BEFORE READING
1 Write sentences describing these people from The Norwood Mystery.
a Sherlock Holmes b Doctor Watson c John McFarlane d Inspector Lestrade
e Mrs McFarlane f Sergeant Judd g Mrs Lexington h Joñas Oldacre
2 Which of these things do you think you will read about? Tick two boxes.
a • Sherlock Holmes tries to find the murderer of Mrs McFarlane. b • Joñas Oldacre marries Mrs McFarlane.
c • Inspector Lestrade arrests John McFarlane for murder. d • Mrs Lexington asks Sherlock Holmes for help.
e • Sherlock Holmes saves an innocent man. f • Sergeant Judd is a criminal.
g • Dr Watson investigates a murder without Holmes.
apte r one
A w i l d , excited yoiuigf m a n
x
ife i n London is n o t w h a t it was,' said Sherlock Holmes to Dr Watson. They were sitting at the breakfast table in their Baker Street rooms one m o r n i n g i n the summer ofl 8 9 4 . Holmes was smoking a cigarette and Watson was reading the newspaper.
'True, Holmes,' said the doctor. 'For most people Ufe is much better now.'
'But for me, Watson, life is not so interesting,' explained llolmes. T loved to read the newspaper, hoping to íind some ncws of an interesting crime for me to i n v e s t í g a t e or a dangerous criminal for me to catch. Where are all those clever c r i m i n á i s these days?' He smiled sadly.
'Sometimes I don't understand you, Holmes,' said Watson. 'I like living a quiet life myself.'
llolmes did not reply, but opened his newspaper i n a lazy way and started to read. Suddenly they heard a loud k n o c k al the street door downstairs. They heard the knock again
investígate to find out about something criminal a person who does something that is against the law
sadly in an unhappy way
knock the noise when someone hits a door
housekeeper a woman who looks after a person's house
hall a room in the middle of a house from which you can go to all the other rooms trouble difficulty arrest to take a person to prison mystery something that you cannot explain easily
builder a man who makes houses
and again. Mrs Hudson, the housekeeper, r a n to open the door and a w i l d , excited young m a n fell i n t o the hall. He pushed the poor housekeeper out of his way and r a n up the stairs.
'Who are you, sir?' asked Watson. A n d what do you want?' The young m a n looked at Watson, t h e n at Holmes, and started to explain.
T m sorry, M r Holmes, I ' m sorry,' he said. 'Please don't be angry. I feel so afraid, M r Holmes.'
Holmes asked the young m a n to come into the r o o m and told h i m to sit down.
'Have a cigarette,' he said, 'and tell us w h o you are and why you have come here.'
The m a n took a cigarette from the box o n the table, and Watson l i t it for h i m . After some minutes he stopped shaking and spoke.
'My ñ a m e is John McFarlane,' he began. Neither Holmes ñ o r Watson k n e w the ñ a m e .
And?' asked Holmes.
'And,' replied McFarlane, starting to shake again, 'T am i n terrible trouble. You must help me, M r Holmes. The pólice w a n t to arrest me and send me to prison. A n d I have done nothing, M r Holmes, nothing.'
'Interesting,' said Holmes, 'very interesting. D o n ' t you agree, Watson?'
Watson saw that his friend was excited by this mystery, and wanted to k n o w more.
' M r McFarlane,' Holmes went on, 'why do the pólice w a n t to arrest you? W h a t have y o u done?'
'Nothing. I told you, I've done nothing. But they t h i n k that
1 murdered a man called Joñas Oldacre, a builder who Uves
- w h o lived - i n south London, at Norwood.'
Holmes l i t another cigarette. T ' m very sorry to hear this, Mr McFarlane. Please tell us your story.'
ir
McFarlane saw Watson's newspaper o n the breakfast table and opened it.
Tt's here,' he said, ' i n today's newspaper. The story of the murder of J o ñ a s Oldacre. I'11 read it to you. Terrible
crime at Norwood. Murder of well-known builder. The
pólice are sure t h a t I am the m a n w ho killed h i m . They've followed me here from the station and are w a i t i n g to arrest me. This news w i l l k i l l m y poor oíd mother, M r Holmes, « it w i l l k i l l her.'
McFarlane was still shaking and smoking his cigarette. Watson looked at h i m i n a n interested way. McFarlane was a good-looking young m a n w i t h bright blue eyes £ and long hair, but he looked very
afraid. He was about twenty
seven years oíd and Watson
con Id see that he carne from B good family.
'If the pólice are following
you,' said Holmes, 'we
musí work quickly. M r McFarlane, please have .molher cigarette.
Watson, could you take the newspaper and read us the story?'
Watson opened the newspaper and started to read. Sherlock Holmes listened carefully, his eyes closed, as Watson read the story from the m o r n i n g newspaper.
t i m b e r y a r d a place where wood is kept fíre brigade if your house is on fire, you cali the fire brigade put out to stop something burning safe a very strong box that people put money and other expensive things in bloodstains marks made by blood
walking stick a stick to help you walk
motive the reason for a erime remains what is left
Murder of well-known builder
Late last night, or early this morning, a terrible crime took place at Norwood in south London. Mr Joñas Oldacre has lived at Norwood and has worked there as a builder for many years. He is fifty-two years oíd, unmarried, and he lives in Deep Dene House on the Sydenham Road. The people of Norwood know Mr Oldacre as an unusual man. He does not often leave his house, but his business has made him very rich. There is a small timber yard behind his house and last night, at about midnight, a man who was out walking saw that some of the wood there was on fire. He immediately called the fire brigade, who arrived soon after. The wood was very dry and burned quickly, so it was impossible to put out the fire. T h e fire brigade were surprised when Mr Oldacre did not come out of the house, and two of their officers went inside to look for him. But Mr Oldacre was not in the house. In the bedroom the two men
found an open safe, which was empty. There were papers on the floor and bloodstains on the walls. T h e men also found a bloodstained walking stick in the room. This stick belongs to Mr John McFarlane, who visited Mr Oldacre at his home yesterday evening. The pólice are sure that they know the motive for the crime and are looking for Mr McFarlane. They will arrest him when they find him. At Norwood, pólice now say that Mr Oldacre's bedroom windows on the ground floor of the house were open. They have found some burnt remains, possibly of a body, in the fire in the timber yard. T h e pólice think that there has been a murder. They say that the criminal killed the builder in his bedroom, then pulled his dead body into the garden and burned it in the timber yard. Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard is the policeman who is investigating this most terrible crime.
'This is very interesting,' he said at last. 'Can I ask, M r McFarlane, w h y the pólice have not already arrested you? I understand from the newspaper that they are sure you murdered M r Oldacre.'
' I live at T o r r i n g t o n Lodge, Blackheath, w i t h my mother and father, M r Holmes, b u t last night, after m y business w i t h Mr Oldacre, I stayed i n a hotel at Norwood and went to work from there this m o r n i n g . I knew n o t h i n g about this crime u n t i l I was o n the t r a i n , when I read the story i n the newspaper. I understood immediately that I was i n terrible trouble, so w h e n my t r a i n arrived at the station I r a n to Baker Street to see you, M r Holmes, and to tell you that I am not a c r i m i n a l . I did not murder M r J o ñ a s Oldacre. The pólice, I ' m sure, were w a i t i n g for me at work and also at my father's house at Blackheath. A m a n followed me here from the station and—'
Suddenly there was another knock at the street door. Then they heard men on the stairs, and Inspector Lestrade entered the r o o m w i t h two other policemen.
