A professional case of great gravity was engaging my ownattention at the time, and the whole of next day I was busy atthe bedside of the sufferer. It was not until close upon sixo'clock that I found myself free and was able to spring into ahansom and drive to Baker Street, half afraid that I might be toolate to assist at the denouement of the little mystery. I foundSherlock Holmes alone, however, half asleep, with his long, thinform curled up in the recesses of his armchair. A formidablearray of bottles and test-tubes, with the pungent cleanly smellof hydrochloric acid, told me that he had spent his day in thechemical work which was so dear to him.
"Well, have you solved it?" I asked as I entered.
"Yes. It was the bisulphate of baryta."
"No, no, the mystery!" I cried.
"Oh, that! I thought of the salt that I have been working upon.There was never any mystery in the matter, though, as I saidyesterday, some of the details are of interest. The only drawbackis that there is no law, I fear, that can touch the scoundrel."
"Who was he, then, and what was his object in deserting MissSutherland?"
The question was hardly out of my mouth, and Holmes had not yetopened his lips to reply, when we heard a heavy footfall in thepassage and a tap at the door.
"This is the girl's stepfather, Mr. James Windibank," saidHolmes. "He has written to me to say that he would be here atsix. Come in!"
The man who entered was a sturdy, middle-sized fellow, somethirty years of age, clean-shaven, and sallow-skinned, with abland, insinuating manner, and a pair of wonderfully sharp andpenetrating grey eyes. He shot a questioning glance at each ofus, placed his shiny top-hat upon the sideboard, and with aslight bow sidled down into the nearest chair.
"Good-evening, Mr. James Windibank," said Holmes. "I think thatthis typewritten letter is from you, in which you made anappointment with me for six o'clock?"
"Yes, sir. I am afraid that I am a little late, but I am notquite my own master, you know. I am sorry that Miss Sutherlandhas troubled you about this little matter, for I think it is farbetter not to wash linen of the sort in public. It was quiteagainst my wishes that she came, but she is a very excitable,impulsive girl, as you may have noticed, and she is not easilycontrolled when she has made up her mind on a point. Of course, Idid not mind you so much, as you are not connected with theofficial police, but it is not pleasant to have a familymisfortune like this noised abroad. Besides, it is a uselessexpense, for how could you possibly find this Hosmer Angel?"
"On the contrary," said Holmes quietly; "I have every reason tobelieve that I will succeed in discovering Mr. Hosmer Angel."
Mr. Windibank gave a violent start and dropped his gloves. "I amdelighted to hear it," he said.
"It is a curious thing," remarked Holmes, "that a typewriter hasreally quite as much individuality as a man's handwriting. Unlessthey are quite new, no two of them write exactly alike. Someletters get more worn than others, and some wear only on oneside. Now, you remark in this note of yours, Mr. Windibank, thatin every case there is some little slurring over of the 'e,' anda slight defect in the tail of the 'r.' There are fourteen othercharacteristics, but those are the more obvious."
"We do all our correspondence with this machine at the office,and no doubt it is a little worn," our visitor answered, glancingkeenly at Holmes with his bright little eyes.
"And now I will show you what is really a very interesting study,Mr. Windibank," Holmes continued. "I think of writing anotherlittle monograph some of these days on the typewriter and itsrelation to crime. It is a subject to which I have devoted somelittle attention. I have here four letters which purport to comefrom the missing man. They are all typewritten. In each case, notonly are the 'e's' slurred and the 'r's' tailless, but you willobserve, if you care to use my magnifying lens, that the fourteenother characteristics to which I have alluded are there as well."
Mr. Windibank sprang out of his chair and picked up his hat. "Icannot waste time over this sort of fantastic talk, Mr. Holmes,"he said. "If you can catch the man, catch him, and let me knowwhen you have done it."
"Certainly," said Holmes, stepping over and turning the key inthe door. "I let you know, then, that I have caught him!"
"What! where?" shouted Mr. Windibank, turning white to his lipsand glancing about him like a rat in a trap.
"Oh, it won't do--really it won't," said Holmes suavely. "Thereis no possible getting out of it, Mr. Windibank. It is quite tootransparent, and it was a very bad compliment when you said thatit was impossible for me to solve so simple a question. That'sright! Sit down and let us talk it over."
