Part 13 (1/2)

'That is iet it to him They won't let e There is nothingmy part in this You have Inspector Lestrade on your side Speak to hi his chair back fro more to be said, I think The sooner you return to Baker Street, the sooner you can begin to consider what must be done' He relaxed a little 'I will add only this You have no idea how keenly I have felt the pleasure ofsuch a staunch biographer at his side I, too, have certain stories of considerable interest to share with the public and I wonder if I ht one day call on your services No? Well, it was an idle thought But, thisaside, I suppose it is always possible that I may turn up as a character in one of your narratives I hope you will do me justice'

They were the last words he spoke to nalled with some hidden contrivance, for at that lass for I needed the wine to fortifythe key, I stood up 'Thank you,' I said

He did not reply At the door, I took one look back My host was sitting on his own at the head of that huge table, poking at his food in the candlelight Then the door closed And apart froliain

FIFTEEN

Holloway Prison My return to London was, in some respects, even more of an ordeal than had been my departure Then I had found myself little more than a captive, in the hands of people who quite possiblycarried towards an unknown destination on a journey that could have lasted half the night Now, I kneas returning home and had only a few hours to endure, but it was impossible to find any sort of equanimity Holmes was to be murdered! The mysterious forces that had conspired to have him arrested were still not content and only his death would suffice The htly in my hand that I could have made a duplicate froht was to reach Holloway, to warn Holmes of as afoot and to assist in his immediate exit from that place And yet hoas I to reach him? Inspector Harri in his power to keep the two of us apart On the other hand, Mycroft had said I could approach hient circumstances', which hat these surely were But just how far would his influence extend, and by the tiht it already be too late?

With these thoughts raging inat me from the seat opposite and darkness on the other side of the frosted s, the journey seemed to stretch on for ever Worse still, part ofround and round in circles, purposefully exaggerating the distance between Baker Street and the strange mansion where I had been invited to dinner It was particularly vexing to reflect that had Holmes been in my place, he would have taken note of all the different elements the chime of a church bell, the blast of a stea surfaces beneath the wheels, even the direction of the wind rattling against the s and drawn a perfectly detailed map of our journey at the end of it But I was e and could only wait for the glow of gas lamps to reassure me that ere back in the city and, perhaps half an hour later, the slowing down of the horses and the final, jolting halt that signalled ere at the end of our journey Sure enough, Underwood threw open the door and there, across the road, were s

'Safely hoain for inconveniencing you'

'I will not forget you easily, Mr Underwood,' I replied

He raised his eyebrows 'My master has told you my name? How curious'

'Perhaps you would care to tell me his'

'Oh no, sir I concede that I anificance in coreatness but nonetheless I am attached to it and would wish it to continue for a while yet I ish you a good night'

I clinalled to the driver and I watched as the carriage rattled away, then hurried in

But there was to be no rest for un to forht safely be delivered to Holer he was in even if, as I feared, I was not permitted to visit hihtforward letter would do no good Our enemies were all around us and there was every chance that they would intercept it If they discovered that I are of their intentions, it ht spur them on to strike all the faster But I could still send hie and some sort of code was required The question was, how could I indicate that it was there to be deciphered? There was also the key How could I deliver it into his hand? And then, casting my eye around the room, I fell upon the answer: the very sa only a few days before, The Martyrdom of Man by Winwood Reade What could beto read while he was confined? What could appear more innocent?

The volu it, I saw that it would be possible to slip the key into the space between the spine and the bound edges of the pages This I did and, taking up the candle, I carefully poured liquid wax into the two ends, in effect gluing it in place The book still opened norest that it had been ta up my pen, I then wrote the name, Sherlock Holmes, on the frontispiece and, beneath it, an address: 122b Baker Street To a casual observer it would appear that nothing was anise s had been inverted Finally, I turned to page 122 and, using a pencil, placed a series of tiny dots, almost invisible to the naked eye, under certain letters in the text so that a new e was spelled out: YOU ARE IN GREAT DANGER THEY PLAN TO KILL YOU USE KEY TO CELL I AM WAITING JW

Satisfied with my work, I finally went to bed and fell into a troubled sleep punctured by i in the street with blood all around her, of a length of white ribbon looped around a dead boy's wrist and of theat me across the refectory table

I awoke early the next day and sent a e a visit to Holloway, no matter what Inspector Harri me that I could enter the prison at three o'clock that afternoon, that Harriation and that the coronor's court had indeed been set for Thursday, two days hence On first reading, this struck ood news But then I was struck by a more sinister explanation If Harriman was part of the conspiracy, as Hol about his ht well have stood aside for a quite different reason My host of the night before had insisted that Holmes would never be allowed to stand trial Suppose the assassins were preparing to strike! Could Harriman know that it was already too late?

