The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans

By

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

In the third week of November, in the year 1895, a dense yellow fogsettled down upon London. From the Monday to the Thursday I doubtwhether it was ever possible from our windows in Baker Street to seethe loom of the opposite houses. The first day Holmes had spent incross-indexing his huge book of references. The second and third hadbeen patiently occupied upon a subject which he had recently made hishobby--the music of the Middle Ages. But when, for the fourth time, after pushing back our chairs from breakfast we saw the greasy, heavybrown swirl still drifting past us and condensing in oily drops uponthe window-panes, my comrade's impatient and active nature could endurethis drab existence no longer. He paced restlessly about oursitting-room in a fever of suppressed energy, biting his nails, tappingthe furniture, and chafing against inaction. 

"Nothing of interest in the paper, Watson?" he said. 

I was aware that by anything of interest, Holmes meant anything ofcriminal interest. There was the news of a revolution, of a possiblewar, and of an impending change of government; but these did not comewithin the horizon of my companion. I could see nothing recorded inthe shape of crime which was not commonplace and futile. Holmesgroaned and resumed his restless meanderings. 

"The London criminal is certainly a dull fellow, " said he in thequerulous voice of the sportsman whose game has failed him. "Look outthis window, Watson. See how the figures loom up, are dimly seen, andthen blend once more into the cloud-bank. The thief or the murderercould roam London on such a day as the tiger does the jungle, unseenuntil he pounces, and then evident only to his victim. "

"There have, " said I, "been numerous petty thefts. "

Holmes snorted his contempt. 

"This great and sombre stage is set for something more worthy thanthat, " said he. "It is fortunate for this community that I am not acriminal. "

"It is, indeed!" said I heartily. 

"Suppose that I were Brooks or Woodhouse, or any of the fifty men whohave good reason for taking my life, how long could I survive againstmy own pursuit? A summons, a bogus appointment, and all would be over. It is well they don't have days of fog in the Latin countries--thecountries of assassination. By Jove! here comes something at last tobreak our dead monotony. "

It was the maid with a telegram. Holmes tore it open and burst outlaughing. 

"Well, well! What next?" said he. "Brother Mycroft is coming round. "

"Why not?" I asked. 

"Why not? It is as if you met a tram-car coming down a country lane. Mycroft has his rails and he runs on them. His Pall Mall lodgings, theDiogenes Club, Whitehall--that is his cycle. Once, and only once, hehas been here. What upheaval can possibly have derailed him?"

"Does he not explain?"

Holmes handed me his brother's telegram. 

Must see you over Cadogen West. Coming at once. 

Mycroft. 

"Cadogen West? I have heard the name. "

"It recalls nothing to my mind. But that Mycroft should break out inthis erratic fashion! A planet might as well leave its orbit. By theway, do you know what Mycroft is?"

I had some vague recollection of an explanation at the time of theAdventure of the Greek Interpreter. 

"You told me that he had some small office under the Britishgovernment. "

Holmes chuckled. 

"I did not know you quite so well in those days. One has to bediscreet when one talks of high matters of state. You are right inthinking that he under the British government. You would also be rightin a sense if you said that occasionally he IS the British government. "

"My dear Holmes!"

"I thought I might surprise you. Mycroft draws four hundred and fiftypounds a year, remains a subordinate, has no ambitions of any kind, will receive neither honour nor title, but remains the mostindispensable man in the country. "

"But how?"

"Well, his position is unique. He has made it for himself. There hasnever been anything like it before, nor will be again. He has thetidiest and most orderly brain, with the greatest capacity for storingfacts, of any man living. The same great powers which I have turned tothe detection of crime he has used for this particular business. Theconclusions of every department are passed to him, and he is thecentral exchange, the clearinghouse, which makes out the balance. Allother men are specialists, but his specialism is omniscience. We willsuppose that a minister needs information as to a point which involvesthe Navy, India, Canada and the bimetallic question; he could get hisseparate advices from various departments upon each, but only Mycroftcan focus them all, and say offhand how each factor would affect theother. They began by using him as a short-cut, a convenience; now hehas made himself an essential. In that great brain of his everythingis pigeon-holed and can be handed out in an instant. Again and againhis word has decided the national policy. He lives in it. He thinksof nothing else save when, as an intellectual exercise, he unbends if Icall upon him and ask him to advise me on one of my little problems. But Jupiter is descending to-day. What on earth can it mean? Who isCadogan West, and what is he to Mycroft?"

