Our visitor glanced with some apparent surprise at the languid,lounging figure of the man who had been no doubt depicted to himas the most incisive reasoner and most energetic agent in Europe.Holmes slowly reopened his eyes and looked impatiently at hisgigantic client.
"If your Majesty would condescend to state your case," heremarked, "I should be better able to advise you."
The man sprang from his chair and paced up and down the room inuncontrollable agitation. Then, with a gesture of desperation, hetore the mask from his face and hurled it upon the ground. "Youare right," he cried; "I am the King. Why should I attempt toconceal it?"
"Why, indeed?" murmured Holmes. "Your Majesty had not spokenbefore I was aware that I was addressing Wilhelm GottsreichSigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein, andhereditary King of Bohemia."
"But you can understand," said our strange visitor, sitting downonce more and passing his hand over his high white forehead, "youcan understand that I am not accustomed to doing such business inmy own person. Yet the matter was so delicate that I could notconfide it to an agent without putting myself in his power. Ihave come incognito from Prague for the purpose of consultingyou."
"Then, pray consult," said Holmes, shutting his eyes once more.
"The facts are briefly these: Some five years ago, during alengthy visit to Warsaw, I made the acquaintance of the well-knownadventuress, Irene Adler. The name is no doubt familiar to you."
"Kindly look her up in my index, Doctor," murmured Holmes withoutopening his eyes. For many years he had adopted a system ofdocketing all paragraphs concerning men and things, so that itwas difficult to name a subject or a person on which he could notat once furnish information. In this case I found her biographysandwiched in between that of a Hebrew rabbi and that of astaff-commander who had written a monograph upon the deep-seafishes.
"Let me see!" said Holmes. "Hum! Born in New Jersey in the year1858. Contralto--hum! La Scala, hum! Prima donna Imperial Operaof Warsaw--yes! Retired from operatic stage--ha! Living inLondon--quite so! Your Majesty, as I understand, became entangledwith this young person, wrote her some compromising letters, andis now desirous of getting those letters back."
"Precisely so. But how--"
"Was there a secret marriage?"
"None."
"No legal papers or certificates?"
"None."
"Then I fail to follow your Majesty. If this young person shouldproduce her letters for blackmailing or other purposes, how isshe to prove their authenticity?"
"There is the writing."
"Pooh, pooh! Forgery."
; "My private note-paper."
"Stolen."
"My own seal."
"Imitated."
"My photograph."
"Bought."
"We were both in the photograph."
"Oh, dear! That is very bad! Your Majesty has indeed committed anindiscretion."
"I was mad--insane."
"You have compromised yourself seriously."
"I was only Crown Prince then. I was young. I am but thirty now."
"It must be recovered."