he whispered. "Have you the chisel and the
-bags? Great Scott! Jump, Archie, jump, and I’ll swing for it!"</p>
-<p>Sherlock Holmes had sprung out and seized the intruder by the
-collar. The other dived down the hole, and I heard the sound of
-rending cloth as Jones clutched at his skirts. The light flashed
-upon the barrel of a revolver, but Holmes' hunting crop came
-down on the man’s wrist, and the pistol clinked upon the stone
-floor.</p>
-<p>"It’s no use, John Clay," said Holmes blandly. "You have no
-chance at all."</p>
-<p>"So I see," the other answered with the utmost coolness. "I fancy
-that my pal is all right, though I see you have got his
-coat-tails."</p>
-<p>"There are three men waiting for him at the door," said Holmes.</p>
-<p>"Oh, indeed! You seem to have done the thing very completely. I
-must compliment you."</p>
-<p>"And I you," Holmes answered. "Your red-headed idea was very new
-and effective."</p>
-<p>"You’ll see your pal again presently," said Jones. "He’s quicker
-at climbing down holes than I am. Just hold out while I fix the
-derbies."</p>
-<p>"I beg that you will not touch me with your filthy hands,"
-remarked our prisoner as the handcuffs clattered upon his wrists.
-"You may not be aware that I have royal blood in my veins. Have
-the goodness, also, when you address me always to say <span class="emphasis"><em>sir</em></span> and
-<span class="emphasis"><em>please.</em></span>"</p>
-<p>"All right," said Jones with a stare and a snigger. "Well, would
-you please, sir, march upstairs, where we can get a cab to carry
-your Highness to the police-station?"</p>
-<p>"That is better," said John Clay serenely. He made a sweeping bow
-to the three of us and walked quietly off in the custody of the
-detective.</p>
-<p>"Really, Mr. Holmes," said Mr. Merryweather as we followed them
-from the cellar, "I do not know how the bank can thank you or
-repay you. There is no doubt that you have detected and defeated
-in the most complete manner one of the most determined attempts
-at bank robbery that have ever come within my experience."</p>
-<p>"I have had one or two little scores of my own to settle with Mr.
-John Clay," said Holmes. "I have been at some small expense over
-this matter, which I shall expect the bank to refund, but beyond
-that I am amply repaid by having had an experience which is in
-many ways unique, and by hearing the very remarkable narrative of
-the Red-headed League."</p>
-<p>"You see, Watson," he explained in the early hours of the morning
-as we sat over a glass of whisky and soda in Baker Street, "it
-was perfectly obvious from the first that the only possible
-object of this rather fantastic business of the advertisement of
-the League, and the copying of the <span class="emphasis"><em>Encyclopaedia,</em></span> must be to get
-this not over-bright pawnbroker out of the way for a number of
-hours every day. It was a curious way of managing it, but,
-really, it would be difficult to suggest a better. The method was
-no doubt suggested to Clay’s ingenious mind by the colour of his
-accomplice’s hair. The 4 pounds a week was a lure which must draw
-him, and what was it to them, who were playing for thousands?
-They put in the advertisement, one rogue has the temporary
-office, the other rogue incites the man to apply for it, and
-together they manage to secure his absence every morning in the
-week. From the time that I heard of the assistant having come for
-half wages, it was obvious to me that he had some strong motive
-for securing the situation."</p>
-<p>"But how could you guess what the motive was?"</p>
-<p>"Had there been women in the house, I should have suspected a
-mere vulgar intrigue. That, however, was out of the question. The
-man’s business was a small one, and there was nothing in his
-house which could account for such elaborate preparations, and
-such an expenditure as they were at. It must, then, be something
-out of the house. What could it be? I thought of the assistant’s
-fondness for photography, and his trick of vanishing into the
-cellar. The cellar! There was the end of this tangled clue. Then
-I made inquiries as to this mysterious assistant and found that I
-had to deal with one of the coolest and most daring criminals in
-London. He was doing something in the cellar—something which
-took many hours a day for months on end. What could it be, once
-more? I could think of nothing save that he was running a tunnel
-to some other building.</p>
-<p>"So far I had got when we went to visit the scene of action. I
-surprised you by beating upon the pavement with my stick. I was
-ascertaining whether the cellar stretched out in front or behind.
-It was not in front. Then I rang the bell, and, as I hoped, the
-assistant answered it. We have had some skirmishes, but we had
-never set eyes upon each other before. I hardly looked at his
-face. His knees were what I wished to see. You must yourself have
-remarked how worn, wrinkled, and stained they were. They spoke of
-those hours of burrowing. The only remaining point was what they
-were burrowing for. I walked round the corner, saw the City and
-Suburban Bank abutted on our friend’s premises, and felt that I
-had solved my problem. When you drove home after the concert I
-called upon Scotland Yard and upon the chairman of the bank
-directors, with the result that you have seen."</p>
-<p>"And how could you tell that they would make their attempt
-to-night?" I asked.</p>
-<p>"Well, when they closed their League offices that was a sign that
-they cared no longer about Mr. Jabez Wilson’s presence—in other
-words, that they had completed their tunnel. But it was essential
-that they should use it soon, as it might be discovered, or the
-bullion might be removed. Saturday would suit them better than
-any other day, as it would give them two days for their escape.
-For all these reasons I expected them to come to-night."</p>
-<p>"You reasoned it out beautifully," I exclaimed in unfeigned
-admiration. "It is so long a chain, and yet every link rings
-true."</p>
-<p>"It saved me from ennui," he answered, yawning. "Alas! I already
-feel it closing in upon me. My life is spent in one long effort
-to escape from the commonplaces of existence. These little
-problems help me to do so."</p>
-<p>"And you are a benefactor of the race," said I.</p>
-<p>He shrugged his shoulders. "Well, perhaps, after all, it is of
-some little use," he remarked. "<span class="emphasis"><em>L’homme c’est rien—l’oeuvre
-c’est tout,</em></span> as Gustave Flaubert wrote to George Sand."</p>
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