I could barely containand left Baker Street well before the appointed hour, arriving at Camden Road before the clocks had struck the half-hour The coachate and, despiteme in the cold and misty air All in all I couldn't blame him This wasn't a place where any Christian soul would have chosen to linger

The prison was of Gothic design; on first appearance a sprawling, o out of a fairy story written for a stone, it consisted of a series of turrets and chile tower soaring above and seeh, muddy track led to the ned to be as unwelcoate and steel portcullis framed by a few bare and withered trees on either side A brick wall, at least fifteen feet high, surrounded the entire cos, with two lines of sid uniformity somehow hinted at the emptiness and misery of life inside The prison had been built at the foot of a hill and, looking beyond it, it was possible to hgate But that was another world, as if the wrong backdrop had been accidentally lowered onto the stage Holloway Prison stood on the site of a for to the place, da those without to stay away

It was as ht with hthe book with the key concealed in its spine, and as I entered the prison it occurred to me that were I to be discovered, this horrid place could well become my home I think it is true to say that I broke the law at least three times in the company of Sherlock Holh point of htly nervous It did not occur to hts were focused on the plight of my friend

I knocked on a door which stood inconspicuously beside the outer gate and it was opened ally bluff and even jovial officer, dressed in dark blue tunic and trousers with a bunch of keys hanging from a wide, leather belt 'Come in, sir Come in It's more pleasant in than out and there's not many days you could say that with any truth' I watched him lock the door behind us, then followed hiate, smaller, but no less secure, than the first I was already aware of an eerie silence inside the prison A ragged, black crow perched on the branch of a tree but there was no other sign of life The light was fading rapidly but as yet no lamps had been lit and I had a sense of shadoithin shadows, of a world with almost no colour at all

We had entered a corridor with an open door to one side, and it was through here that I was taken, into a s directly on to a brick wall To one side stood a cabinet with perhaps fifty keys suspended on hooks A large clock facedbetween each e of time for all those who had come this way A man sat beneath it He was dressed similarly to the officer who had old, on his cap and shoulders, denoting his senior rank He was elderly, with grey hair cut short and steely eyes As he saw me, he scrambled to his feet and came round from behind the desk

'Dr Watson?'

'Yes'

'My name is Hawkins I am the chief warder You have come to see Mr Sherlock Holmes?'

'Yes' I uttered the ith a sudden sense of dread

'I am sorry to have to infor I can assure you that we have done everything we can to accommodate him in a manner appropriate to a man of his distinction, despite the very serious crimes of which he is accused He has been kept away from the other prisoners I have personally visited hi with hiiven treat with him?'

'We have no idea He took his lunch at eleven o'clock and rang the bell for assistance immediately after My officers found him doubled up on the floor of his cell in evident pain'

I felt an ice-cold tremor in the very depth of'Where is he now?' I asked

'He is in the infirmary Our medical officer, Dr Trevelyan, has a number of private roo Mr Hol him there'

'I must see him at once,' I said 'I am a medical manto take you there now'

But before we could leave, there was a movement behind us and aour way If Inspector Harriman had been told the news, he did not look surprised by it In fact, his attitude was quite languid, leaning against the door fra on hisa black walking stick 'So what's this all about, Hawkins?' he asked 'Sherlock Holmes ill?'

'Seriously ill,' Hawkins declared

'I ahtened up 'You're sure he's not deceiving you? When I saw hi, he was in perfect health'

'Both my medical officer and I have exaravely stricken We are just on our way to see him'

'Then I will accompany you'

'I must protest-'

'Mr Holation You can protest all you like, but I will have lanced at h he was, he dared not argue

The three of us set off through the depths of the prison Such was h ates that creaked and clashed as they were unlocked and locked behind us, of barred s too sh up to provide a view and of doorsso many doors, one after another another, each identical, each sealing up soly ware smell, a mixture of oatuard at various intersections, but no prisoners apart fro past with a basket of laundry 'Some are in the exercise yard, some on the treadwheel or in the oakum shed,' Hawkins replied to a question I had not asked 'The day begins early and ends early here'

'If Holmes has been poisoned, he must be sent immediately to a hospital,' I said

'Poison?' Harri about poison?'