"Quite so. And she was afterwards seen walking into Hyde Park incompany with Flora Millar, a woman who is now in custody, and whohad already made a disturbance at Mr. Doran's house thatmorning."
"Ah, yes. I should like a few particulars as to this young lady,and your relations to her."
Lord St. Simon shrugged his shoulders and raised his eyebrows."We have been on a friendly footing for some years--I may say ona very friendly footing. She used to be at the Allegro. I havenot treated her ungenerously, and she had no just cause ofcomplaint against me, but you know what women are, Mr. Holmes.Flora was a dear little thing, but exceedingly hot-headed anddevotedly attached to me. She wrote me dreadful letters when sheheard that I was about to be married, and, to tell the truth, thereason why I had the marriage celebrated so quietly was that Ifeared lest there might be a scandal in the church. She came toMr. Doran's door just after we returned, and she endeavoured topush her way in, uttering very abusive expressions towards mywife, and even threatening her, but I had foreseen thepossibility of something of the sort, and I had two policefellows there in private clothes, who soon pushed her out again.She was quiet when she saw that there was no good in making arow."
"Did your wife hear all this?"
"No, thank goodness, she did not."
"And she was seen walking with this very woman afterwards?"
"Yes. That is what Mr. Lestrade, of Scotland Yard, looks upon asso serious. It is thought that Flora decoyed my wife out and laidsome terrible trap for her."
"Well, it is a possible supposition."
"You think so, too?"
"I did not say a probable one. But you do not yourself look uponthis as likely?"
"I do not think Flora would hurt a fly."
"Still, jealousy is a strange transformer of characters. Praywhat is your own theory as to what took place?"
"Well, really, I came to seek a theory, not to propound one. Ihave given you all the facts. Since you ask me, however, I maysay that it has occurred to me as possible that the excitement ofthis affair, the consciousness that she had made so immense asocial stride, had the effect of causing some little nervousdisturbance in my wife."
"In short, that she had become suddenly deranged?"
"Well, really, when I consider that she has turned her back--Iwill not say upon me, but upon so much that many have aspired towithout success--I can hardly explain it in any other fashion."
"Well, certainly that is also a conceivable hypothesis," saidHolmes, smiling. "And now, Lord St. Simon, I think that I havenearly all my data. May I ask whether you were seated at thebreakfast-table so that you could see out of the window?"
"We could see the other side of the road and the Park."
"Quite so. Then I do not think that I need to detain you longer.I shall communicate with you."
"Should you be fortunate enough to solve this problem," said ourclient, rising.
"I have solved it."
"Eh? What was that?"
"I say that I have solved it."
"Where, then, is my wife?"
"That is a detail which I shall speedily supply."
Lord St. Simon shook his head. "I am afraid that it will takewiser heads than yours or mine," he remarked, and bowing in astately, old-fashioned manner he departed.
"It is very good of Lord St. Simon to honour my head by puttingit on a level with his own," said Sherlock Holmes, laughing. "Ithink that I shall have a whisky and soda and a cigar after allthis cross-questioning. I had formed my conclusions as to thecase before our client came into the room."
"My dear Holmes!"
"I have notes of several similar cases, though none, as Iremarked before, which were quite as prompt. My whole examinationserved to turn my conjecture into a certainty. Circumstantialevidence is occasionally very convincing, as when you find atrout in the milk, to quote Thoreau's example."
"But I have heard all that you have heard."
"Without, however, the knowledge of pre-existing cases whichserves me so well. There was a parallel instance in Aberdeen someyears back, and something on very much the same lines at Munichthe year after the Franco-Prussian War. It is one of thesecases--but, hullo, here is Lestrade! Good-afternoon, Lestrade!You will find an extra tumbler upon the sideboard, and there arecigars in the box."