Are you M r John McFarlane?' be asked.
The y o u n g m a n stood up, his face white.
'I am,' he said.
Lestrade gave h i m a long look. 'John McFarlane, I am arresting you for the murder OÍ Mr j o ñ a s Oldacre, the builder, of Norwood, south l iondon.'
h apter two
the City a part of London with a lot of banks and offices
lawyer someone who works to help people with the law astonished very surprised will the paper that you write and sign, which says how you want to divide your money between people in your family when you die copy to write something again
M c F a r l anes story
M
cFarlane put his head i n his hands and sat d o w n .'Mr Holmes, help me, please.'
Holmes turned to Lestrade. 'Inspector,' he said, 'perhaps you can give us-half an hour? F m interested to hear M r McFarlane's story.'
'And F m sure it w i l l be a very good story,' replied Lestrade. 'But it w o n ' t be true.'
'Please, Inspector,' said Watson.
Lestrade t h o u g h t for a long time. A l l right,' he agreed at last. 'You ve often helped us, M r Holmes. B u t I must stay w i t h M r McFarlane and I w i l l listen very carefully to everything that he says. You have half an hour,' he went on, looking at his w a t c h .
'Thank you, Inspector,' said McFarlane.
'You can t h a n k M r Holmes,' replied Lestrade, sitting d o w n opposite the young m a n .
'First,' McFarlane began his story, ' I k n o w n o t h i n g about M r J o ñ a s Oldacre, only his ñ a m e . M y parents met h i m many years ago and they were friends for a long time. But M r Oldacre moved to Norwood, I understand, and after that they never saw h i m . So I was very surprised when he walked into my office at three o'clock yesterday afternoon. I work in the City of London as a lawyer. W h e n he told me w h y he wanted to see me, I was astonished.' Here he stopped and looked first at Holmes, then at Lestrade.
'Go o n , ' said Lestrade at last.
'He had some papers i n his hand, these papers.' McFarlane took t h e m out of his pocket and put t h e m on the table. '"This is my will," he said. 'Tve w r i t t e n i t myself. But y o u are a lawyer. Please copy it for me. I w i l l wait." I agreed to do this. I started to copy the w i l l but was very surprised
8
when I read t h a t he wanted to leave everything to me! M r Oldacre was a strange little m a n w i t h very w h i t e hair and grey eyes. W h e n I looked at h i m , I saw t h a t he found my surprise very lunny. He laughed and told me that he was unmarricd and had no children. He k n e w m y mother and father when he was a y o u n g m a n and wanted to help me lo make my way i n the world because I was their son. I clidn't know w h a t to say, b u t I thanked h i m w a r m l y and linished the w i l l . Here it is.' McFarlane showed Holmes a blue piece of paper. ' M r Oldacre then asked me to go to his house al Norwood yesterday evening because he had more papers there that I needed to see. I d i d n ' t w a n t to go, b u t I had to. "You m u s t promise not to tell your mother or father a b ó u t this," he said. " I t must be a wonderful surprise for them." I promised h i m t h a t I w o u l d say n o t h i n g , but I didn't understand w h y i t was so i m p o r t a n t to h i m . '
dining room the room in a house where people eat French Windows álass doors
T took the t r a i n to Norwood and arrived there at about nine o'clock. I t was difficult to find M r Oldacre's house o n the Sydenham Road and i t was n i n e - t h i r t y w h e n I at last knocked on the door of Deep Dene House.'
'Stop,' said Holmes. ' W h o opened the door to you?' ' I t was M r Oldacre's housekeeper,' McFarlane replied. 'A w o m a n of about iifty-five years.'
A n d she told M r Oldacre t h a t y o u were there?' Holmes went on.
'That's right,' McFarlane agreed. 'She t h e n took me into the d i n i n g room, where M r Oldacre was w a i t i n g for me. We ate a light meal of sandwiches and fruit, then M r Oldacre took me to his bedroom. There was a safe i n the c ó r n e r of the room, and M r Oldacre opened i t and took o u t a lot of papers. We looked at t h e m together and didn't finish u n t i l about half past eleven. M r Oldacre said t h a t we m u s t n ' t wake up the housekeeper, so I left the house by the F r e n c h W i n d o w s i n the bedroom, w h i c h were open. I couldn't find my w a l k i n g stick, but M r Oldacre said that he would give i t back to me next time. " I hope y o u w i l l come back often," he said. W h e n I left, M r Oldacre was i n his bedroom and the safe was open. His papers were on the table. I t was too late for me to go back to m y father's house at Blackheath, so I went to a hotel called the Anerley A r m s i n Norwood and spent the n i g h t there. I knew n o t h i n g more about M r Oldacre u n t i l I read the story i n the newspaper this m o r n i n g . A n d everything that Tve told y o u is true.'
Lestrade looked at Holmes. Ariy more questions?' 'Possibly,' said Holmes. 'But íirst I must go to Blackheath.' 'You mean Norwood,' said Lestrade.
'Perhaps,' replied Holmes w i t h a strange smile. The Inspector didn't understand, but said n o t h i n g .
' M r McFarlane?' said one of the other policemen, w h o was waiting at the door. 'Come w i t h us, please.'
McFarlane stood up and the two policemen took h i m d o w n the stairs and o u t i n t o Baker Street. Lestrade stayed in the r o o m w i t h Holmes and Watson. Holmes looked at McFarlane's papers, w h i c h were still o n the table.
'Interesting,' he said. ' M r Oldacre's w r i t i n g is very easy to read i n some places, but very difficult to read i n others. A n d here it's impossible. Can y o u read this, Watson?'
Watson agreed that it was impossible to read. A n d w h y is that?' asked Holmes.
'I've no idea,' Watson replied.
'Is this important, M r Holmes?' asked Lestrade.
'Possibly,' said Holmes. ' M r Oldacre wrote his w i l l on a train. We can read everything t h a t he wrote w h e n the train was at a station, but it's impossible to read w h a t he wrote when the t r a i n was moving. M r Oldacre spent the journey w r i t i n g his w i l l , so his t r a i n was an
express, w h i c h stopped only once belween Norwood and London Bridge.'
'Very interesting, M r Holmes,' said Lestrade, 'but I have a murderer / lo see. I must go. Goodbye, M r
I lolines. Dr Watson.'
'(íoodbye, Inspector,' said I lolmes w i t h a smile.
¿2
hapter three
stupid not clever
:¡¡L
A visit t o Blackkeatk
I ^ ell me, Holmes,' said Watson w h e n they were aloneJL again, 'why is it i m p o r t a n t that M r Oldacre wrote
his w i l l on the train?'
Holmes l i t a cigarette. 'Because it means he wrote i t yesterday o n his journey to see M r McFarlane. I t h i n k
it's very strange that he worked on these i m p o r t a n t papers on the t r a i n . Perhaps they weren't so
i m p o r t a n t for h i m . '
' W h a t are you t h i n k i n g , Holmes?' asked Watson.
T m not yet sure w h a t has happened here, Watson,' Holmes replied, ' b u t give
me time, give me time. N o w I must leave you and go to Blackheath. I need, I t h i n k , to speak to M r McFarlane's
mother and father.'
