"Tell me, Professor Coram," he said, at last, "what is in that cupboardin the bureau?"
"Nothing that would help a thief. Family papers, letters from my poorwife, diplomas of Universities which have done me honour. Here is thekey. You can look for yourself."
Holmes picked up the key and looked at it for an instant; then he handedit back.
"No; I hardly think that it would help me," said he. "I should preferto go quietly down to your garden and turn the whole matter over in myhead. There is something to be said for the theory of suicide whichyou have put forward. We must apologize for having intruded upon you,Professor Coram, and I promise that we won't disturb you until afterlunch. At two o'clock we will come again and report to you anythingwhich may have happened in the interval."
Holmes was curiously distrait, and we walked up and down the garden pathfor some time in silence.
"Have you a clue?" I asked, at last.
"It depends upon those cigarettes that I smoked," said he. "It ispossible that I am utterly mistaken. The cigarettes will show me."
"My dear Holmes," I exclaimed, "how on earth----"
"Well, well, you may see for yourself. If not, there's no harm done. Ofcourse, we always have the optician clue to fall back upon, but I takea short cut when I can get it. Ah, here is the good Mrs. Marker! Let usenjoy five minutes of instructive conversation with her."
I may have remarked before that Holmes had, when he liked, a peculiarlyingratiating way with women, and that he very readily established termsof confidence with them. In half the time which he had named he hadcaptured the housekeeper's goodwill, and was chatting with her as if hehad known her for years.
"Yes, Mr. Holmes, it is as you say, sir. He does smoke somethingterrible. All day and sometimes all night, sir. I've seen that room ofa morning--well, sir, you'd have thought it was a London fog. Poor youngMr. Smith, he was a smoker also, but not as bad as the Professor. Hishealth--well, I don't know that it's better nor worse for the smoking."
"Ah!" said Holmes, "but it kills the appetite."
"Well, I don't know about that, sir."
"I suppose the Professor eats hardly anything?"
"Well, he is variable. I'll say that for him."
"I'll wager he took no breakfast this morning, and won't face his lunchafter all the cigarettes I saw him consume."
"Well, you're out there, sir, as it happens, for he ate a remarkable bigbreakfast this morning. I don't know when I've known him make abetter one, and he's ordered a good dish of cutlets for his lunch. I'msurprised myself, for since I came into that room yesterday and sawyoung Mr. Smith lying there on the floor I couldn't bear to look atfood. Well, it takes all sorts to make a world, and the Professor hasn'tlet it take his appetite away."
We loitered the morning away in the garden. Stanley Hopkins had gonedown to the village to look into some rumours of a strange woman who hadbeen seen by some children on the Chatham Road the previous morning. Asto my friend, all his usual energy seemed to have deserted him. I hadnever known him handle a case in such a half-hearted fashion. Even thenews brought back by Hopkins that he had found the children and thatthey had undoubtedly seen a woman exactly corresponding with Holmes'sdescription, and wearing either spectacles or eye-glasses, failed torouse any sign of keen interest. He was more attentive when Susan, whowaited upon us at lunch, volunteered the information that she believedMr. Smith had been out for a walk yesterday morning, and that he hadonly returned half an hour before the tragedy occurred. I could notmyself see the bearing of this incident, but I clearly perceived thatHolmes was weaving it into the general scheme which he had formed in hisbrain. Suddenly he sprang from his chair and glanced at his watch. "Twoo'clock, gentlemen," said he. "We must go up and have it out with ourfriend the Professor."
The old man had just finished his lunch, and certainly his empty dishbore evidence to the good appetite with which his housekeeper hadcre
dited him. He was, indeed, a weird figure as he turned his white maneand his glowing eyes towards us. The eternal cigarette smouldered in hismouth. He had been dressed and was seated in an arm-chair by the fire.
"Well, Mr. Holmes, have you solved this mystery yet?" He shoved thelarge tin of cigarettes which stood on a table beside him towards mycompanion. Holmes stretched out his hand at the same moment, and betweenthem they tipped the box over the edge. For a minute or two we were allon our knees retrieving stray cigarettes from impossible places. Whenwe rose again I observed that Holmes's eyes were shining and his cheekstinged with colour. Only at a crisis have I seen those battle-signalsflying.
"Yes," said he, "I have solved it."
Stanley Hopkins and I stared in amazement. Something like a sneerquivered over the gaunt features of the old Professor.
"Indeed! In the garden?"
"No, here."
"Here! When?"
"This instant."
"You are surely joking, Mr. Sherlock Holmes. You compel me to tell youthat this is too serious a matter to be treated in such a fashion."
"I have forged and tested every link of my chain, Professor Coram, andI am sure that it is sound. What your motives are or what exact part youplay in this strange business I am not yet able to say. In a fewminutes I shall probably hear it from your own lips. Meanwhile I willreconstruct what is past for your benefit, so that you may know theinformation which I still require.
"A lady yesterday entered your study. She came with the intention ofpossessing herself of certain documents which were in your bureau. Shehad a key of her own. I have had an opportunity of examining yours, andI do not find that slight discolouration which the scratch made upon thevarnish would have produced. You were not an accessory, therefore, andshe came, so far as I can read the evidence, without your knowledge torob you."