"I have it, " I cried, and plunged among the litter of papers upon thesofa. "Yes, yes, here he is, sure enough! Cadogen West was the youngman who was found dead on the Underground on Tuesday morning. "

Holmes sat up at attention, his pipe halfway to his lips. 

"This must be serious, Watson. A death which has caused my brother toalter his habits can be no ordinary one. What in the world can he haveto do with it? The case was featureless as I remember it. The youngman had apparently fallen out of the train and killed himself. He hadnot been robbed, and there was no particular reason to suspectviolence. Is that not so?"

"There has been an inquest, " said I, "and a good many fresh facts havecome out. Looked at more closely, I should certainly say that it was acurious case. "

"Judging by its effect upon my brother, I should think it must be amost extraordinary one. " He snuggled down in his armchair. "Now, Watson, let us have the facts. "

"The man's name was Arthur Cadogan West. He was twenty-seven years ofage, unmarried, and a clerk at Woolwich Arsenal. "

"Government employ. Behold the link with Brother Mycroft!"

"He left Woolwich suddenly on Monday night. Was last seen by hisfiancee, Miss Violet Westbury, whom he left abruptly in the fog about7:30 that evening. There was no quarrel between them and she can giveno motive for his action. The next thing heard of him was when hisdead body was discovered by a plate-layer named Mason, just outsideAldgate Station on the Underground system in London. "

"When?"

"The body was found at six on Tuesday morning. It was lying wide ofthe metals upon the left hand of the track as one goes eastward, at apoint close to the station, where the line emerges from the tunnel inwhich it runs. The head was badly crushed--an injury which might wellhave been caused by a fall from the train. The body could only havecome on the line in that way. Had it been carried down from anyneighbouring street, it must have passed the station barriers, where acollector is always standing. This point seems absolutely certain. "

"Very good. The case is definite enough. The man, dead or alive, either fell or was precipitated from a train. So much is clear to me. Continue. "

"The trains which traverse the lines of rail beside which the body wasfound are those which run from west to east, some being purelyMetropolitan, and some from Willesden and outlying junctions. It canbe stated for certain that this young man, when he met his death, wastravelling in this direction at some late hour of the night, but atwhat point he entered the train it is impossible to state. "

"His ticket, of course, would show that. "

"There was no ticket in his pockets. "

"No ticket! Dear me, Watson, this is really very singular. Accordingto my experience it is not possible to reach the platform of aMetropolitan train without exhibiting one's ticket. Presumably, then, the young man had one. Was it taken from him in order to conceal thestation from which he came? It is possible. Or did he drop it in thecarriage? That is also possible. But the point is of curiousinterest. I understand that there was no sign of robbery?"

"Apparently not. There is a list here of his possessions. His pursecontained two pounds fifteen. He had also a check-book on the Woolwichbranch of the Capital and Counties Bank. Through this his identity wasestablished. There were also two dress-circle tickets for the WoolwichTheatre, dated for that very evening. Also a small packet of technicalpapers. "

Holmes gave an exclamation of satisfaction. 

"There we have it at last, Watson! British government--Woolwich. Arsenal--technical papers--Brother Mycroft, the chain is complete. Buthere he comes, if I am not mistaken, to speak for himself. "

A moment later the tall and portly form of Mycroft Holmes was usheredinto the room. Heavily built and massive, there was a suggestion ofuncouth physical inertia in the figure, but above this unwieldy framethere was perched a head so masterful in its brow, so alert in itssteel-gray, deep-set eyes, so firm in its lips, and so subtle in itsplay of expression, that after the first glance one forgot the grossbody and remembered only the dominant mind. 

At his heels came our old friend Lestrade, of Scotland Yard--thin andaustere. The gravity of both their faces foretold some weighty quest. The detective shook hands without a word. Mycroft Holmes struggled outof his overcoat and subsided into an armchair. 

"A most annoying business, Sherlock, " said he. "I extremely dislikealtering my habits, but the powers that be would take no denial. Inthe present state of Siam it is most awkward that I should be away fromthe office. But it is a real crisis. I have never seen the PrimeMinister so upset. As to the Admiralty--it is buzzing like anoverturned bee-hive. Have you read up the case?"

"We have just done so. What were the technical papers?"