Holmes put on his coat. 'While I am out, Watson, ask yourself this question. Is M r McFarlane
a stupid man? I t h i n k not. But does a clever m a n immediately k i l l someone w h o has just
promised to leave h i m e v e r y t h i n g i n his will?' Holmes gave Watson a long look. 'Goodbye, Watson.
Until later.'
14
W h e n Sherlock Holmes needed to t h i n k , he liked to walk, and this m o r n i n g he decided to walk all the way from Baker Street to London Bridge. His long legs moved quickly as he crossed the city. A lot of people stopped to look at the tall detective as he made his way to the station, b u t Holmes didn't see t h e m . He was t h i n k i n g about John McFarlane and lonas Oldacre, and asking himself if McFarlane was a murderer. He really didn't t h i n k so, but he knew that it would be difficult to convince Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard. To Lestrade, McFarlane was the murderer of J o ñ a s Oldacre. He had a good motive and he spent the evening al the builder's house.
llolmes arrived at London Bridge station and found that
he had to w a i t t w e n t y minutes for the next t r a i n to
Blackheath. He bought the late m o r n i n g newspaper and
read: Norwood Murder. Man Arrested. Holmes d i d n ' t read the story, b u t looked at the end: Says Inspector Lestrade:
I think we have our man.' Holmes bought a ticket and got
<m the t r a i n . Soon he was leaving London and travelling
SOUth lo Blackheath.
II was a little before eleven t h i r t y w h e n he knocked on
the door of the McFarlanes' house. I t was a large house With a long, green garden at the front, and Holmes was • i little surprised when Mrs McFarlane herself answered the door.
'Mrs McFarlane? Good m o r n i n g . M y ñ a m e is Sherlock
Holmes and I am t r y i n g to help your son i n his time of
i rouble.'
o h . Mr Holmes, please come i n , ' the w o m a n replied. I lolmes followed her into a small room at the back of the
house, where a fire was b u r n i n g brightly. They sat d o w n .
'John is not a murderer,' she began immediately. T k n o w
I I I V son. Mr Holmes and—' convince tomake
someone believe
llolmes held up his hand. something
cruel unkind and likmg to hurt people line a long thin mark
slash to cut wildly and angrily thoughtfully thinking carefully
'Mrs McFarlane,' he said, ' I can see that you're very worried, but there are some questions that I must ask you.'
A n y t h i n g , ' she replied. 'Please ask me anything.' ' W h a t can you tell me about M r J o ñ a s Oldacre?'
At this question Mrs McFarlane was suddenly very excited. 'He is - or was - a very bad m a n , ' she said. A long time ago he and I were friends. He wanted to m a r r y me, but I found out t h a t he was a c r u e l m a n , a dangerous man. 1 told h i m that I didn't w a n t to see h i m again and six months later I married my husband, John's father. He wasn't rich like Oldacre, but he was a good m a n - he is a good man, M r Holmes, and a good father to John. We've always been a happy family. A n d now this!'
'What did Oldacre do w h e n you sent h i m away?' Holmes went on.
'He was angry, very angry. He sent me this i n the post.' Mrs McFarlane gol up and took a photograph from the desk i n the c ó r n e r of the room. I t was a photograph of her as a young w o m a n . There were black lines across her face, where many years before Oldacre once slashed the photograph w i t h a knife, but Holmes could see that she was a very beautiful w o m a n .
Tt arrived the day that I married my husband.'
Holmes took the photograph from her and looked at it
thoughtfully.
A dangerous man,' he said.
'Oh yes,' Mrs McFarlane agreed, 'a very dangerous man.' Tt is strange, then,' Holmes went on, 'that i n his w i l l he left everything t h a t he had to your son.'
'We don't w a n t a n y t h i n g from that man, M r Holmes. I f he's dead, then I ' m happy, but I k n o w that it wasn't John w h o killed h i m . '
Holmes stood up. 'Mrs McFarlane, t h a n k you. Is M r McFarlane n o t at home?'
Mrs McFarlane shook her head. 'He's taken the t r a i n to London to see i f he can help John,' she explained.
'Then I w o n ' t stay any longer,' said Holmes. ' T r y not to worry too m u c h , my good woman. I f your son is really
innocent, I ' m sure we can convince the pólice. Inspector
lestrade is sometimes a little slow but he is a good detective.' 'Thank you, M r Holmes,' said Mrs McFarlane. T ' m sure that you w i l l do everything that you can to help John.'
Mrs McFarlane, you can be sure of that,' Holmes replied with a w a r m smile.
Mrs McFarlane said goodbye to the great detective at her l i o n l door and watched h i m walk quickly away to the station.
innocent havinj; done nothing wrong
hapter four
hay dry grass crouch down to bend your knees so that your body is cióse to the ground investigation something that a detective does to understand how or why a crime has happened shine (past shone) the sun shines in the sky suppose to think that something is true button a small round thing on clothes ashes the grey stuff that you see after something has burnt
A visit t o N o r w o o d
H
olmes arrived i n Norwood early that afternoon. He had no problem (inding Deep Dene House on the Sydenham Road. The builder's house was large and modern, and had a big garden w i t h a lot of very oíd trees. Next to the house Holmes saw the timber yard, where the pólice found the b u r n t remains after the fire. He walked into it and saw piles of wood everywhere and also some bags ofhay. On the ground he saw some b u r n t remains and he crouched down to look at them. Were these the remains
of J o ñ a s Oldacre's body? I t was impossible to say. Holmes stood up and went back into the garden.
As he stood there looking thoughtfully at the house, a policeman carne out.
'Can I help you, sir?' he asked.
T ' m Sherlock Holmes,' said the detective. 'Perhaps you've heard my ñ a m e . '
' M r Holmes! Of course I k n o w your ñ a m e , sir,' replied the policeman i n surprise. He was fat, perhaps fifty years oíd, w i t h a round face and b r i g h t blue eyes. 'Sergeant Judd, Scotland Yard. I ' m very pleased to meet you, sir.'
A n d I ' m pleased to meet y o u , ' said Holmes. T ' m helping Inspector Lestrade w i t h his investigation. Have you found a n y t h i n g here?'
Judd looked very pleased. His blue eyes shone.
'Yes, sir, we have. You k n o w about the b u r n t remains i n the timber yard, I suppose?'
T do,' Holmes agreed. T v e seen them for myself.'
'Well, we've found some buttons i n the ashes - and we t h i n k they're the buttons from M r Oldacre's trousers. It's murder, M r Holmes, we're sure of that.'
'Perhaps,' said Holmes. 'But I prefer to decide for myself. Is it
20
all r i g h t i f I look r o u n d the house and garden, Sergeant?' lawn the grass in 'Please do, M r Holmes, but I t h i n k that you'Il find that a g a r d e n
we're right. There's been a murder and Inspector Lestrade has arrested the c r i m i n a l . We can all sleep better in our beds now that McFarlane is under arrest.'
[udd went back into the house while Holmes stayed outside i n the garden. There were very lew ílowers and the garden was very different from the McFarlanes' garden ni Blackheath. Holmes crouched d o w n to look at the l a w n . I t was a w a r m day and the l a w n was very dry. He
search to look carefully footprint a mark that your foot or shoe makes on the ground or floor deeds the papers that show who a house belongs to
looked carefully for more t h a n an hour but found n o t h i n g interesting i n the garden. Next he decided to search the house. The front door was open and a policeman was standing inside.
