I had been delayed at a case, and it was a little after half-pastsix when I found myself in Baker Street once more. As Iapproached the house I saw a tall man in a Scotch bonnet with acoat which was buttoned up to his chin waiting outside in thebright semicircle which was thrown from the fanlight. Just as Iarrived the door was opened, and we were shown up together toHolmes' room.
"Mr. Henry Baker, I believe," said he, rising from his armchairand greeting his visitor with the easy air of geniality which hecould so readily assume. "Pray take this chair by the fire, Mr.Baker. It is a cold night, and I observe that your circulation ismore adapted for summer than for winter. Ah, Watson, you havejust come at the right time. Is that your hat, Mr. Baker?"
"Yes, sir, that is undoubtedly my hat."
He was a large man with rounded shoulders, a massive head, and abroad, intelligent face, sloping down to a pointed beard ofgrizzled brown. A touch of red in nose and cheeks, with a slighttremor of his extended hand, recalled Holmes' surmise as to hishabits. His rusty black frock-coat was buttoned right up infront, with the collar turned up, and his lank wrists protrudedfrom his sleeves without a sign of cuff or shirt. He spoke in aslow staccato fashion, choosing his words with care, and gave theimpression generally of a man of learning and letters who had hadill-usage at the hands of fortune.
"We have retained these things for some days," said Holmes,"because we expected to see an advertisement from you giving youraddress. I am at a loss to know now why you did not advertise."
Our visitor gave a rather shamefaced laugh. "Shillings have notbeen so plentiful with me as they once were," he remarked. "I hadno doubt that the gang of roughs who assaulted me had carried offboth my hat and the bird. I did not care to spend more money in ahopeless attempt at recovering them."
"Very naturally. By the way, about the bird, we were compelled toeat it."
"To eat it!" Our visitor half rose from his chair in hisexcitement.
"Yes, it would have been of no use to anyone had we not done so.But I presume that this other goose upon the sideboard, which isabout the same weight and perfectly fresh, will answer yourpurpose equally well?"
"Oh, certainly, certainly," answered Mr. Baker with a sigh ofrelief.
"Of course, we still have the feathers, legs, crop, and so on ofyour own bird, so if you wish--"
The man burst into a hearty laugh. "They might be useful to me asrelics of my adventure," said he, "but beyond that I can hardlysee what use the disjecta membra of my late acquaintance aregoing to be to me. No, sir, I think that, with your permission, Iwill confine my attentions to the excellent bird which I perceiveupon the sideboard."
Sherlock Holmes glanced sharply across at me with a slight shrugof his shoulders.
"There is your hat, then, and there your bird," said he. "By theway, would it bore you to tell me where you got the other onefrom? I am somewhat of a fowl fancier, and I have seldom seen abetter grown goose."
"Certainly, sir," said Baker, who had risen and tucked his newlygained property under his arm. "There are a few of us whofrequent the Alpha Inn, near the Museum--we are to be found inthe Museum itself during the day, you understand. This year ourgood host, Windigate by name, instituted a goose club, by which,on consideration of some few pence every week, we were each toreceive a bird at Christmas. My pence were duly paid, and therest is familiar to you. I am much indebted to you, sir, for aScotch bonnet is fitted neither to my years nor my gravity." Witha comical pomposity of manner he bowed solemnly to both of us andstrode off upon his way.
"So much for Mr. Henry Baker," said Holmes when he had closed thedoor behind him. "It is quite certain that he knows nothingwhatever about the matter. Are you hungry, Watson?"
"Not particularly."
"Then I suggest that we turn our dinner into a supper and followup this clue while it is still hot."
"By all means."
It was a bitter night, so we drew on our ulsters and wrappedcravats about our throats. Outside, the stars were shining coldlyin a cloudless sky, and the breath of the passers-by blew outinto smoke like so many pistol shots. Our footfalls rang outcrisply and loudly as we swung through the doctors' quarter,Wimpole Street, Harley Street, and so through Wigmore Street intoOxford Street. In a quarter of an hour we were in Bloomsbury atthe Alpha Inn, which is a small public-house at the corner of oneof the streets which runs down into Holborn. Holmes pushed openthe door of the private bar and ordered two glasses of beer fromthe ruddy-faced, white-aproned landlord.
"Your beer should be excellent if it is as good as your geese,"said he.
"My geese!" The man seemed surprised.
"Yes. I was speaking only half an hour ago to Mr. Henry Baker,who was a member of your goose club."
"Ah! yes, I see. But you see, sir, them's not our geese."
"Indeed! Whose, then?"
"Well, I got the two dozen from a salesman in Covent Garden."
"Indeed? I know some of them. Which was it?"
"Breckinridge is his name."
"Ah! I don't know him. Well, here's your good health landlord,and prosperity to your house. Good-night."
"Now for Mr. Breckinridge," he continued, buttoning up his coatas we came out into the frosty air. "Remember, Watson that thoughwe have so homely a thing as a goose at one end of this chain, wehave at the other a man who will certainly get seven years' penalservitude unless we can establish his innocence. It is possiblethat our inquiry may but confirm his guilt; but, in any case, wehave a line of investigation which has been missed by the police,and which a singular chance has placed in our hands. Let usfollow it out to the bitter end. Faces to the south, then, andquick march!"