"Ah, there's the point! Fortunately, it has not come out. The presswould be furious if it did. The papers which this wretched youth hadin his pocket were the plans of the Bruce-Partington submarine. "

Mycroft Holmes spoke with a solemnity which showed his sense of theimportance of the subject. His brother and I sat expectant. 

"Surely you have heard of it? I thought everyone had heard of it. "

"Only as a name. "

"Its importance can hardly be exaggerated. It has been the mostjealously guarded of all government secrets. You may take it from methat naval warfare becomes impossible withing the radius of aBruce-Partington's operation. Two years ago a very large sum wassmuggled through the Estimates and was expended in acquiring a monopolyof the invention. Every effort has been made to keep the secret. Theplans, which are exceedingly intricate, comprising some thirty separatepatents, each essential to the working of the whole, are kept in anelaborate safe in a confidential office adjoining the arsenal, withburglar-proof doors and windows. Under no conceivable circumstanceswere the plans to be taken from the office. If the chief constructorof the Navy desired to consult them, even he was forced to go to theWoolwich office for the purpose. And yet here we find them in thepocket of a dead junior clerk in the heart of London. From an officialpoint of view it's simply awful. "

"But you have recovered them?"

"No, Sherlock, no! That's the pinch. We have not. Ten papers weretaken from Woolwich. There were seven in the pocket of Cadogan West. The three most essential are gone--stolen, vanished. You must dropeverything, Sherlock. Never mind your usual petty puzzles of thepolice-court. It's a vital international problem that you have tosolve. Why did Cadogan West take the papers, where are the missingones, how did he die, how came his body where it was found, how can theevil be set right? Find an answer to all these questions, and you willhave done good service for your country. "

"Why do you not solve it yourself, Mycroft? You can see as far as I. "

"Possibly, Sherlock. But it is a question of getting details. Give meyour details, and from an armchair I will return you an excellentexpert opinion. But to run here and run there, to cross-questionrailway guards, and lie on my face with a lens to my eye--it is not mymetier. No, you are the one man who can clear the matter up. If youhave a fancy to see your name in the next honours list--"

My friend smiled and shook his head. 

"I play the game for the game's own sake, " said he. "But the problemcertainly presents some points of interest, and I shall be very pleasedto look into it. Some more facts, please. "

"I have jotted down the more essential ones upon this sheet of paper, together with a few addresses which you will find of service. Theactual official guardian of the papers is the famous government expert, Sir James Walter, whose decorations and sub-titles fill two lines of abook of reference. He has grown gray in the service, is a gentleman, afavoured guest in the most exalted houses, and, above all, a man whosepatriotism is beyond suspicion. He is one of two who have a key of thesafe. I may add that the papers were undoubtedly in the office duringworking hours on Monday, and that Sir James left for London about threeo'clock taking his key with him. He was at the house of AdmiralSinclair at Barclay Square during the whole of the evening when thisincident occurred. "

"Has the fact been verified?"

"Yes; his brother, Colonel Valentine Walter, has testified to hisdeparture from Woolwich, and Admiral Sinclair to his arrival in London;so Sir James is no longer a direct factor in the problem. "

"Who was the other man with a key?"

"The senior clerk and draughtsman, Mr. Sidney Johnson. He is a man offorty, married, with five children. He is a silent, morose man, but hehas, on the whole, an excellent record in the public service. He isunpopular with his colleagues, but a hard worker. According to his ownaccount, corroborated only by the word of his wife, he was at home thewhole of Monday evening after office hours, and his key has never leftthe watch-chain upon which it hangs. "

"Tell us about Cadogan West. "

"He has been ten years in the service and has done good work. He hasthe reputation of being hot-headed and imperious, but a straight, honest man. We have nothing against him. He was next Sidney Johnsonin the office. His duties brought him into daily, personal contactwith the plans. No one else had the handling of them. "

"Who locked up the plans that night?"

"Mr. Sidney Johnson, the senior clerk. "

"Well, it is surely perfectly clear who took them away. They areactually found upon the person of this junior clerk, Cadogan West. That seems final, does it not?"

"It does, Sherlock, and yet it leaves so much unexplained. In thefirst place, why did he take them?"

"I presume they were of value?"

"He could have got several thousands for them very easily. "

"Can you suggest any possible motive for taking the papers to Londonexcept to sell them?"