'Good morning,' said Holmes as he walked into the house. A t the end of the hall he found Oldacre's bedroom. There were no pólice i n the r o o m and Holmes spent a long time looking at the walls. He saw the bloodstains, w h i c h were a deep red colour, and o n the floor footprints made by Oldacre and McFarlane. But he found no one else's footprints. He looked at the papers from the safe and he also found the builder's bank books. He spent a long time looking at these and was interested to see that Oldacre wasn't as rich as everyone thought. To Holmes' surprise, he had very little money i n the bank.
He then tried to find the deeds to the house, but they were not w i t h the other papers. Holmes asked himself why. When he was sure that there was n o t h i n g more to see i n the bedroom, he crossed the hall to the kitchen, where he found Oldacre's housekeeper, Mrs Lexington, at the table. She was a small, dark, silent w o m a n w i t h grey eyes and silver hair. She didn't look at the detective w h e n he walked into the r o o m and spoke to her.
'Good m o r n i n g . M y name's Sherlock Holmes and I ' m helping Scotland Yard w i t h their investigation,' he said. 'Mrs . . . ?'
'Lexington,' she replied w i t h o u t looking up. 'Mrs Lexington, housekeeper to M r J o ñ a s Oldacre.'
T ' m very pleased to meet you, Mrs Lexington,' Holmes went on, and sat d o w n opposite her at the table. ' W h a t can you tell me about yesterday evening?'
The housekeeper gave Holmes a long look.
'Nothing,' she replied. 'There's n o t h i n g that I can tell you, M r Sherlock Holmes.'
Really?' said Holmes. 'So y o u didn't answer the door to Mr McFarlane last night?'
I did!' she shouted angrily. 'The murderer!'
A h ! ' said Holmes. 'So there is something that you can tell me?'
Mrs Lexington looked very cross.
I opened the front door of this house to McFarlane at
(>. JO. I k n o w now that I opened the door to a murderer!'
And then?' Holmes asked.
Then n o t h i n g , ' she said at last. T was very tired and I went to bed an hour later at half past ten. M y bedroom is al the other end of the house. I fell asleep immediately. I heard n o t h i n g and I saw n o t h i n g . '
Did you sleep all night w i t h o u t waking up?' asked Holmes. The smell from the fire woke me up,' Mrs Lexington • iiiswered. T got out of bed and started to look for M r ()ldacre. I looked i n every ro o m of the house b u t I couldn't lind h i m anywhere. He was dead, of course, T know that n o w . McFarlane killed h i m and b u r n t his body i n the timber yard. A n d M r Oldacre was such a good, kind m a n . . .'
'Please,' said Holmes, 'don't upset yourself. Tell me, did
M i Oldacre have any enemies?'
Tveryone has enemies,' replied Mrs Lexington. 'But M r
i lldacre lived a very quiet life here at Deep Dene House.
No one i n Norwood wanted to k i l l h i m . That's how I k n o w ih.i! McFarlane is the murderer. That young man has evil eyes, Mr Holmes, he has the eyes of a murderer.'
'Thank you, Mrs Lexington,' said Holmes. Ts there Bnything more you can tell me? A n y t h i n g t h a t could help US vVith our investigation?'
I can tell you this,' answered the housekeeper. 'The pólice íound some buttons i n those remains i n the timber yard Mu. morning. Those buttons are Mr Oldacre's. They're the bultons from his trousers. He was wearing them last night.'
upset yourself to make yourself feel unhappy evil very bad
4You've been very helpful,' said Holmes. He stood up. 'But
now I must go. Thank you for your time, Mrs Lexington.' The housekeeper got up suddenly. ' I tried to save h i m , M r Holmes, poor M r Oldacre,' she said. ' I ran out into the timber yard, but the wood was so dry. It was b u r n i n g so quickly. I can't remember the last time it rained. The smell was terrible . . . when I t h i n k . . .'
'Thank you, Mrs Lexington,' Holmes said once more. (¡oodbye.'
lie closed the door behind h i m as he left the kitchen. I n the hall he met Sergeant Judd, w h o was coming down the stairs.
' M r Holmes,' said the policeman. T hope that your visit has been helpful.'
Very helpful, Sergeant,' Holmes replied. 'Thank you. A n d
I hope that your investigation is going well.'
We have our murderer, M r Holmes,' the policeman .mswered. 'Inspector Lestrade is talking to h i m now at Scotland Yard. His ñ a m e is John H é c t o r McFarlane and he killed Mr Oldacre for his house and his money.'
' I ' m very pleased to hear that you have your m a n , ' said llolmes w i t h his strange smile. 'It's obvious, I ' m sure, that Mr McFarlane murdered J o ñ a s Oldacre and b u r n t his body n i the timber yard.'
I'm happy to hear that you agree, sir,' replied Judd. «¡oodbye, M r Holmes.'
(ioodbye, Sergeant,' said Holmes.
I le walked slowly to the front door, looking carefully at the walls i n the hall, and left the builder's house. Outside he look a last look at the garden, house, and timber yard • I I H I drew a plan i n his notebook before w a l k i n g t h r o u g h
the slreets of Norwood to the station. It was a fine summer
< l i \ huí llolmes wasn't happy.
I n the train back to London, he asked himself a number
bf questions. Could John McFarlane really be a murderer?
W i . lonas Oldacre really dead? Why did the builder suddenly
decide lo leave all his money to a young m a n that he didn't I n o w ? A n d why did he write his w i l l on an express train?
obvious easyto I o r n o w , Holmes did not k n o w the answer to his questions, see or understand bul he was sure that they were good questions to ask. d r a w (pastare*/,
drawn) to make a picture with a pen or pencil
6t
hapter five
pick up to take something in your hand violin a musical mstrument, made of wood with strings across itW h o is M r Cornelius?
I
t was early evening w h e n Holmes arrived back at 2 2 I BBaker Street. Mrs Hudson opened the door to h i m and he followed her upstairs. Watson was w a i t i n g for h i m i n their rooms.
'Holmes!' he cried. 'At last! Where have y o u been? I was worried.'
'No need to worry, Watson,' Holmes replied. T v e been to Blackheath and also to Norwood.'
'You must tell me everything,' said Watson, w h o was very excited.
'Later,' answered Holmes. 'First I must t h i n k some more.'
'But Holmes . . . !' Watson shouted angrily. Holmes held up a hand.
' I must t h i n k , Watson,' Holmes said again. He walked to the c ó r n e r of the r o o m and picked up his violin. Mrs Hudson left the room, shaking her head. Watson a n g r i l y started to read a book w h i l e Holmes began to play the v i o l i n .
He played for more t h a n an hour, his eyes closed. Watson knew that his friend was t h i n k i n g deeply. He had to w a i t u n t i l Holmes was ready to tell h i m about his visits to Blackheath and Norwood.
A t last Holmes put his v i o l i n on the table and sat d o w n . 'Watson,' he said, ' i t has been a strange day. I have spoken to M r McFarlane's mother and M r Oldacre's housekeeper, a Mrs Lexington, and still I d o n ' t k n o w w h a t really happened at Deep Dene House last n i g h t . Perhaps our M r McFarlane isn't innocent after a l l , but an evil murderer.'
