"Still in his bedroom."
"What a stroke of luck! Quick, madam, bring it here!"
A moment later she had appeared with a red flat box in her hand.
"How did you open it before? You have a duplicate key? Yes, of courseyou have. Open it!"
From out of her bosom Lady Hilda had drawn a small key. The box flewopen. It was stuffed with papers. Holmes thrust the blue envelope deepdown into the heart of them, between the leaves of some other document.The box was shut, locked, and returned to the bedroom.
"Now we are ready for him," said Holmes; "we have still ten minutes.I am going far to screen you, Lady Hilda. In return you will spendthe time in telling me frankly the real meaning of this extraordinaryaffair."
"Mr. Holmes, I will tell you everything," cried the lady. "Oh, Mr.Holmes, I would cut off my right hand before I gave him a moment ofsorrow! There is no woman in all London who loves her husband as Ido, and yet if he knew how I have acted--how I have been compelled toact--he would never forgive me. For his own honour stands so high thathe could not forget or pardon a lapse in another. Help me, Mr. Holmes!My happiness, his happiness, our very lives are at stake!"
"Quick, madam, the time grows short!"
"It was a letter of mine, Mr. Holmes, an indiscreet letter writtenbefore my marriage--a foolish letter, a letter of an impulsive, lovinggirl. I meant no harm, and yet he would have thought it criminal. Had heread that letter his confidence would have been for ever destroyed.It is years since I wrote it. I had thought that the whole matter wasforgotten. Then at last I heard from this man, Lucas, that it had passedinto his hands, and that he would lay it before my husband. I imploredhis mercy. He said that he would return my letter if I would bring him acertain document which he described in my husband's despatch-box. He hadsome spy in the office who had told him of its existence. He assured methat no harm could come to my husband. Put yourself in my position, Mr.Holmes! What was I to do?"
"Take your husband into your confidence."
"I could not, Mr. Holmes, I could not! On the one side seemed certainruin; on the other, terrible as it seemed to take my husband's paper,still in a matter of politics I could not understand the consequences,while in a matter of love and trust they were only too clear to me.I did it, Mr. Holmes! I took an impression of his key; this man Lucasfurnished a duplicate. I opened his despatch-box, took the paper, andconveyed it to Godolphin Street."
"What happened there, madam?"
"I tapped at the door as agreed. Lucas opened it. I followed him intohis room, leaving the hall door ajar behind me, for I feared to be alonewith the man. I remember that there was a woman outside as I entered.Our business was soon done. He had my letter on his desk; I handed himthe document. He gave me the letter. At this instant there was a soundat the door. There were steps in the passage. Lucas quickly turnedback the drugget, thrust the document into some hiding-place there, andcovered it over.
"What happened after that is like some fearful dream. I have a vision ofa dark, frantic face, of a woman's voice, which screamed in French, 'Mywaiting is not in vain. At last, at last I have found you with her!'There was a savage struggle. I saw him with a chair in his hand, a knifegleamed in hers. I rushed from the horrible scene, ran from the house,and only next morning in the paper did I learn the dreadful result. Thatnight I was happy, for I had my letter, and I had not seen yet what thefuture would bring.
"It was the next morning that I realized that I had only exchanged onetrouble for another. My husband's anguish at the loss of his paper wentto my heart. I could hardly prevent myself from there and then kneelingdown at his feet and telling him what I had done. But that again wouldmean a confession of the past. I came to you that morning in order tounderstand the full enormity of my offence. From the instant that Igrasped it my whole mind was turned to the one thought of getting backmy husband's paper. It must still be where Lucas had placed it, for itwas concealed before this dreadful woman entered the room. If it had notbeen for her coming, I should not have known where his hiding-place was.How was I to get into the room? For two days I watched the place, butthe door was never left open. Last night I made a last attempt. What Idid and how I succeeded, you have already learned. I brought the paperback with me, and thought of destroying it since I could see no way ofreturning it, without confessing my guilt to my husband. Heavens, I hearhis step upon the stair!"
The European Secretary burst excitedly into the room.
"Any news, Mr. Holmes, any news?" he cried.
"I have some hopes."
"Ah, thank heaven!" His face became radiant. "The Prime Minister islunching with me. May he share your hopes? He has nerves of steel, andyet I know that he has hardly slept since this terrible event. Jacobs,will you ask the Prime Minister to come up? As to you, dear, I fear thatthis is a matter of politics. We will join yo
u in a few minutes in thedining-room."
The Prime Minister's manner was subdued, but I could see by the gleamof his eyes and the twitchings of his bony hands that he shared theexcitement of his young colleague.
"I understand that you have something to report, Mr. Holmes?"
"Purely negative as yet," my friend answered. "I have inquired at everypoint where it might be, and I am sure that there is no danger to beapprehended."
"But that is not enough, Mr. Holmes. We cannot live for ever on such avolcano. We must have something definite."
"I am in hopes of getting it. That is why I am here. The more I think ofthe matter the more convinced I am that the letter has never left thishouse."
"Mr. Holmes!"
"If it had it would certainly have been public by now."
"But why should anyone take it in order to keep it in his house?"
"I am not convinced that anyone did take it."
"Then how could it leave the despatch-box?"