"No, I cannot. "

"Then we must take that as our working hypothesis. Young West took thepapers. Now this could only be done by having a false key--"

"Several false keys. He had to open the building and the room. "

"He had, then, several false keys. He took the papers to London tosell the secret, intending, no doubt, to have the plans themselves backin the safe next morning before they were missed. While in London onthis treasonable mission he met his end. "

"How?"

"We will suppose that he was travelling back to Woolwich when he waskilled and thrown out of the compartment. "

"Aldgate, where the body was found, is considerably past the stationLondon Bridge, which would be his route to Woolwich. "

"Many circumstances could be imagined under which he would pass LondonBridge. There was someone in the carriage, for example, with whom hewas having an absorbing interview. This interview led to a violentscene in which he lost his life. Possibly he tried to leave thecarriage, fell out on the line, and so met his end. The other closedthe door. There was a thick fog, and nothing could be seen. "

"No better explanation can be given with our present knowledge; and yetconsider, Sherlock, how much you leave untouched. We will suppose, forargument's sake, that young Cadogan West HAD determined to convey thesepapers to London. He would naturally have made an appointment with theforeign agent and kept his evening clear. Instead of that he took twotickets for the theatre, escorted his fiancee halfway there, and thensuddenly disappeared. "

"A blind, " said Lestrade, who had sat listening with some impatience tothe conversation. 

"A very singular one. That is objection No. 1. Objection No. 2: Wewill suppose that he reaches London and sees the foreign agent. Hemust bring back the papers before morning or the loss will bediscovered. He took away ten. Only seven were in his pocket. Whathad become of the other three? He certainly would not leave them ofhis own free will. Then, again, where is the price of his treason?Once would have expected to find a large sum of money in his pocket. "

"It seems to me perfectly clear, " said Lestrade. "I have no doubt atall as to what occurred. He took the papers to sell them. He saw theagent. They could not agree as to price. He started home again, butthe agent went with him. In the train the agent murdered him, took themore essential papers, and threw his body from the carriage. Thatwould account for everything, would it not?"

"Why had he no ticket?"

"The ticket would have shown which station was nearest the agent'shouse. Therefore he took it from the murdered man's pocket. "

"Good, Lestrade, very good, " said Holmes. "Your theory holds together. But if this is true, then the case is at an end. On the one hand, thetraitor is dead. On the other, the plans of the Bruce-Partingtonsubmarine are presumably already on the Continent. What is there forus to do?"

"To act, Sherlock--to act!" cried Mycroft, springing to his feet. "Allmy instincts are against this explanation. Use your powers! Go to thescene of the crime! See the people concerned! Leave no stoneunturned! In all your career you have never had so great a chance ofserving your country. "

"Well, well!" said Holmes, shrugging his shoulders. "Come, Watson!And you, Lestrade, could you favour us with your company for an hour ortwo? We will begin our investigation by a visit to Aldgate Station. Good-bye, Mycroft. I shall let you have a report before evening, but Iwarn you in advance that you have little to expect. "

An hour later Holmes, Lestrade and I stood upon the Undergroundrailroad at the point where it emerges from the tunnel immediatelybefore Aldgate Station. A courteous red-faced old gentlemanrepresented the railway company. 

"This is where the young man's body lay, " said he, indicating a spotabout three feet from the metals. "It could not have fallen fromabove, for these, as you see, are all blank walls. Therefore, it couldonly have come from a train, and that train, so far as we can trace it, must have passed about midnight on Monday. "

"Have the carriages been examined for any sign of violence?"

"There are no such signs, and no ticket has been found. "

"No record of a door being found open?"

"None. "

"We have had some fresh evidence this morning, " said Lestrade. "Apassenger who passed Aldgate in an ordinary Metropolitan train about11:40 on Monday night declares that he heard a heavy thud, as of a bodystriking the line, just before the train reached the station. Therewas dense fog, however, and nothing could be seen. He made no reportof it at the time. Why, whatever is the matter with Mr. Holmes?"

My friend was standing with an expression of strained intensity uponhis face, staring at the railway metals where they curved out of thetunnel. Aldgate is a junction, and there was a network of points. Onthese his eager, questioning eyes were fixed, and I saw on his keen, alert face that tightening of the lips, that quiver of the nostrils, and concentration of the heavy, tufted brows which I knew so well. 

"Points, " he muttered; "the points. "

"What of it? What do you mean?"

"I suppose there are no great number of points on a system such asthis?"