'Do y o u really t h i n k that, Holmes?' asked Watson.
'No, Watson, I don't,' Holmes answered. ' I still t h i n k he's
innocent. But, as Inspector Lestrade tells us, he had a good motive for k i l l i n g J o ñ a s Oldacre and he was at Deep Dene House yesterday evening.'
' W h a t did y o u learn from his mother, Holmes?' said Watson.
' I learned something very interesting,' replied Holmes. ' I learned that Oldacre once asked her to m a r r y h i m . '
'Really?'
'Really,' said Holmes. A n d he was very unhappy w h e n she said no to h i m . He was so angry that he sent her a photograph of herself w h i c h was slashed w i t h a knife across her face. Mrs McFarlane was a very beautiful young woman, Watson. I t isn't difficult to understand w h y the builder was so h u r t w h e n she married another m a n , a m a n w i t h no money. The photograph arrived on the day that she married John McFarlane's father.'
'Oh dear!' said Watson. 'So Oldacre was u n lu c ky i n love.' 'Yes,' Holmes agreed. 'But it is strange that he wanted to leave everything that he had to Mrs McFarlane's son. Very strange.'
'Was Mrs McFarlane surprised?' asked Watson.
"T w a n t n o t h i n g from M r J o ñ a s Oldacre," she said,' Holmes replied, '"and m y son wants n o t h i n g from h i m . I am happy t h a t he is dead." I understand h o w she feels, Watson. She's a good w o m a n , I a m sure, too good for M r J o ñ a s Oldacre.'
'Did she tell y o u more about him?'
'No, n o t h i n g more,' said Holmes. 'Next I travelled to Norwood, to Deep Dene House, to see for myself the place where the builder met his death. It's a big, modern house w i t h a large garden. There are a lot of trees.'
'So Oldacre was a very rich m a n , ' Watson suggested. 'He had a large house and a large garden,' Holmes replied, 'but he wasn't so rich after all. I saw his bank book.' Here
Holmes opened the cigarette box on the table and took out a cigarette. He gave his friend a short time to t h i n k about his words belbre he l i t it.
1 see,' said Watson at last.
'Do you?' asked Holmes. T ' m not sure I see yet. But I must go o n w i t h my story. As I said, Oldacre's house was large and modern, and next to it was the famous timber yard.' He took out his notebook and opened it on the table i n front of h i m . 'Here, Watson, I drew a plan of i t . '
Watson got up and walked across the r oom to stand behind Holmes and look at the plan.
'You see,' Holmes went on, 'this is the Sydenham Road, here is Deep Dene House and this is the timber yard. On the left are the French Windows w h i c h open into the builder's bedroom. As you can see, it's possible to look into the bedroom from the road.'
'Is that important, Holmes?' asked Watson.
T don't know,' Holmes replied. 'Possibly. Inspector Lestrade wasn't at Norwood this afternoon, but I met his sergeant, a m a n called Judd. He, of course, was quite sure that our M r McFarlane is a murderer. The pólice found some buttons i n the ashes i n the timber yard, you see, and these buttons were buttons from Oldacre's trousers. A n d so, says Sergeant Judd, the builder is dead, and so McFarlane is a murderer.'
'This doesn't look good, Holmes,' said Watson.
'No,' Holmes agreed. 'Our young friend is i n deep trouble here, I ' m afraid. But we must not give up hope, Watson. I searched the garden after talking to Sergeant Judd, but I found n o t h i n g . Then I went i n t o the house. First I searched the builder's bedroom. The bloodstains on the walls were
fresh, and I saw Oldacre's footprints on the floor, together
w i t h John McFarlane's. But there were no others. I looked at the papers from the safe, w h i c h were on the table, but I ' m sure that some of the papers were not there. I couldn't find the deeds to the house anywhere.'
'Where do you t h i n k they are, Holmes?' asked Watson. T don't know. But I ' m sure that our young friend didn't take them. He had no reason to steal the deeds i f Oldacre wanted to leave his house and money to h i m . Well, Watson, next I spoke to the builder's housekeeper, Mrs Lexington. A small, quiet woman, she never looked at me once w h e n she was talking to me. 1 am sure that she knows m u c h more t h a n she wanted to tell me. She agreed t h a t she answered the front door to John McFarlane at nine t h i r t y yesterday evening. She went to bed at ten t h i r t y - her bedroom is
give up (past gave, given) to stop trying to do something fresh made not long ago; not oíd reason why you do something
mad not thinking well
nod to move your head up and down chequebook a book with pieces of paperthatyou can write on and use to pay for things
at the other end of the house - and fell asleep. She woke up later and smelled smoke from the fire. She got up and searched everywhere for Oldacre, but she couldn't find h i m . Of course, she thinks that this is because he was dead, murdered.'
'What did she say about the builder?' asked Watson. Holmes held up his hand. 'A good man, she told me. He had enemies, of course, as everyone has enemies, but his life at Norwood was a quiet one. Nobody wanted h i m dead - only his murderer, our friend McFarlane. He has evil eyes, she tells me, Watson.'
'Evil eyes?' Watson replied. 'Was the w o m a n mad?' 'Not mad, Watson,' said Holmes, 'but also n o t very helpful. Mrs Lexington told me very little. As I said, I am sure that she knows more.'
'Did you find out n o t h i n g at Norwood that could help McFarlane?' asked Watson.
Holmes looked thoughtful. 'Possibly,' he said at last. 'You remember I said that I saw Oldacre's bank book and that it showed that he was not as rich as everybody thought?'
Watson nodded.
'Well,' Holmes went on, 'when I looked at his chequebook
I found that he wrote a lot of cheques to someone callcd
Mr Cornelius. These were cheques for a lot of money. W h o is this M r Cornelius, Watson? A n d why did our builder pay h i m so m u c h money? That is w h a t I w a n t to k n o w '
'This could help our young friend and prove to Lestrade that he is not a murderer, that he is innocent,' cried Watson, excited by Holmes' news.
'Perhaps, Watson,' Holmes agreed. 'But for n o w we have nothing more while Lestrade has McFarlane's visit to Oldacre, the buttons from the builder's trousers in the ashes i n the timber yard and Mrs Lexington's story. 1 must say, Watson, I do not feel hopeful.'
Holmes put o u t his cigarette and picked up his violin again. Watson ate dinner alone that n i g h t and went to bed early. Holmes did not go to bed at all. He spent the n i g h t playing the v i o l i n , smoking cigarette after cigarette and t h i n k i n g about John McFarlane and J o ñ a s Oldacre. I n the end, as the sun carne up the next m o r n i n g , he fell asleep i n his chair. .... .„
(3
api
er sixgently softly telegram a very short letter that you send very quickly opinión what you think about someone or something
A t k n m t p r i n t o n the wall
\Y/ atso n w a s s u rPr i s ed to find his friend fast asleep• • w h e n he carne d o w n to breakfast the next m o r n i n g . He shook h i m gently.
'Wake up,' he said. 'Mrs Hudson w i l l be here soon.' Holmes woke up immediately. 'Good m o r n i n g , Watson,' he replied. He saw the questions i n the doctor's eyes before he could ask them. 'Yes, I have been here all night. Yes, I have slept very little. A n d no, I do not k n o w h o w we can save our young friend, John McFarlane.'
