Show I The Naval Treaty By Sir Arth Arthur r Conan Gonan Doyle I Copyright 1921 b by Harper Bros Special arrangement with the McClure McClure McClure Mc- Mc Clure Newspaper Syndicate UT P SIX MX The story thus far Dr Watson Vatson during his schooldays had known very well a 0 lad named Percy Phelps Ills His mothers mother's uncle was Lord the great conservative conser politician whoso whose Influence got his nephew a good position at the foreign office One day Dr Watson received a aletter aletter aletter letter from Phelps asking him to bring Sherlock Holmes to him 3 as he was in deep trouble and wa was wat Just recovered reco from an attack of ot brain fever Watson and Holmes hurried down to his s place a at Woking They were e Erected greet Erect r lf i ed In the drawing ro room by a rather stout man who received recel them with much hospitality and who turned out outto outto outto to be Joseph Harrison whose sister Ilster Annie was engaged to marry Phelps They were vere then shown Into Phelps Phelps' room where Annie was Installed as nurse Phelps then told his story About ten weeks before his uncle having the utmost trust in tn him him gave sav him the o original secret c e treaty between rd England li and Italy I a document ot of rf im importance importance im- im I to get possession of which I Ithe the Russian or French government would pa pay tremendous sums Lord Lore asked his nephew to lock It ItIn Itin itin in his desk In the foreign office and after hours hour hours t tp stay alon along and copy it Phelps went vent out for a hurried dinner and then h went vont back a to copy the document docu docu- ne t g ment t anxious x lo to get through his work k I in time to catch the 11 o'clock train to Waking on which he expected to meet The work worl took longer than he expected expected ex ex- however and he soon saw that ho he could not catch his train When hen It was wa about a third done he ran rang a abell abell bell which connected with a lod lodge e below below below be be- low stairs where a commissionaire re remain remained re re- main maln d all night ready to make coffee cot cot- fee on a spirit lamp for any late work work- er fr A woman answered the summons saying she was as the commissionaires commissionaire's wife Phelps ordered coffee cortee and when It did duct not arrive he ran downstairs to see about it The commissionaire sat there asleep and while he was apologizing apolo apolo- the bell in Phelps Phelps' room rang ranS' sharp sharply I Terrified Phelps rushed back upstairs The copy COP of ot the treaty he was making was there but the original original I nal was gone It was a quarter to ten o'clock Phelps and the commissionaire commission commission- I aire airs ran Into the street and questioned the tho nearest policeman pc who had seen I only the commissionaires commissionaire's wife pass b by It had been raining all evening but there were no marks of mud mild on the floor Ioor The police pollee and Phelps went to arrest the commissionaires commissionaire's wife wite who ran from the from the door when she saw them coming explaining her action later by saying she thought they were brokers come to collect a 0 bill Phelps was so overcome with all that his disgrace would mean that he collapsed col cot I lapsed and was taken home where he had brain fever lie He was quickly In Installed In- In stalled in a cheery bedroom on the ground Around floor where Joseph was asleep at it the tho time and Annie nursed him with a nurse who ho was on duty dut at night Nobody Knew he had the treaty aty In his possession The he commissionaire and his Ills wife were examined without result Phelps was despondent but was gradually grad grad- rad- rad re regaining his strength Holmes promised to take up the case and said he tie would return to the next day dav b Holmes interviews I Lord ord who ho says say he feared grave e results from the loss of ot the tl treat treaty which ha have e not yet et o occurred which h seems to Indicate that it has not yet et reached the hands of the Trench FrenCh or Russian foreign of ot fice flee It is possible suggests Holmes that the thief has had a sudden BUdden Illness An attack of brain fever supple Rupple- ments Lord coldly Holmes disclaims any such suggestion and Holm s returns return to to learn that the before the first night Phelps had been en without a nurse some ome b body dy shrouded In a cape had tried to enter his room Phelps had scared him oft off and the groom next mornIng morning morn morn- ing ins had found n a trail across acro the grass grasso to o a II wooden fence fenee that skirted the road over which the thief thle had apparently apparently Jumped d. d Holmes Holme Phelps and Joseoh went to look at these thE tracks Holmes a asked ked J liss s Harrison to remain remal In the room and later on secretly asked her not to leave eave the room all day Then Holmes sent nent nt Phelps up to London Loridon with wit Dr Watson where Phelps a restless night with Watson in Holmes Holmes' apartment apartments apart apart- merits ments Before breakfast next morn morn- ln ne Holmes Holme arrived in iq London with morn morn-I one ona hand bandaged bandaged- ed TonS S 'S I I iT ST T. T I The table wag was all n laid and Just aa as aaI asI I was about to ring Mrs rs Hudson Hudon entered entered en- en