"No; they are very few. "

"And a curve, too. Points, and a curve. By Jove! if it were only so. "

"What is it, Mr. Holmes? Have you a clue?"

"An idea--an indication, no more. But the case certainly grows ininterest. Unique, perfectly unique, and yet why not? I do not see anyindications of bleeding on the line. "

"There were hardly any. "

"But I understand that there was a considerable wound. "

"The bone was crushed, but there was no great external injury. "

"And yet one would have expected some bleeding. Would it be possiblefor me to inspect the train which contained the passenger who heard thethud of a fall in the fog?"

"I fear not, Mr. Holmes. The train has been broken up before now, andthe carriages redistributed. "

"I can assure you, Mr. Holmes, " said Lestrade, "that every carriage hasbeen carefully examined. I saw to it myself. "

It was one of my friend's most obvious weaknesses that he was impatientwith less alert intelligences than his own. 

"Very likely, " said he, turning away. "As it happens, it was not thecarriages which I desired to examine. Watson, we have done all we canhere. We need not trouble you any further, Mr. Lestrade. I think ourinvestigations must now carry us to Woolwich. "

At London Bridge, Holmes wrote a telegram to his brother, which hehanded to me before dispatching it. It ran thus:

See some light in the darkness, but it may possibly flicker out. Meanwhile, please send by messenger, to await return at Baker Street, acomplete list of all foreign spies or international agents known to bein England, with full address. 

Sherlock. 

"That should be helpful, Watson, " he remarked as we took our seats inthe Woolwich train. "We certainly owe Brother Mycroft a debt forhaving introduced us to what promises to be a really very remarkablecase. "

His eager face still wore that expression of intense and high-strungenergy, which showed me that some novel and suggestive circumstance hadopened up a stimulating line of thought. See the foxhound with hangingears and drooping tail as it lolls about the kennels, and compare itwith the same hound as, with gleaming eyes and straining muscles, itruns upon a breast-high scent--such was the change in Holmes since themorning. He was a different man from the limp and lounging figure inthe mouse-coloured dressing-gown who had prowled so restlessly only afew hours before round the fog-girt room. 

"There is material here. There is scope, " said he. "I am dull indeednot to have understood its possibilities. "

"Even now they are dark to me. "

"The end is dark to me also, but I have hold of one idea which may leadus far. The man met his death elsewhere, and his body was on the ROOFof a carriage. "

"On the roof!"

"Remarkable, is it not? But consider the facts. Is it a coincidencethat it is found at the very point where the train pitches and sways asit comes round on the points? Is not that the place where an objectupon the roof might be expected to fall off? The points would affectno object inside the train. Either the body fell from the roof, or avery curious coincidence has occurred. But now consider the questionof the blood. Of course, there was no bleeding on the line if the bodyhad bled elsewhere. Each fact is suggestive in itself. Together theyhave a cumulative force. "

"And the ticket, too!" I cried. 

"Exactly. We could not explain the absence of a ticket. This wouldexplain it. Everything fits together. "

"But suppose it were so, we are still as far as ever from unravellingthe mystery of his death. Indeed, it becomes not simpler but stranger. "

"Perhaps, " said Holmes, thoughtfully, "perhaps. " He relapsed into asilent reverie, which lasted until the slow train drew up at last inWoolwich Station. There he called a cab and drew Mycroft's paper fromhis pocket. 

"We have quite a little round of afternoon calls to make, " said he. "Ithink that Sir James Walter claims our first attention. "

The house of the famous official was a fine villa with green lawnsstretching down to the Thames. As we reached it the fog was lifting, and a thin, watery sunshine was breaking through. A butler answeredour ring. 

"Sir James, sir!" said he with solemn face. "Sir James died thismorning. "

"Good heavens!" cried Holmes in amazement. "How did he die?"

"Perhaps you would care to step in, sir, and see his brother, ColonelValentine?"

"Yes, we had best do so. "

We were ushered into a dim-lit drawing-room, where an instant later wewere joined by a very tall, handsome, light-beared man of fifty, theyounger brother of the dead scientist. His wild eyes, stained cheeks, and unkempt hair all spoke of the sudden blow which had fallen upon thehousehold. He was hardly articulate as he spoke of it. 

