And my words were true, for shortly after eight a hansom dashed up tothe door and our friend got out of it. Standing in the window we sawthat his left hand was swathed in a bandage and that his face was verygrim and pale. He entered the house, but it was some little time beforehe came upstairs.
"He looks like a beaten man," cried Phelps.
I was forced to confess that he was right. "After all," said I, "theclue of the matter lies probably here in town."
Phelps gave a groan.
"I don't know how it is," said he, "but I had hoped for so much from hisreturn. But surely his hand was not tied up like that yesterday. Whatcan be the matter?"
"You are not wounded, Holmes?" I asked, as my friend entered the room.
"Tut, it is only a scratch through my own clumsiness," he answered,nodding his good-mornings to us. "This case of yours, Mr. Phelps, iscertainly one of the darkest which I have ever investigated."
"I feared that you would find it beyond you."
"It has been a most remarkable experience."
"That bandage tells of adventures," said I. "Won't you tell us what hashappened?"
"After breakfast, my dear Watson. Remember that I have breathed thirtymiles of Surrey air this morning. I suppose that there has been noanswer from my cabman advertisement? Well, well, we cannot expect toscore every time."
The table was all laid, and just as I was about to ring Mrs. Hudsonentered with the tea and coffee. A few minutes later she brought inthree covers, and we all drew up to the table, Holmes ravenous, Icurious, and Phelps in the gloomiest state of depression.
"Mrs. Hudson has risen to the occasion," said Holmes, uncovering a dishof curried chicken. "Her cuisine is a little limited, but she hasas good an idea of breakfast as a Scotch-woman. What have you here,Watson?"
"Ham and eggs," I answered.
"Good! What are you going to take, Mr. Phelps--curried fowl or eggs, orwill you help yourself?"
"Thank you. I can eat nothing," said Phelps.
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"Oh, come! Try the dish before you."
"Thank you, I would really rather not."
"Well, then," said Holmes, with a mischievous twinkle, "I suppose thatyou have no objection to helping me?"
Phelps raised the cover, and as he did so he uttered a scream, and satthere staring with a face as white as the plate upon which he looked.Across the centre of it was lying a little cylinder of blue-gray paper.He caught it up, devoured it with his eyes, and then danced madly aboutthe room, pressing it to his bosom and shrieking out in his delight.Then he fell back into an arm-chair so limp and exhausted with his ownemotions that we had to pour brandy down his throat to keep him fromfainting.
"There! there!" said Holmes, soothing, patting him upon the shoulder."It was too bad to spring it on you like this, but Watson here will tellyou that I never can resist a touch of the dramatic."
Phelps seized his hand and kissed it. "God bless you!" he cried. "Youhave saved my honor."
"Well, my own was at stake, you know," said Holmes. "I assure you it isjust as hateful to me to fail in a case as it can be to you to blunderover a commission."
Phelps thrust away the precious document into the innermost pocket ofhis coat.
"I have not the heart to interrupt your breakfast any further, and yet Iam dying to know how you got it and where it was."
Sherlock Holmes swallowed a cup of coffee, and turned his attention tothe ham and eggs. Then he rose, lit his pipe, and settled himself downinto his chair.
"I'll tell you what I did first, and how I came to do it afterwards,"said he. "After leaving you at the station I went for a charming walkthrough some admirable Surrey scenery to a pretty little village calledRipley, where I had my tea at an inn, and took the precaution of fillingmy flask and of putting a paper of sandwiches in my pocket. There Iremained until evening, when I set off for Woking again, and foundmyself in the high-road outside Briarbrae just after sunset.
"Well, I waited until the road was clear--it is never a very frequentedone at any time, I fancy--and then I clambered over the fence into thegrounds."
"Surely the gate was open!" ejaculated Phelps.