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Authors: Daniel Stashower
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the flow of crime history.”
“Fascinating,” I said. “May I—?”
“Gentlemen, please!” Lord O’Neill cried. “The affair before us is a most pressing one! We must attend to it. Shall I ring for tea? Yes, we must have tea.” He darted to the bell-rope and pulled it urgently.
“Tea!” exclaimed Herr Osey. “At such a time! And all of this talk about records and discursive Italians. It is a wonder you British ever accomplish anything!”
“Herr Osey, please,” said Lord O’Neill anxiously. “I’m sure—”
“Who is this remarkable woman with whom the prince has been so indiscreet?”
Many times in my years with Holmes have I seen him produce a startling revelation from the midst of seemingly unexceptional circumstances, butnever has one of these abrupt observations had such tremendous impact. It was as if the two diplomats had been struck by lightning.
“Mr Holmes!” cried Lord O’Neill, leaping to his feet.
“ Mein Gott!” shouted Herr Osey. “Can this be? How could you—”
“Your tea, sir,” announced the butler, rolling in a large tea-trolley.
Herr Osey thrust his fists into his pockets and turned to the wall. Lord O’Neill fell heavily into his chair, the colour draining from his face, but he managed to collect himself sufficiently to acknowledge the arrival of the tea. The butler then withdrew, and both men turned to stare at Sherlock Holmes.
“Gentlemen! It is perfectly obvious! Allow me to explain. Lestrade has been good enough to leave the room in order, so it is not difficult to see that a conference of some sort took place here on the night of the crime. The brandy snifters on the sideboard point to a late evening, very likely while the larger gathering was taking place downstairs. The desk calendar has not been advanced since the day before yesterday. As Lord O’Neill is rather fastidious in such details, we may assume that the room has not been in use since then.”
“Perfectly sound,” admitted Lord O’Neill. “But how—”
“That the conference was an important one is rather strongly suggested by the presence of the Prince of Wales. Here is a cigar stub bearing the mark of his private stock. Even more revealing are the contents of this ashtray beside the armchair. In it there are two cigarette ends stained red. Unless one of you two gentlemen has taken to painting his lips, we may infer the presence of a woman.
“What sort of woman is it who smokes in such company? A rather strong-willed woman, certainly. Also, it would seem, a familiar of the prince. Yet, rather than make use of the cigarette case we see here upon the desk, this woman’s cigarettes were provided for her by Herr Osey, whose own stubs we see here in the same ashtray. This fact is not without implication.”
Herr Osey took the cigarette from his lips and stamped it out peevishly.
“The woman is a German, involved in some sort of diplomatic unpleasantness. This much is obvious by the involvement of you two gentlemen. So, what is the scene we have evolved? A large gathering at Gairstowe House after the theatre. While they are being entertained downstairs, a smaller party assembles in this room to discuss business. This business must concern the documents which have since vanished. The prince and this mysterious woman” — Holmes paused and looked to Herr Osey.
“The Countess Valenka,” the German provided.
Holmes nodded. “—would not customarily be present at such an interview. Therefore they are the principals and you gentlemen are their representatives.
“What can be the unpleasantness which would induce two former intimates to employ diplomatic representation? Well, now. The prince has certain... compromising tendencies which are well known. Perhaps he has placed himself in the awkward—”
“Mr Holmes, please!” cried Lord O’Neill wildly. “We have followed your reasoning quite closely. Pray do not continue!” While Herr Osey had listened to Holmes’s discourse with a
“Fascinating,” I said. “May I—?”
“Gentlemen, please!” Lord O’Neill cried. “The affair before us is a most pressing one! We must attend to it. Shall I ring for tea? Yes, we must have tea.” He darted to the bell-rope and pulled it urgently.
“Tea!” exclaimed Herr Osey. “At such a time! And all of this talk about records and discursive Italians. It is a wonder you British ever accomplish anything!”
“Herr Osey, please,” said Lord O’Neill anxiously. “I’m sure—”
“Who is this remarkable woman with whom the prince has been so indiscreet?”
Many times in my years with Holmes have I seen him produce a startling revelation from the midst of seemingly unexceptional circumstances, butnever has one of these abrupt observations had such tremendous impact. It was as if the two diplomats had been struck by lightning.
“Mr Holmes!” cried Lord O’Neill, leaping to his feet.
“ Mein Gott!” shouted Herr Osey. “Can this be? How could you—”
“Your tea, sir,” announced the butler, rolling in a large tea-trolley.
Herr Osey thrust his fists into his pockets and turned to the wall. Lord O’Neill fell heavily into his chair, the colour draining from his face, but he managed to collect himself sufficiently to acknowledge the arrival of the tea. The butler then withdrew, and both men turned to stare at Sherlock Holmes.
“Gentlemen! It is perfectly obvious! Allow me to explain. Lestrade has been good enough to leave the room in order, so it is not difficult to see that a conference of some sort took place here on the night of the crime. The brandy snifters on the sideboard point to a late evening, very likely while the larger gathering was taking place downstairs. The desk calendar has not been advanced since the day before yesterday. As Lord O’Neill is rather fastidious in such details, we may assume that the room has not been in use since then.”
“Perfectly sound,” admitted Lord O’Neill. “But how—”
“That the conference was an important one is rather strongly suggested by the presence of the Prince of Wales. Here is a cigar stub bearing the mark of his private stock. Even more revealing are the contents of this ashtray beside the armchair. In it there are two cigarette ends stained red. Unless one of you two gentlemen has taken to painting his lips, we may infer the presence of a woman.
“What sort of woman is it who smokes in such company? A rather strong-willed woman, certainly. Also, it would seem, a familiar of the prince. Yet, rather than make use of the cigarette case we see here upon the desk, this woman’s cigarettes were provided for her by Herr Osey, whose own stubs we see here in the same ashtray. This fact is not without implication.”
Herr Osey took the cigarette from his lips and stamped it out peevishly.
“The woman is a German, involved in some sort of diplomatic unpleasantness. This much is obvious by the involvement of you two gentlemen. So, what is the scene we have evolved? A large gathering at Gairstowe House after the theatre. While they are being entertained downstairs, a smaller party assembles in this room to discuss business. This business must concern the documents which have since vanished. The prince and this mysterious woman” — Holmes paused and looked to Herr Osey.
“The Countess Valenka,” the German provided.
Holmes nodded. “—would not customarily be present at such an interview. Therefore they are the principals and you gentlemen are their representatives.
“What can be the unpleasantness which would induce two former intimates to employ diplomatic representation? Well, now. The prince has certain... compromising tendencies which are well known. Perhaps he has placed himself in the awkward—”
“Mr Holmes, please!” cried Lord O’Neill wildly. “We have followed your reasoning quite closely. Pray do not continue!” While Herr Osey had listened to Holmes’s discourse with a
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