'Oh,' said Watson, 'then perhaps you should wash and change before breakfast.'
'You're right, Watson,' Holmes agreed. He left the room, and Watson sat down at the table. Soon after Mrs Hudson carne i n w i t h the m o r n i n g newspaper and a telegram.
'Good m o r n i n g , Dr Watson,' she said. 'Here's your newspaper, and this telegram has just arrived for M r Holmes. It looks very important.'
Watson took the telegram and looked at it thoughtfully. T m sure it is very important,' he agreed. 'Perhaps it's about M r McFarlane.'
'The young m a n w h o carne here yesterday morning?' 'That's right,' said Watson. 'Inspector Lestrade is convinced that he's a murderer, but Holmes and I don't agree.'
A murderer?' the housekeeper replied. 'Well, he was a strange young m a n - so w i l d and excited. But a murderer?
I don't t h i n k so.'
'Mrs Hudson, your o p i n i ó n is good enough for me,' said Watson. 'Now is that my breakfast that I can smell?'
The housekeeper smiled. 'You're always ready for your breakfast, Dr Watson,' she said. Tt'll be about ten minutes.' As Mrs Hudson left the room, Holmes returned. He
36
immediately saw the telegram i n Watson's hand. 'That looks interesting,' he said. 'For me?'
Watson nodded and gave h i m the telegram. Holmes opened it w i t h a paper knife and read i t silently. He said n o t h i n g but looked out of the w i n d o w onto Baker Street.
'Well?' asked Watson w h e n he could wait no longer. Holmes turned to look at his friend 'It's from Lestrade. The Inspector is at Deep Dene House at the moment. He says he has proof that McFarlane is the murderer of J o ñ a s Oldacre. I n his opinión, we should n o w give up.'
'This doesn't look good, Holmes,' said Watson. To his surprise, Holmes laughed.
'Inspector Lestrade has always been sure t h a t John McFarlane killed the builder,' he said, 'and now he says t h a t he has proof. Well, let's see his proof. This is not the time to give up, Watson. We'll go to Norwood immediately.'
'But Holmes,' said Watson, 'it's still very early and—' Just then Mrs Hudson arrived w i t h their breakfasts. A n d you haven't had your breakfast,' Holmes went on w i t h a smile. A l l right, Watson, we'll go after breakfast. I ' m sure that Inspector Lestrade's proof can wait.'
Holmes ate n o t h i n g himself, so Watson enjoyed a very large meal and i t was after nine o'clock when they left Baker Street. They took a cab to the station and i t was not long before they were at the front door of Deep Dene House. Watson rang the doorbell.
'Now, Watson,' said Holmes, 'you w i l l meet the silent Mrs Lexington.'
A moment later the door opened and the housekeeper stood in front of t hem .
'Mr Holmes,' she said. ' H o w can I help you?'
'Good m o r n i n g to you, Mrs Lexington,' said Holmes. 'This is my good friend, Dr Watson. Is Inspector Lestrade here?'
'He is,' the housekeeper replied.
proof information that shows that something is really true
cab a taxi doorbell the bell on the front door
thumbprint the markthat your thumb makes when ¡t touches something 'Please take us to h i m . '
Holmes and Watson went i n and followed Mrs Lexington to the back of the house. Lestrade was sitting at a table. He looked very pleased to see them.
' M r Holmes, Dr Watson! Good m o r n i n g ! ' he said, standing up. 'You've come to see my proof, I suppose.'
'That's right,' Holmes agreed w i t h a smile. ' I am very happy for you, Lestrade, that you were r i g h t all the time.'
'It's good of you to agree that you were w r o n g , ' said the Inspector. As for me, I never t h o u g h t that McFarlane was innocent. The m a n is a murderer.'
T'm sure that you are right, Inspector,' Holmes agreed, 'but perhaps we can see your proof n o w '
'Of course,' said Lestrade. 'Come w i t h me.'
He stood up and Holmes and Watson followed h i m into the hall.
'Here,' said the inspector. 'Look at this.'
Holmes and Watson crouched down to look at a bloodstain on the wall.
'It's a thumbprint.' Lestrade explained. 'John McFarlane's t h u m b p r i n t . '
A r e you sure?' asked Watson. 'Oh yes,' Lestrade replied. 'That is John McFarlane's t h u m b p r i n t . I ' m sorry, Dr Watson, but your young friend killed J o ñ a s Oldacre. He w i l l die for this crime.'
Holmes looked very th o ugh t fu l.
'You're very quiet, M r Holmes,' said the Inspector. 'Do you have n o t h i n g to say?'
Holmes stood up. As I said before, Inspector, it's obvious that you are right about McFarlane. He killed the builder for his money and his house. I have only two questions.'
'Go o n , ' said Lestrade, w h o was no Ionger smiling. 'First,' said Holmes, ' w h o found this thumbprint?' Tt was Mrs Lexington, the housekeeper, w h o saw it íirst,' the Inspector replied. 'She showed it to Sergeant Judd.'
'Really?' Holmes looked very pleased w i t h this answer. 'What's your second question, M r Holmes?' asked Lestrade. 'Why didn't your men find the t h u m b p r i n t yesterday?' 'That's easy to explain,' the Inspector replied. 'They weren't looking for thumbprints yesterday, not i n the hall. A n d the t h u m b p r i n t is a little hard to see.'
'Yes, it's hard to see,' Holmes agreed. 'Watson and I had to crouch down to see it. But Mrs Lexington saw it. Perhaps she was washing the floor. I suppose that you are sure that the t h u m b p r i n t was here yesterday, Inspector?'
'Of course i t was!' Lestrade replied crossly. 'Do you t h i n k that McFarlane left Scotland Yard d u r i n g the n i g h t and carne here to make a t h u m b p r i n t i n blood on the wall?'
'Perhaps not,' said Holmes thoughtfully.
'Then I must ask you b o th to excuse me. I must r e t u r n to Scotland Yard to talk to the murderer.'
Lestrade left the room.
'So John McFarlane is a murderer,' said Watson sadly. T don't t h i n k so, Watson,' Holmes replied.
'What? But Lestrade's proof - the t h u m b p r i n t ! H o w do you explain i t , Holmes?'
I t ' s impossible to explain,' said Holmes, 'and for a very good reason. There was no t h u m b p r i n t on this wall when I was here yesterday.'
hapt er seven
cell a small room ¡n a prison or pólice station probable almost certainly true basement downstairs from the ground floor of a house
T k e m a n o n tke t o p floor
% V / atson did not know w h a t to t h i n k .
W T don't understand this, Holmes,' he said at last. T don't understand this at all. íf the t h u m b p r i n t wasn't here yesterday—'
Holmes held up a hand to stop h i m .
'There are two possibilities, Watson. The íirst is that John McFarlane left his cell at Scotland Yard d u r i n g the night. look the t r a i n to Norwood and carne to Ueep Dene Lodge to make a bloody t h u m b p r i n t on the wall here. I do not t h i n k this is very probable. Watson, do you?'
'Of course not, Holmes,' said Watson.
'Then you and I and Inspector Lestrade have the same o p i n i ó n , and it was not John McFarlane w h o left this t h u m b p r i n t '
'But Lestrade said t h a t i t was McFarlane's t h u m b p r i n t ! ' said Watson excitedly.