ered with the tea and coffee cottee A few minutes later she brought In three cover cov coy er era and arid we all drew up tip to the table Holmes ravenous ra I curious and Phelps Phelp In n the gloomiest state of at depression Mrs Irl Hudson has risen to the occasion occasion occa occa- sion sion ston said holmes Holme uncovering a dish ot of t curried chicken Her lIer cuisine ii is a little limited but but she has as good 1 an Ide Idea of ot breakfast as a What hat ha have e you there Watson Vatson Ham and eggs I 1 answered Good What hat are you going to take Mr Phelps Phelps curried curried fowl or eggs or orwill Vl will vilI you help yourself e r. k r io i Thank you I can eat nothing said Phelps 4 Oh come Try the dish t before you Thank you ou I would reaU really rather not Well ell eU then said Raid Holmes with a mischievous twinkle I suppose that thai you have ha objection to helping me me Phelps raised the cover cover- and a as he did so he ha uttered a scream and sat there staring starin with a face as white as the plate upon which he looked Across the center of ot It was lying a little cylInder cylinder cylinder cyl cyl- inder of ot blue blue- gray blue ray paper He JIe caught it up devoured It with his eyes eves and then dan danced ed mad madl madly about the room pressing It to his bosom and shrieking shriek shriek- ing out In n his delight Then he hl feUt fell feU back Into an armchair s so limp and ex cx- cx hausted t with his own emotions fo that i we had to pour brandy down his throat to keep him front from fainting Th There re there said Holmes soothIngly sooth sooth- patting him upon the shoulder It was too bad to spring It on you OU like this but Watson Vatson here will tell you that thai I never can resist a touch of the dramatic dra dra- matic matte Phelps seized his hand and kissed It It God Cod bless you ou he cried You Iou have sav saved d my honor I ong Well m my own was at stake you 1 0 know said Holmes e I ea a assure u you ou It I Is Just as hateful to o me e to fall fail d' d In a case ease as it can be to you oU to blunder over a It commission slon Phelps thrust away the precious document document doc doe Into the Innermost pocket of ot his coatI coatI coat I 5 have not the heart to Interrupt your breakfast any further and yet 1 I Iam Iam am dying to know how you got it and where it was Sherlock Sherlo lt Holmes swallowed a a. cup of coffee and turned his attention to the ham hum and eggs Then he rose lit hi his pipe and settled himself down into his hi chair hair Ill tell you what hat T did first and how I came to do It afterwards arter said he After leaving you at the tho station I some went admirable for a charming Surrey lr walk scenery e through lo to g a pretty little v village ge caleM Ripley where I had my tea At t an inn and rand took the precaution of filling my flask and of putting a naper of sandwiches in m my pocket Th There Thre re I remained until evening when I set lIet oft off for Woking again and found myself In the highroad high road outside Just after atter sunset sun sun- set et w Well elI eU i I 1 walled waited until the ro road roid d was clear clear It It Is never a very frequented one oneat oneat oneat at any time I fancy fancy and and then I clambered over the fence Into the grounds rounda Surely ly the gate was onen onen Macu Phelps Yes Yu but I have a peculiar taste In these matt matters I hoe chose the place where the three thre fir trees stand and anI behind their screen I got sot over O without the least chance of anyone in the he house being able abl to 10 see Sec me I crouched down and ami crawled from one lne to the other other- witness the disreputable state of my trouser knees knees until I had reached the clump of ot r rhododendrons Just opposite to your our bedroom window There I t squatted down dOn and awaited develop develop- ments The blind was not down In your room and I could see Miss Harrison sitting there reading by the table It was quarter past ten when she closed her book fastened the shutters hutters and anti retired I 1 heard her shut the door and felt quite f sure lure that she had turned key ey In the lock The rhe key ejaculated Ph Phelps Yes Yea I 1 had given elven Miss Harrison in instructions instructions In- In to lock the door on or the outside outside out out- side and take the key with her when she went wont to bed She carried out every everyone everyone one of ot my Injunctions to the letter and certainly without her cooperation you would not have that pa paper rr In your jour coat t pocket Sh She departed then and the lights went out and I was left squat squat- II in the rhododendron bush bunh The night was fine but still It waa was wa wasa a aVer very weary vigil Of or course It ha has the sort of t C excitement about It that the sportsman r feels when e he lies s beside n the g watercourse o a and waits a for the big 1 game me It was wa very long lon though though though-al al almost most as 55 long lont Watson as when you and andI I waited in that deadly room when we I looked into the little problem of oC the I Band nand There was wan a II church I clock down at Woking which struck the quarters and I T thought more than once that It had stopped At last Jaet h however however how how- w- w I I ever ver about two in the morning I z suddenly sud