Part 49 (1/2)
”You forget, Mr Pinner, that I am here by appointment to receive some directions from you,” said he
”Certainly, Mr Pycroft, certainly,” the other resumed in a calmer tone ”You may wait here a moment and there is no reason why your friends should not ith you I will be entirely at your service in three ht trespass upon your patience so far” He rose with a very courteous air, and, bowing to us, he passed out through a door at the farther end of the room, which he closed behind hi us the slip?”
”Impossible,” answered Pycroft
”Why so?”
”That door leads into an inner room”
”There is no exit?”
”None”
”Is it furnished?”
”It was e? There is so which I don't understand in this matter If ever a man was three parts mad with terror, that man's name is Pinner What can have put the shi+vers on hiested
”That's it,” cried Pycroft
Holmes shook his head ”He did not turn pale He as pale e entered the room,” said he ”It is just possible that--” pale e entered the room,” said he ”It is just possible that--”
His words were interrupted by a sharp rat-tat from the direction of the inner door
”What the deuce is he knocking at his own door for?” cried the clerk
Again and azed expectantly at the closed door Glancing at Holid, and he leaned forward in intense excite sound, and a brisk dru frantically across the room and pushed at the door It was fastened on the inner side Following his exae snapped, then the other, and down ca over it, we found ourselves in the inner room It was empty
But it was only for a moment that ere at fault At one corner, the corner nearest the roo to it and pulled it open A coat and waistcoat were lying on the floor, and from a hook behind the door, with his own braces round his neck, was hanging thedirector of the Franco-Midland Hardware Co at a dreadful angle to his body, and the clatter of his heels against the door made the noise which had broken in upon our conversation In an instant I had caught him round the waist, and held him up while Holmes and Pycroft untied the elastic bands which had disappeared between the livid creases of skin Then we carried him into the other roo his purple lips in and out with every breath-a dreadful wreck of all that he had been but five minutes before
”What do you think of him, Watson?” asked Holmes
I stooped over him and examined hirew longer, and there was a little shi+vering of his eyelids, which showed a thin white slit of ball beneath
”It has been touch and go with him,” said I, ”but he'll live now Just open that , and hand me the water carafe” I undid his collar, poured the cold water over his face, and raised and sank his ar, natural breath ”It's only a question of time now,” said I as I turned away from him
Holmes stood by the table, with his hands deep in his trousers' pockets and his chin upon his breast
”I suppose we ought to call the police in now,” said he ”And yet I confess that I'd like to give them a complete case when they come”
”It's a blessedhis head ”Whatever they wanted to bring me all the way up here for, and then--”
”Pooh! All that is clear enough,” said Holmes impatiently ”It is this last sudden move”
”You understand the rest, then?”
”I think that it is fairly obvious What do you say, Watson?”
I shrugged my shoulders ”I must confess that I am out of my depths,” said I
”Oh, surely if you consider the events at first they can only point to one conclusion”
”What do you es upon two points The first is theof Pycroft write a declaration by which he entered the service of this preposterous coestive that is?”
”I am afraid I miss the point”
”Well, why did they want hiements are usually verbal, and there was no earthly business reason why this should be an exception Don't you see,friend, that they were very anxious to obtain a speci it?”
”And why?”
”Quite so Why? When we answer that we have ress with our little problem Why? There can be only one adequate reason So and had to procure a specimen of it first And noe pass on to the second point we find that each throws light upon the other That point is the request n your place, but should leave the er of this important business in the full expectation that a Mr Hall Pycroft, whom he had never seen, was about to enter the office upon the Monday ”
”My God!” cried our client, ”what a blind beetle I have been!”
”Now you see the point about the handwriting Suppose that someone turned up in your place rote a completely different hand from that in which you had applied for the vacancy, of course the gaue had learned to imitate you, and his position was therefore secure, as I presume that nobody in the office had ever set eyes upon you”
”Not a soul,” groaned Hall Pycroft
”Very good Of course it was of the ut better of it, and also to keep you froht tell you that your double was at work in Mawson's office Therefore they gave you a handsome advance on your salary, and ran you off to the Midlands, where they gave you enough work to do to prevent your going to London, where you h”
”But why should this man pretend to be his own brother?”
”Well, that is pretty clear also There are evidently only two of the you at the office This one acted as your engager, and then found that he could not find you an e a third person into his plot That he was ed his appearance as far as he could, and trusted that the likeness, which you could not fail to observe, would be put down to a faold stuffing, your suspicions would probably never have been aroused”
Hall Pycroft shook his clenched hands in the air ”Good Lord!” he cried, ”while I have been fooled in this hat has this other Hall Pycroft been doing at Mawson's? What should we do, Mr Holmes? Tell me what to do”
”We must wire to Mawson's”
”They shut at twelve on Saturdays”
”Never mind There may be some door-keeper or attendant--”
”Ah, yes, they keep a peruard there on account of the value of the securities that they hold I reood, we shall wire to him and see if all is well, and if a clerk of your nah, but what is not so clear is why at sight of us one of the rogues should instantly walk out of the roo himself”