Mistress and maid were both staring at Holmes with pale faces andfrightened eyes.
"You are an impudent fellow!" cried Theresa. "Do you mean to say that mymistress has told a lie?"
Holmes rose from his chair.
"Have you nothing to tell me?"
"I have told you everything."
"Think once more, Lady Brackenstall. Would it not be better to befrank?"
For an instant there was hesitation in her beautiful face. Then some newstrong thought caused it to set like a mask.
"I have told you all I know."
Holmes took his hat and shrugged his shoulders. "I am sorry," he said,and without another word we left the room and the house. There was apond in the park, and to this my friend led the way. It was frozenover, but a single hole was left for the convenience of a solitaryswan. Holmes gazed at it and then passed on to the lodge gate. Therehe scribbled a short note for Stanley Hopkins and left it with thelodge-keeper.
"It may be a hit or it may be a miss, but we are bound to do somethingfor friend Hopkins, just to justify this second visit," said he. "I willnot quite take him into my confidence yet. I think our next scene ofoperations must be the shipping office of the Adelaide-Southampton line,which stands at the end of Pall Mall, if I remember right. There is asecond line of steamers which connect South Australia with England, butwe will draw the larger cover first."
Holmes's card sent in to the manager ensured instant attention, and hewas not long in acquiring all the information which he needed. I
n Juneof '95 only one of their line had reached a home port. It was the ROCKOF GIBRALTAR, their largest and best boat. A reference to the passengerlist showed that Miss Fraser of Adelaide, with her maid, had made thevoyage in her. The boat was now on her way to Australia, somewhere tothe south of the Suez Canal. Her officers were the same as in '95,with one exception. The first officer, Mr. Jack Croker, had been made acaptain and was to take charge of their new ship, the BASS ROCK, sailingin two days' time from Southampton. He lived at Sydenham, but he waslikely to be in that morning for instructions, if we cared to wait forhim.
No; Mr. Holmes had no desire to see him, but would be glad to know moreabout his record and character.
His record was magnificent. There was not an officer in the fleet totouch him. As to his character, he was reliable on duty, but a wild,desperate fellow off the deck of his ship, hot-headed, excitable, butloyal, honest, and kind-hearted. That was the pith of the informationwith which Holmes left the office of the Adelaide-Southampton company.Thence he drove to Scotland Yard, but instead of entering he sat inhis cab with his brows drawn down, lost in profound thought. Finally hedrove round to the Charing Cross telegraph office, sent off a message,and then, at last, we made for Baker Street once more.
"No, I couldn't do it, Watson," said he, as we re-entered our room."Once that warrant was made out nothing on earth would save him. Onceor twice in my career I feel that I have done more real harm by mydiscovery of the criminal than ever he had done by his crime. I havelearned caution now, and I had rather play tricks with the law ofEngland than with my own conscience. Let us know a little more before weact."
Before evening we had a visit from Inspector Stanley Hopkins. Thingswere not going very well with him.
"I believe that you are a wizard, Mr. Holmes. I really do sometimesthink that you have powers that are not human. Now, how on earth couldyou know that the stolen silver was at the bottom of that pond?"
"I didn't know it."
"But you told me to examine it."
"You got it, then?"
"Yes, I got it."
"I am very glad if I have helped you."
"But you haven't helped me. You have made the affair far more difficult.What sort of burglars are they who steal silver and then throw it intothe nearest pond?"
"It was certainly rather eccentric behaviour. I was merely going on theidea that if the silver had been taken by persons who did not want it,who merely took it for a blind as it were, then they would naturally beanxious to get rid of it."
"But why should such an idea cross your mind?"
"Well, I thought it was possible. When they came out through the Frenchwindow there was the pond, with one tempting little hole in the ice,right in front of their noses. Could there be a better hiding-place?"
"Ah, a hiding-place--that is better!" cried Stanley Hopkins. "Yes, yes,I see it all now! It was early, there were folk upon the roads, theywere afraid of being seen with the silver, so they sank it in the pond,intending to return for it when the coast was clear. Excellent, Mr.Holmes--that is better than your idea of a blind."
"Quite so; you have got an admirable theory. I have no doubt that myown ideas were quite wild, but you must admit that they have ended indiscovering the silver."
"Yes, sir, yes. It was all your doing. But I have had a bad set-back."
"A set-back?"