"It was this horrible scandal, " said he. "My brother, Sir James, was aman of very sensitive honour, and he could not survive such an affair. It broke his heart. He was always so proud of the efficiency of hisdepartment, and this was a crushing blow. "

"We had hoped that he might have given us some indications which wouldhave helped us to clear the matter up. "

"I assure you that it was all a mystery to him as it is to you and toall of us. He had already put all his knowledge at the disposal of thepolice. Naturally he had no doubt that Cadogan West was guilty. Butall the rest was inconceivable. "

"You cannot throw any new light upon the affair?"

"I know nothing myself save what I have read or heard. I have nodesire to be discourteous, but you can understand, Mr. Holmes, that weare much disturbed at present, and I must ask you to hasten thisinterview to an end. "

"This is indeed an unexpected development, " said my friend when we hadregained the cab. "I wonder if the death was natural, or whether thepoor old fellow killed himself! If the latter, may it be taken as somesign of self-reproach for duty neglected? We must leave that questionto the future. Now we shall turn to the Cadogan Wests. "

A small but well-kept house in the outskirts of the town sheltered thebereaved mother. The old lady was too dazed with grief to be of anyuse to us, but at her side was a white-faced young lady, who introducedherself as Miss Violet Westbury, the fiancee of the dead man, and thelast to see him upon that fatal night. 

"I cannot explain it, Mr. Holmes, " she said. "I have not shut an eyesince the tragedy, thinking, thinking, thinking, night and day, whatthe true meaning of it can be. Arthur was the most single-minded, chivalrous, patriotic man upon earth. He would have cut his right handoff before he would sell a State secret confided to his keeping. It isabsurd, impossible, preposterous to anyone who knew him. "

"But the facts, Miss Westbury?"

"Yes, yes; I admit I cannot explain them. "

"Was he in any want of money?"

"No; his needs were very simple and his salary ample. He had saved afew hundreds, and we were to marry at the New Year. "

"No signs of any mental excitement? Come, Miss Westbury, be absolutelyfrank with us. "

The quick eye of my companion had noted some change in her manner. Shecoloured and hesitated. 

"Yes, " she said at last, "I had a feeling that there was something onhis mind. "

"For long?"

"Only for the last week or so. He was thoughtful and worried. Once Ipressed him about it. He admitted that there was something, and thatit was concerned with his official life. 'It is too serious for me tospeak about, even to you, ' said he. I could get nothing more. "

Holmes looked grave. 

"Go on, Miss Westbury. Even if it seems to tell against him, go on. We cannot say what it may lead to. "

"Indeed, I have nothing more to tell. Once or twice it seemed to methat he was on the point of telling me something. He spoke one eveningof the importance of the secret, and I have some recollection that hesaid that no doubt foreign spies would pay a great deal to have it. "

My friend's face grew graver still. 

"Anything else?"

"He said that we were slack about such matters--that it would be easyfor a traitor to get the plans. "

"Was it only recently that he made such remarks?"

"Yes, quite recently. "

"Now tell us of that last evening. "

"We were to go to the theatre. The fog was so thick that a cab wasuseless. We walked, and our way took us close to the office. Suddenlyhe darted away into the fog. "

"Without a word?"

"He gave an exclamation; that was all. I waited but he never returned. Then I walked home. Next morning, after the office opened, they cameto inquire. About twelve o'clock we heard the terrible news. Oh, Mr. Holmes, if you could only, only save his honour! It was so much tohim. "

Holmes shook his head sadly. 

"Come, Watson, " said he, "our ways lie elsewhere. Our next stationmust be the office from which the papers were taken. 

"It was black enough before against this young man, but our inquiriesmake it blacker, " he remarked as the cab lumbered off. "His comingmarriage gives a motive for the crime. He naturally wanted money. Theidea was in his head, since he spoke about it. He nearly made the girlan accomplice in the treason by telling her his plans. It is all verybad. "

"But surely, Holmes, character goes for something? Then, again, whyshould he leave the girl in the street and dart away to commit afelony?"

"Exactly! There are certainly objections. But it is a formidable casewhich they have to meet. "

Mr. Sidney Johnson, the senior clerk, met us at the office and receivedus with that respect which my companion's card always commanded. Hewas a thin, gruff, bespectacled man of middle age, his cheeks haggard, and his hands twitching from the nervous strain to which he had beensubjected. 

"It is bad, Mr. Holmes, very bad! Have you heard of the death of thechief?"

