"'What is it, then?' he gasped in astonishment.
"'It is nothing less than the ancient crown of the kings of England.'
"'The crown!'
"'Precisely. Consider what the Ritual says: How does it run? "Whose wasit?" "His who is gone." That was after the execution of Charles. Then,"Who shall have it?" "He who will come." That was Charles the Second,whose advent was already foreseen. There can, I think, be no doubt thatthis battered and shapeless diadem once encircled the brows of the royalStuarts.'
"'And how came it in the pond?'
"'Ah, that is a question that will take some time to answer.' And withthat I sketched out to him the whole long chain of surmise and of proofwhich I had constructed. The twilight had closed in and the moon wasshining brightly in the sky before my narrative was finished.
"'And how was it then that Charles did not get his crown when hereturned?' asked Musgrave, pushing back the relic into its linen bag.
"'Ah, there you lay your finger upon the one point which we shallprobably never be able to clear up. It is likely that the Musgrave whoheld the secret died in the interval, and by some oversight left thisguide to his descendant without explaining the meaning of it. From thatday to this it has been handed down from father to son, until at lastit came within reach of a man who tore its secret out of it and lost hislife in the venture.'
"And that's the story of the Musgrave Ritual, Watson. They have thecrown down at Hurlstone--though they had some legal bother and aconsiderable sum to pay before they were allowed to retain it. I am surethat if you mentioned my name they would be happy to show it to you. Ofthe woman nothing was ever heard, and the probability is that she gotaway out of England and carried herself and the memory of her crime tosome land beyond the seas."
Adventure VI. The Reigate Puzzle
It was some time before the health of my friend Mr. Sherlock Holmesrecovered from the strain caused by his immense exertions in the springof '87. The whole question of the Netherland-Sumatra Company and of thecolossal schemes of Baron Maupertuis are too recent in the minds of thepublic, and are too intimately concerned with politics and finance to befitting subjects for this series of sketches. They led, however, in anindirect fashion to a singular and complex problem which gave my friendan opportunity of demonstrating the value of a fresh weapon among themany with which he waged his life-long battle against crime.
On referring to my notes I see that it was upon the 14th of April thatI received a telegram from Lyons which informed me that Holmes waslying ill in the Hotel Dulong. Within twenty-four hours I was in hissick-room, and was relieved to find that there was nothing formidable inhis symptoms. Even his iron constitution, however, had broken downunder the strain of an investigation which had extended over two months,during which period he had never worked less than fifteen hours a day,and had more than once, as he assured me, kept to his task for five daysat a stretch. Even the triumphant issue of his labors could not save himfrom reaction after so terrible an exertion, and at a time when Europewas ringing with his name and when his room was literally ankle-deepwith congratulatory telegrams I found him a prey to the blackestdepression. Even the knowledge that he had succeeded where the police ofthree countries had failed, and that he had outmanoeuvred at every pointthe most accomplished swindler in Europe, was insufficient to rouse himfrom his nervous prostration.
Three days later we were back in Baker Street together; but it wasevident that my friend would be much the better for a change, and thethought of a week of spring time in the country was full of attractionsto me also. My old friend, Colonel Hayter, who had come under myprofessional care in Afghanistan, had now taken a house near Reigate inSurrey, and had frequently asked me to come down to him upon a visit. Onthe last occasion he had remarked that if my friend would only comewith me he would be glad to extend his hospitality to him also. A littlediplomacy was needed, but when Holmes understood that the establishmentwas a bachelor one, and that he would be allowed the fullest freedom,he fell in with my plans and a week after our return from Lyons we wereunder the Colonel's roof. Hayter was a fine old soldier who had seenmuch of the world, and he soon found, as I had expected, that Holmes andhe had much in common.
On the evening of our arrival we were sitting in the Colonel's gun-roomafter dinner, Holmes stretched upon the sofa, while Hayter and I lookedover his little armory of Eastern weapons.
"By the way," said he suddenly, "I think I'll take one of these pistolsupstairs with me in case we have an alarm."
"An alarm!" said I.
"Yes, we've had a scare in this part lately. Old Acton, who is one ofour county magnates, had his house broken into last Monday. No greatdamage done, but the fellows are still at large."
"No clue?" asked Holmes, cocking his eye at the Colonel.
"None as yet. But the affair is a petty one, one of our little countrycrimes, which must seem too small for your attention, Mr. Holmes, afterthis great international affair."
Holmes waved away the compliment, though his smile showed that it hadpleased him.
"Was there any feature of interest?"
"I fancy not. The thieves ransacked the library and got very little fortheir pains. The whole place was turned upside down, drawers burst open,and presses ransacked, with the result that an odd volume of Pope's'Homer,' two plated candlesticks, an ivory letter-weight, a small oakbarometer, and a ball of twine are all that have vanished."
"What an extraordinary assortment!" I exclaimed.
"Oh, the fellows evidently grabbed hold of everything they could get."
Holmes grunted from the sofa.
"The county police ought to make something of that," said he; "why, itis surely obvious that--"
But I held up a warning finger.
"You are here for a rest, my dear fellow. For Heaven's sake don't getstarted on a new problem when your nerves are all in shreds."
Holmes shrugged his shoulders with a glance of comic resignation towardsthe Colonel, and the talk drifted away into less dangerous channels.
It was destined, however, that all my professional caution should bewasted, for next morning the problem obtruded itself upon us in such away that it was impossible to ignore it, and our country visit took aturn which neither of us could have anticipated. We were at breakfastwhen the Colonel's butler rushed in with all his propriety shaken out ofhim.