"There are one or two small points which I should desire to clear upbefore I go," said he. "Your absence, Mr. Phelps, will in some waysrather assist me. Watson, when you reach London you would oblige me bydriving at once to Baker Street with our friend here, and remainingwith him until I see you again. It is fortunate that you are oldschool-fellows, as you must have much to talk over. Mr. Phelps canhave the spare bedroom to-night, and I will be with you in time forbreakfast, for there is a train which will take me into Waterloo ateight."
"But how about our investigation in London?" asked Phelps, ruefully.
"We can do that to-morrow. I think that just at present I can be of moreimmediate use here."
"You might tell them at Briarbrae that I hope to be back to-morrownight," cried Phelps, as we began to move from the platform.
"I hardly expect to go back to Briarbrae," answered Holmes, and wavedhis hand to us cheerily as we shot out from the station.
Phelps and I talked it over on our journey, but neither of us coulddevise a satisfactory reason for this new development.
"I suppose he wants to find out some clue as to the burglary last night,if a burglar it was. For myself, I don't believe it was an ordinarythief."
"What is your own idea, then?"
"Upon my word, you may put it down to my weak nerves or not, but Ibelieve there is some deep political intrigue going on around me, andthat for some reason that passes my understanding my life is aimed atby the conspirators. It sounds high-flown and absurd, but consider thefacts! Why should a thief try to break in at a bedroom window, wherethere could be no hope of any plunder, and why should he come with along knife in his hand?"
"You are sure it was not a house-breaker's jimmy?"
"Oh, no, it was a knife. I saw the flash of the blade quite distinctly."
"But why on earth should you be pursued with such animosity?"
"Ah, that is the question."
"Well, if Holmes takes the same view, that would account for his action,would it not? Presuming that your theory is correct, if he can lay hishands upon the man who threatened you last night he will have gone along way towards finding who took the naval treaty. It is absurd tosuppose that you have two enemies, one of whom robs you, while the otherthreatens your life."
"But Holmes said that he was not going to Briarbrae."
"I have known him for some time," said I, "but I never knew him doanything yet without a very good reason," and with that our conversationdrifted off on to other topics.
But it was a weary day for me. Phelps was still weak after his longillness, and his misfortune made him querulous and nervous. In vainI endeavored to interest him in Afghanistan, in India, in socialquestions, in anything which might take his mind out of the groove.He would always come back to his lost treaty, wondering, guessing,speculating, as to what Holmes was doing, what steps Lord Holdhurst wastaking, what news we should have in the morning. As the evening wore onhis excitement became quite painful.
"You have implicit faith in Holmes?" he asked.
"I have seen him do some remarkable things."
"But he never brought light into anything quite so dark as this?"
"Oh, yes; I have known him solve questions which presented fewer cluesthan yours."
"But not where such large interests are at stake?"
"I don't know that. To my certain knowledge he has acted on behalf ofthree of the reigning houses of Europe in very vital matters."
"But you know him well, Watson. He is such an inscrutable fellow that Inever quite know what to make of him. Do you think he is hopeful? Do youthink he expects to make a success of it?"
"He has said nothing."
"That is a bad sign."
"On the contrary, I have noticed that when he is off the trail hegenerally says so. It is when he is on a scent and is not quiteabsolutely sure yet that it is the right one that he is most taciturn.Now, my dear fellow, we can't help matters by making ourselves nervousabout them, so let me implore you to go to bed and so be fresh forwhatever may await us to-morrow."
I was able at last to persuade my companion to take my advice, though Iknew from his excited manner that there was not much hope of sleep forhim. Indeed, his mood was infectious, for I lay tossing half the nightmyself, brooding over this strange problem, and inventing a hundredtheories, each of which was more impossible than the last. Why hadHolmes remained at Woking? Why had he asked Miss Harrison to remainin the sick-room all day? Why had he been so careful not to inform thepeople at Briarbrae that he intended to remain near them? I cudgelledmy brains until I fell asleep in the endeavor to find some explanationwhich would cover all these facts.
It was seven o'clock when I awoke, and I set off at once for Phelps'sroom, to find him haggard and spent after a sleepless night. His firstquestion was whether Holmes had arrived yet.
"He'll be here when he promised," said I, "and not an instant sooner orlater."