'Oh I a m sure t h a t it is McFarlane's t h u m b p r i n t , ' Holmes replied, 'but I am also sure that it was not John McFarlane w h o left it here. Come, Watson.'
Dr Watson followed his friend out i n t o the garden. 'What are we doing, Holmes?' he asked.
'We're looking,' said Holmes, 'we're looking very carefully.' Holmes stood i n the garden and looked thoughtfully at the front of the house. Then he walked across the lawn and looked at the side of the house. Next Watson followed h i m to the back of the house and then to the other side, which looked onto the Sydenham Road. Here Holmes stood for a long time w i t h a look of great interest on his face.
'Good,' he said at last, and walked quickly back to the front door, w h i c h was still open. Watson followed h i m inside and downstairs into the basement. Holmes looked very carefully
42
i n every room on that floor, then did the same on the ground íloor. There was no furniture i n many of the rooms, but Holmes looked thoughtfully at the walls and at the floor. He and Watson then went upstairs and visited all the bedrooms and the bathroom. After that they climbed to the top íloor of the house, where there were three bedrooms, all empty. Holmes began to laugh. He laughed and laughed. Watson looked at his friend, astonished.
'llolmes, w h a t is it?' he asked. Are you not feeling well?' Holmes stopped l a u g h i n g at once and turned to Watson. ' I ' m feeling very well, Watson,' he said w i t h a strange smile. 'Come, let us find Inspector Lestrade.'
They went downstairs and found the Inspector at his table. He was busy w r i t i n g his report.
A r e y o u w r i t i n g your report already, Inspector?' asked Holmes. A r e you so sure that you have your murderer?'
Lestrade stopped w r i t i n g and put down his pen. He did not look pleased.
' M r Holmes, I have shown you my proof. John McFarlane's t h u m b p r i n t proves that he killed lonas Oldacre. I have m y murderer. He is i n his cell at Scotland Yard as we speak.'
' I think, Inspector,' said Holmes, 'that you should speak to one more person before you íinish w r i t i n g your report.'
' W h o is this person?' asked Lestrade. A n d where can I find him?'
'How many policemen do you have here today, Inspector?' Lestrade was surprised, but he answered immediately. 'Sergeant Judd and two others.'
A n d are they all big, strong men w i t h loud voices?' Lestrade looked at Watson. Watson looked at Lestrade. They were both baftied.
They are all tall and I ' m sure that they can shout very loudly if they need to,' the Inspector replied, 'but 1 don't understand—'
furniture tables and chairs for example report what someone writes to explain something that has happened prove to show that something is certainly true baffled when you don't understand something
\
Holmes held up a hand.
'You w i l l understand, Inspector. N o w could you please cali your men?'
It was obvious that Lestrade was not happy, but he left the room and went to look for Sergeant Judd and the others. Five minutes later Holmes and Watson found Lestrade i n the hall w i t h his men.
'Sergeant Judd, you w i l l íind some hay i n the timber yard. Could you please bring it into the house?' asked Holmes.
Judd looked at Lestrade, who nodded. He carne back a lew minutes later w i t h a bag of hay.
'This w i l l help us to íind our m a n , ' said Holmes. 'Now, Watson, do you have any matches i n your pocket?'
Watson nodded.
'Then we are ready. Follow me, please.'
The policemen followed Holmes and Watson as they climbed the stairs to the top of the house. W h en they arrived, Lestrade's face was very red.
'What are you doing, M r Holmes?' he asked crossly. ' I hope that this is not a joke.'
'You w i l l not have to wait m u c h longer. Inspector,' said Holmes w i t h a smile. 'Could you please ask one of your men to bring some water from the bathroom?'
'Water!' Lestrade replied. ' M r Holmes, I really must . . . 'Please, Inspector.'
Lestrade t h o u g h t for a long moment, but i n the end sent one of his men to the bathroom for water. W hen he returned, Holmes opened a w i n d o w and then asked Watson to Iight the hay w i t h a match. The hay caught fire immediately and suddenly there was smoke everywhere.
'Now we w i l l find our man, Lestrade,' said Holmes. 'Could match you use
this to iight a fire we all please shout "fire"? One, two, three . . . '
joke something Holmes, Watson and the four policemen all shouted 'íire!' that you do to
make people laugh i n loud VOÍCeS.
'Again!' said Holmes. Tire!'
A n d again!'
'Fire!' This t i me the shout was so loud that Lestrade put his lingers in his ears. Just then a very strange t h i n g happened: a secret door i n the wall opened suddenly and a little man ran out.
'Here's your man, Inspector,' said llolmes w i t h a laugh. 'Sergeant Judd, please put some water on the hay to put out o u r little íire. T h a n k y o u . Inspector, this is M r J o ñ a s Oldacre, the Norwood builder. I t h i n k we w i l l learn t h a t he also has another ñ a m e - M r Cornelius.'
little m a n , w h o was standing i n front of t h e m and shaking. He had grey eyes and white hair and was very ugly.
'Well,' said Lestrade at last w h e n the fire was out. 'Do you have n o t h i n g to say, M r J o ñ a s Oldacre?'
Lestrade's face was red and angry. Oldacre looked very afraid, but he laughed excitedly.
' I t was a joke, Inspector,' he explained. 'No more. I never wanted to make any trouble for any body.'
'What?' said Lestrade angrily. 'You d i d n ' t w a n t to make any trouble? A n d an innocent m a n is i n the cells at Scotland Yard as we speak!'
'Just my little joke, Inspector,' the builder said again. 'Take h i m away, Sergeant,' said Lestrade. 'The m a n is dangerous.'
Oldacre went downstairs w i t h Judd and the other policemen. Lestrade turned to Holmes.
'Well, M r Holmes, once again I have to t h a n k you. This time I was w r o n g and y o u were right. John McFarlane is an innocent man. It's obvious that there was no murder here.'
'That's right, Inspector,' Holmes smiled, 'but I understand your mistake. J o ñ a s Oldacre was very eleven'
'But Sherlock Holmes was cleverer!' said Watson. 'Very good work, Holmes.'
'Thank you, Watson. N o w let's see the secret room.' Watson and Lestrade followed Holmes into the room, w h i c h was about two metres long. I t was impossible to see the door from the passage, b u t i n the r o o m they found some furniture, food and water, newspapers and books. Holmes picked up a newspaper.
'This morning's newspaper,' he said. T ' m sure that Oldacre ugiy not beautifui has enjoyed reading about M r McFarlane's arrest. A n d I passage the suppose that Mrs Lexington is the person w h o has brought
space between ^ &
rooms ¡n a house h i m his newspapers and his food and drink.'
46
T must speak to that w o m a n again,' said Lestrade. T always t h o u g h t she had her secrets.'
'Perhaps she has a very big secret,' said Holmes. 'Perhaps she is more to M r Oldacre t h a n a housekeeper.'
Lestrade looked thoughtful. 'Of course,' he said at last. 'That's why she was happy to tell lies for h i m . She w i l l go to prison for this, M r Holmes.'
'Very good,' Holmes replied. 'Norwood w i l l be a better place w i t h o u t her.'
T have just one more question for you, M r Holmes,' said Lestrade. ' W h y did Oldacre do this? W h y did he w a n t me to arrest John McFarlane?'
Holmes gave the Inspector a long look.