Our visitor collapsed into a chair, with a ghastly face and aglitter of moisture on his brow. "It--it's not actionable," hestammered.
"I am very much afraid that it is not. But between ourselves,Windibank, it was as cruel and selfish and heartless a trick in apetty way as ever came before me. Now, let me just run over thecourse of events, and you will contradict me if I go wrong."
The man sat huddled up in his chair, with his head sunk upon hisbreast, like one who is utterly crushed. Holmes stuck his feet upon the corner of the mantelpiece and, leaning back with his handsin his pockets, began talking, rather to himself, as it seemed,than to us.
"The man married a woman very much older than himself for hermoney," said he, "and he enjoyed the use of the money of thedaughter as long as she lived with them. It was a considerablesum, for people in their position, and the loss of it would havemade a serious difference. It was worth an effort to preserve it.The daughter was of a good, amiable disposition, but affectionateand warm-hearted in her ways, so that it was evident that withher fair personal advantages, and her little income, she wouldnot be allowed to remain single long. Now her marriage wouldmean, of course, the loss of a hundred a year, so what does herstepfather do to prevent it? He takes the obvious course ofkeeping her at home and forbidding her to seek the company ofpeople of her own age. But soon he found that that would notanswer forever. She became restive, insisted upon her rights, andfinally announced her positive intention of going to a certainball. What does her clever stepfather do then? He conceives anidea more creditable to his head than to his heart. With theconnivance and assistance of his wife he disguised himself,covered those keen eyes with tinted glasses, masked the face witha moustache and a pair of bushy whiskers, sunk that clear voiceinto an insinuating whisper, and doubly secure on account of thegirl's short sight, he appears as Mr. Hosmer Angel, and keeps offother lovers by making love himself."
"It was only a joke at first," groaned our visitor. "We neverthought that she would have been so carried away."
"Very likely not. However that may be, the young lady was verydecidedly carried away, and, having quite made up her mind thather stepfather was in France, the suspicion of treachery neverfor an instant entered her mind. She was flattered by thegentleman's attentions, and the effect was increased by theloudly expressed admiration of her mother. Then Mr. Angel beganto call, for it was obvious that the matter should be pushed asfar as it would go if a real effect were to be produced. Therewere meetings, and an engagement, which would finally secure thegirl's affections from turning towards anyone else. But thedeception could not be kept up forever. These pretended journeysto France were rather cumbrous. The thing to do was clearly tobring the business to an end in such a dramatic manner that itwould leave a permanent impression upon the young lady's mind andprevent her from looking upon any other suitor for some time tocome. Hence those vows of fidelity exacted upon a Testament, andhence also the allusions to a possibility of something happeningon the very morning of the wedding. James Windibank wished MissSutherland to be so bound to Hosmer Angel, and so uncertain as tohis fate, that for ten years to come, at any rate, s
he would notlisten to another man. As far as the church door he brought her,and then, as he could go no farther, he conveniently vanishedaway by the old trick of stepping in at one door of afour-wheeler and out at the other. I think that was the chain ofevents, Mr. Windibank!"
Our visitor had recovered something of his assurance while Holmeshad been talking, and he rose from his chair now with a coldsneer upon his pale face.
"It may be so, or it may not, Mr. Holmes," said he, "but if youare so very sharp you ought to be sharp enough to know that it isyou who are breaking the law now, and not me. I have done nothingactionable from the first, but as long as you keep that doorlocked you lay yourself open to an action for assault and illegalconstraint."
"The law cannot, as you say, touch you," said Holmes, unlockingand throwing open the door, "yet there never was a man whodeserved punishment more. If the young lady has a brother or afriend, he ought to lay a whip across your shoulders. By Jove!"he continued, flushing up at the sight of the bitter sneer uponthe man's face, "it is not part of my duties to my client, buthere's a hunting crop handy, and I think I shall just treatmyself to--" He took two swift steps to the whip, but before hecould grasp it there was a wild clatter of steps upon the stairs,the heavy hall door banged, and from the window we could see Mr.James Windibank running at the top of his speed down the road.