sud- deny denly nl heard the gentle sound Bound of or a bolt being pushed back and the th creaking of ot ofa ofa I I a 1 key A momen moment liter later the servants servants' door was opened and Mr Joseph liar Har- I Har-I I out into the risOn rillon moonlight ejaculated Phelps I lie He was wa bare headed but he had ha a ablack black blaek cloak thrown over his hili shoulder ro 0 that he ha could e conceal hi his face In an I I instant If It there w were r any alarm He ne I I walked on tiptoe under the shadow of the wall wail and when he reached the window window win win- dow he lie worked a long bladed knife through the sash saah and pushed back the catch Then he flung flun open the window win win- dow and and putting his knife through the then thep crack C l in the shutters he thrust the bar up p and n swung them open From where 1 la lay hay I 1 had a II perfect view of or the Inside of tho the room and of every everyone one of his movements lIe He lit the two candles which stood upon the mant mantelpiece and then he proceeded to turn back baek the corner cornel of ot the carpet inthe inthe Inthe in the neighborhood of the door Presently Pres Pres- catty he stooped and picked out pres I a square piece of board such as is usually usually usually ally left lett to enable plumbers to get at atthe atthe the j Joints of the gas gas- pipes This one I covered as a matter of ot fact the tire T joint which gives off ore the pipe which supplies the tho kitchen underneath Out I of ot this hiding place he drew that little cylinder of paper pushed down the I board rearranged the tho carpet blew out the candles candle and walked straight into I my ray arms as I stood waiting for tor him outside the window Well ell he has haa rather more viciousness viciousness viciousness vicious- vicious ness than I gave him credit for has Master Joseph He lie flew Clew at mo me with his knife and I 1 had to grass graBS him twice and got a n cut ov over r the knuckles be before before be- be fore I had the upper hand of him He lie looked murder out of or the only eye he could see with when we had finished but he listened d to 10 reason and gave up the papers Having got them I let my ray man go but bitt I 1 wired full particulars to l' l Forbes this morning If It he Is III quick enough to catch his bird well and good But if if as 35 I shrewdly suspect lIe he finds the nest empty before he sets gets there why nIl alt the better for the gov gov- I fancy that Lord for one and Mr Percy Ph Phelps for another another an an- other would very much rather that the affair never got as far as police court My God gasped our out client Do you tell ten me inc that luring these long ten weeks of ot agony the stol stolen n papers were within the very en room with me all the tI time So o tt it was vas I And JOSePh Joseph Jose Joseph h a II villain and anda a thief I r rHum Hum I am afraid Josephs Joseph's character character character char char- acter Is a oJ r rather r t el deeper and more dangerous dangerous dan dan- one oe than one might Judge from his appearance From what I have heard from rom him this morning I rather ather that he has Io lot lost t heavily in dabbling with stocks and that he Is read ready to do any anything thin on earth to better his fortunes for for- tunes Heing Heinl an absolutely selfish man when ft n. chance presented Itself he lie did not allow either his Bister's Bisters happiness or 01 your yo-ir i reputation to hold his hili hand Percy Phelps sank back In his chair My Iy head whirls said eald he Your words have dazed me The principal difficulty In your our ease case remarked Holmes In his didactic fashion fashion lay In the fact of there beIng belag be be- ing lag too much evidence What hat w was wItal vital Ital ItalVa was overlaid and hidden by what was irrelevant Of all 11 the facts which were presented presented to us we had to pick Just justS justh those S which I wo we O deemed to bo be essential and then h piece e t them together in their fi order so 1 as to reconstruct this remarkable chain of events I 1 had very al at- at I read ready be begun un to suspect Joseph from Crom the fact tact that had you vou Intended to travel home with him that night and that thai I therefore it was a lIkel likely enough thing that he should call for tor you know knowing ng the foreign office well veil upon his way when hen I heard that someone OnA v hal 1 i v 66 I I I I I I I I I so anxious to get Int Into the beth bedroom ed r In which no one hut but Joseph could have hae concealed anything you anything you told us In your our narrative how you had turned Joseph out wh when n you arrived with the doctor doctor my my suspicions all changed to I certainties especially as all the attempt was made on the first night upon which the nurse was absent showing that I the Intruder Wk was well acquainted with the ways of th the house houlle I now How blind I 1 have havo been The facts of the case an as far br a as I have worked them out are e these these- This Joseph Joseoh Harrison entered the office through h the Charles street door and knowing his hi way he walked straight Into nt your our rOOm the tha ln instant tant after you 1 left it Finding no one there he rang ranJ P the th h bell and at the Instant that he did so his eyes caught the tho paper upon the table A |