'Many years ago, Inspector,' he explained, 'Joñas Oldacre fell i n love. He fell i n love w i t h John McFarlane's mother. They spent some time together, but Mrs McFarlane saw that Oldacre was cruel and dangerous and she sent h i m away. Later she married John's father. On the day that they married Oldacre sent her a photograph of herself w i t h her face slashed. He was very angry and he never forgot i t . '
' I see,' said Lestrade. 'So that's w h y you went to Blackheath.'
' I wanted to talk to John's parents,' Holmes explained. T c o u l d n ' t understand why Oldacre wanted to leave everything to John i n his will.'
Tve been very stupid,' said Lestrade sadly.
'Not at all,' said Watson kindly. 'But Sherlock Holmes has been very clever.'
Holmes himself said n o t h i n g .
tell lies to say things which are not true prison a place where people must stay when they do something wrong
realize to suddenly understand something commit to do a crime
calm not worried
(3
hapter eíghí
Ai
ree m a n
T
wo days later, on a fine summer m o r n i n g , Holmes and Watson were sitting once again i n their Baker Street rooms. Watson was reading the newspaper excitedly.I t ' s here, Holmes!' he cried. 'The story of our Norwood builder. Listen to this: Inspector Lestrade of Scotland Yard
realized that Joñas Oldacre was still alive and found him on
the top floor of his house, Deep Dene Lodge at Norwood, where he was hiding in a secret room. But Lestrade realized n o t h i n g
at all, Holmes! This is terrible. If y o u — '
'It's not important, Watson,' said Holmes quietly. 'What is i m p o r t a n t is that Oldacre w i l l go to prison and John McFarlane w i l l not die for a crime that he d i d n ' t commit. Lestrade knows what really happened, after all.'
T don't understand how you can be so calm about this,' said Watson crossly. Tt was you w h o realized t h a t the builder wasn't dead, not Lestrade. Lestrade was convinced that John McFarlane was a murderer.'
Just then the door opened and Mrs Hudson carne i n . A young man to see you, Mr Holmes,' she said w i t h a smile.
John McFarlane walked i n t o the room. He looked calm and very happy. Holmes and Watson stood up.
'Mr McFarlane,' said Holmes, T'm very pleased to see you.' 'Mr Holmes, Dr Watson, w h a t can I say?' McFarlane replied. 'Thank you so m u c h for everything. You have saved my life. The pólice were convinced t h a t I killed J o ñ a s Oldacre.'
Watson asked the young m a n to sit do wn , and Mrs Hudson left them. Holmes l i t a cigarette from the box o n the table.
T was sure that I would die,' McFarlane went o n . T was at Deep Dene House. I had a very good motive. A n d when the pólice found my t h u m b p r i n t on the wall . . . Please tell
me, M r Holmes, h o w you proved to Inspector Lestrade that I was innocent of this crime.'
Holmes did not speak for a long moment. He looked very thoughtful.
Tt was a long time before I realized that there was no murder, but w h e n I realized this, I understood everything. Oldacre once loved your mother and was very angry w h e n she married another man. He had a lot of trouble w i t h his business last year and lost a lot of money. His plan was to
disappear, w i t h Mrs Lexington perhaps, and start a new life
w i t h a different ñ a m e : M r Cornelius. He wanted everyone to t h i n k that he was dead because he d i d n ' t w a n t anyone to look for h i m . A n d he wanted to h u r t your mother and father. He wanted you to die for a crime t h a t never happened.'
'But the b u r n t remains i n the timber yard - w h a t were they?' McFarlane wanted to know.
A dead dog, I t h i n k , ' Holmes replied. ' N o t a dead builder.'
'What an evil man!' cried McFarlane. 'My mother was right to say no w h e n he asked her to m a r r y h i m . '
'Oh yes,' Holmes agreed. 'Joñas Oldacre is a very bad m a n and I hope t h a t he w i l l go to prison for a very long time.'
' I d o n ' t k n o w how to t h a n k you, M r Holmes,' said McFarlane. 1 am so pleased that I carne to you i n my trouble.'
Holmes put out his cigarette and turned to Watson. Are we free this m o r n i n g , Watson?' he asked.
'Yes,' his friend replied i n surprise. ' W h y do y o u ask?' 'It's a beautiful m o r n i n g , ' said Holmes. 'Let's go out.' Watson and McFarlane followed Holmes d o w n the stairs and out into Baker Street. The sun was shining and the streets of London were w a r m .
A beautiful m o r n i n g , ' Holmes said once again. 'Watson,
& disappear to go
unpleasant not nice
thanks to because of seal to cióse by sticking two parts together wax candles are made of wax
Ten minutes later the three men were i n a cab and travelling south towards Scotland Yard.
'Why are we going to Scotland Yard, Holmes?' asked Watson.
T ' m sure that our good friend, inspector Lestrade, has something to say to Mr McFarlane,' Holmes replied.
A t Scotland Yard they found Lestrade i n his office. He looked surprised to see them.
T was just finishing my report,' he explained.
T t h o u g h t that you m i g h t have something to say to M r McFarlane, Inspector,' said Holmes as the y o u n g m a n followed the detective and Dr Watson into Lestrade's office.
'Oh, of course,' Lestrade agreed. He d i d n ' t look very happy. ' M r McFarlane, I am very sorry that I t h o u g h t that you were a murderer. I was w r o n g , of course, and M r Holmes was right. I hope that the time y o u spent here at Scotland Yard wasn't too unpleasant.'
Tt wasn't the happiest time of my life,' McFarlane replied, 'but the i m p o r t a n t t h i n g is that I am n o w a free m a n
- t h a n k s to M r Sherlock Holmes.'
'Yes, M r Holmes has been very helpful, once again,' said Lestrade. 'We work very well together, M r Holmes and I . '
Holmes smiled. Watson looked angry, but said n o t h i n g . ' M r Holmes, as you're here,' the Inspector went on, 'and I ' m w r i t i n g my report, I have one more question for y o u . W h y was M r McFarlane's t h u m b p r i n t on the wall?'
'Oldacre put i t there,' Holmes explained. 'When he and M r McFarlane were w o r k i n g o n his papers he asked M r McFarlane to seal a letter w i t h wax.
He then had John's t h u m b p r i n t i n the wax and he put this on the wall w i t h some of his o w n blood.'
'Very clever,' said Lestrade.
'Yes,' Holmes agreed. 'His only problem was that I knew t h a t the t h u m b p r i n t wasn't there the day before. As Mr
52
McFarlane was i n a cell here at Scotland Yard, he didn't g»¡ty «no has done something put i t there, so I asked myself w h o did. The answer to the wrong mystery was obvious. Oldacre, of course. A n d h o w is the
Norwood builder?'
'He's not a happy m a n , ' said Lestrade, smiling at last. Tt was a l l a joke, he says. A n d of course he d i d n ' t w a n t to h u r t M r McFarlane here.'
A strange joke!' said Dr Watson.
'Yes,' Holmes agreed, 'it's a very strange joke t h a t sends a m a n to his death!'
T have to t h a n k you, M r Holmes,' said Lestrade, 'for saving the life of an innocent man.'
Holmes smiled.
'That is my business, Inspector: to save innocent people and make sure that those w h o are guilty go to prison. As long as I can do that, I w i l l be a happy man.'
