"Well, knowing as much as we do, it will be singular indeed if we fail
to discover the rest. You must yourself have formed some theory whichwill explain the facts to which we have listened."
"In a vague way, yes."
"What was your idea, then?"
"It seemed to me to be obvious that this Greek girl had been carried offby the young Englishman named Harold Latimer."
"Carried off from where?"
"Athens, perhaps."
Sherlock Holmes shook his head. "This young man could not talk a word ofGreek. The lady could talk English fairly well. Inference--that she hadbeen in England some little time, but he had not been in Greece."
"Well, then, we will presume that she had come on a visit to England,and that this Harold had persuaded her to fly with him."
"That is more probable."
"Then the brother--for that, I fancy, must be the relationship--comesover from Greece to interfere. He imprudently puts himself into thepower of the young man and his older associate. They seize him and useviolence towards him in order to make him sign some papers to make overthe girl's fortune--of which he may be trustee--to them. This he refusesto do. In order to negotiate with him they have to get an interpreter,and they pitch upon this Mr. Melas, having used some other one before.The girl is not told of the arrival of her brother, and finds it out bythe merest accident."
"Excellent, Watson!" cried Holmes. "I really fancy that you are not farfrom the truth. You see that we hold all the cards, and we have only tofear some sudden act of violence on their part. If they give us time wemust have them."
"But how can we find where this house lies?"
"Well, if our conjecture is correct and the girl's name is or was SophyKratides, we should have no difficulty in tracing her. That must be ourmain hope, for the brother is, of course, a complete stranger. It isclear that some time has elapsed since this Harold established theserelations with the girl--some weeks, at any rate--since the brother inGreece has had time to hear of it and come across. If they have beenliving in the same place during this time, it is probable that we shallhave some answer to Mycroft's advertisement."
We had reached our house in Baker Street while we had been talking.Holmes ascended the stair first, and as he opened the door of our roomhe gave a start of surprise. Looking over his shoulder, I was equallyastonished. His brother Mycroft was sitting smoking in the arm-chair.
"Come in, Sherlock! Come in, sir," said he blandly, smiling at oursurprised faces. "You don't expect such energy from me, do you,Sherlock? But somehow this case attracts me."
"How did you get here?"
"I passed you in a hansom."
"There has been some new development?"
"I had an answer to my advertisement."
"Ah!"
"Yes, it came within a few minutes of your leaving."
"And to what effect?"
Mycroft Holmes took out a sheet of paper.
"Here it is," said he, "written with a J pen on royal cream paper by amiddle-aged man with a weak constitution. 'Sir,' he says, 'in answer toyour advertisement of to-day's date, I beg to inform you that I know theyoung lady in question very well. If you should care to call upon me Icould give you some particulars as to her painful history. She is livingat present at The Myrtles, Beckenham. Yours faithfully, J. Davenport.'
"He writes from Lower Brixton," said Mycroft Holmes. "Do you not thinkthat we might drive to him now, Sherlock, and learn these particulars?"
"My dear Mycroft, the brother's life is more valuable than the sister'sstory. I think we should call at Scotland Yard for Inspector Gregson,and go straight out to Beckenham. We know that a man is being done todeath, and every hour may be vital."
"Better pick up Mr. Melas on our way," I suggested. "We may need aninterpreter."
"Excellent," said Sherlock Holmes. "Send the boy for a four-wheeler, andwe shall be off at once." He opened the table-drawer as he spoke, and Inoticed that he slipped his revolver into his pocket. "Yes," said he, inanswer to my glance; "I should say from what we have heard, that we aredealing with a particularly dangerous gang."
It was almost dark before we found ourselves in Pall Mall, at the roomsof Mr. Melas. A gentleman had just called for him, and he was gone.