Read Online The Secret Notebooks of Sherlock Holmes by June Thomson - Free Book Online

Jordan’s dismissal by stealing the cufflinks himself and concealing them in the manservant’s room. She had seen Adams creeping about the house on several occasions but did not dare report it, as mygreat-uncle had such a high opinion of the coachman’s trustworthiness. At my suggestion, she agreed to keep me informed about my great-uncle’s welfare as well as Adams’ behaviour and any changes which might take place within the household.
    ‘When I wrote in return, I was to send my letters to the vicar’s house, as we both agreed there was a strong possibility that Adams might examine the mail on its arrival and become aware of our correspondence or even destroy my letters before Mrs Grafton received them. It was therefore through her that I heard of several disturbing developments which had taken place at Holbrook Manor over the intervening weeks.’
    ‘Such as?’ Holmes prompted as Maitland hesitated, passing a hand over his face as if trying by this physical action to arrange his thoughts.
    ‘Nothing that could be construed as of deliberately evil intent but which, in the light of what Mrs Grafton had already told me, increased my suspicions of the man. For example, there was the matter of the cancellation of several appointments with my great-uncle’s physician, Dr McFadden. He had a fixed arrangement to visit my great-uncle every Friday morning to check his pulse and his heart and so on. On four occasions, Adams sent the gardener’s boy to McFadden’s surgery with a letter cancelling the appointment. It is possible Adams played no part in the situation. The letters were always in my great-uncle’s handwriting and I know from experience that he was often very impatient withMcFadden’s medical advice, especially that concerning his diet and his consumption of alcohol. My great-uncle enjoyed a glass of whisky and resented what he called the doctor’s meddling in one of the few pleasures left to him.
    ‘Which brings me to the matter of the whisky decanter. Mrs Grafton noticed that she had to refill it more frequently than in the past and suspected that either my great-uncle was drinking more than usual or Adams had access to his master’s tantalus. 4 Once again, I was left with nothing tangible on which to base my suspicion; certainly nothing with which I could confront Adams. All I could do was keep up my correspondence with Mrs Grafton and continue visiting my great-uncle on the first Sunday of every month as I had done in the past.
    ‘And then three weeks ago, Mr Holmes, I received the letter which I have shown you, forbidding me ever to enter the house again because of my “threatening behaviour”, as my great-uncle calls it.’
    ‘You are referring, of course, to the anonymous letters. Have you any idea what was in them?’
    ‘I have indeed,’ Maitland replied. Reaching onceagain into his inside pocket, he drew out an envelope from which he extracted a folded sheet of paper which he again handed to Holmes, who scrutinised for several long moments in silence before passing it to me without any comment.
    As far as I could see, it was a piece of ordinary, inexpensive white writing-paper such as one might buy at any stationer’s. Its only remarkable feature was the message on it, which had been laboriously composed of words or single letters cut from a newspaper and stuck to the sheet.
    It read: ‘Beware! You are an old fool who deserves to go to Hell.’
    It was undated and bore no name, not even initials.
    ‘May I see the envelope?’ Holmes enquired and, having been given it, he again looked at it in silence before passing it on to me.
    Like the message, words and individual letters cut from a newspaper had been used to compose the address. Apart from this, I only noted that the envelope was of the same ordinary brand as the writing-paper and that it bore a West Central London postmark.
    As I was examining it, Maitland was continuing, ‘At my request, Mrs Grafton removed this letter from my