"We have just come from his house. "

"The place is disorganized. The chief dead, Cadogan West dead, ourpapers stolen. And yet, when we closed our door on Monday evening, wewere as efficient an office as any in the government service. GoodGod, it's dreadful to think of! That West, of all men, should havedone such a thing!"

"You are sure of his guilt, then?"

"I can see no other way out of it. And yet I would have trusted him asI trust myself. "

"At what hour was the office closed on Monday?"

"At five. "

"Did you close it?"

"I am always the last man out. "

"Where were the plans?"

"In that safe. I put them there myself. "

"Is there no watchman to the building?"

"There is, but he has other departments to look after as well. He is anold soldier and a most trustworthy man. He saw nothing that evening. Of course the fog was very thick. "

"Suppose that Cadogan West wished to make his way into the buildingafter hours; he would need three keys, would he not, before he couldreach the papers?"

"Yes, he would. The key of the outer door, the key of the office, andthe key of the safe. "

"Only Sir James Walter and you had those keys?"

"I had no keys of the doors--only of the safe. "

"Was Sir James a man who was orderly in his habits?"

"Yes, I think he was. I know that so far as those three keys areconcerned he kept them on the same ring. I have often seen them there. "

"And that ring went with him to London?"

"He said so. "

"And your key never left your possession?"

"Never. "

"Then West, if he is the culprit, must have had a duplicate. And yetnone was found upon his body. One other point: if a clerk in thisoffice desired to sell the plans, would it not be simply to copy theplans for himself than to take the originals, as was actually done?"

"It would take considerable technical knowledge to copy the plans in aneffective way. "

"But I suppose either Sir James, or you, or West has that technicalknowledge?"

"No doubt we had, but I beg you won't try to drag me into the matter, Mr. Holmes. What is the use of our speculating in this way when theoriginal plans were actually found on West?"

"Well, it is certainly singular that he should run the risk of takingoriginals if he could safely have taken copies, which would haveequally served his turn. "

"Singular, no doubt--and yet he did so. "

"Every inquiry in this case reveals something inexplicable. Now thereare three papers still missing. They are, as I understand, the vitalones. "

"Yes, that is so. "

"Do you mean to say that anyone holding these three papers, and withoutthe seven others, could construct a Bruce-Partington submarine?"

"I reported to that effect to the Admiralty. But to-day I have beenover the drawings again, and I am not so sure of it. The double valveswith the automatic self-adjusting slots are drawn in one of the paperswhich have been returned. Until the foreigners had invented that forthemselves they could not make the boat. Of course they might soon getover the difficulty. "

"But the three missing drawings are the most important?"

"Undoubtedly. "

"I think, with your permission, I will now take a stroll round thepremises. I do not recall any other question which I desired to ask. "

He examined the lock of the safe, the door of the room, and finally theiron shutters of the window. It was only when we were on the lawnoutside that his interest was strongly excited. There was a laurel bushoutside the window, and several of the branches bore signs of havingbeen twisted or snapped. He examined them carefully with his lens, andthen some dim and vague marks upon the earth beneath. Finally he askedthe chief clerk to close the iron shutters, and he pointed out to methat they hardly met in the centre, and that it would be possible foranyone outside to see what was going on within the room. 

"The indications are ruined by three days' delay. They may meansomething or nothing. Well, Watson, I do not think that Woolwich canhelp us further. It is a small crop which we have gathered. Let us seeif we can do better in London. "

Yet we added one more sheaf to our harvest before we left WoolwichStation. The clerk in the ticket office was able to say withconfidence that he saw Cadogan West--whom he knew well by sight--uponthe Monday night, and that he went to London by the 8:15 to LondonBridge. He was alone and took a single third-class ticket. The clerkwas struck at the time by his excited and nervous manner. So shaky washe that he could hardly pick up his change, and the clerk had helpedhim with it. A reference to the timetable showed that the 8:15 was thefirst train which it was possible for West to take after he had leftthe lady about 7:30. 

"Let us reconstruct, Watson, " said Holmes after half an hour ofsilence. "I am not aware that in all our joint researches we have everhad a case which was more difficult to get at. Every fresh advancewhich we make only reveals a fresh ridge beyond. And yet we have surelymade some appreciable progress. 

"The effect of our inquiries at Woolwich has in the main been againstyoung Cadogan West; but the indications at the window would lendthemselves to a more favourable hypothesis. Let us suppose, forexample, that he had been approached by some foreign agent. It mighthave been done under such pledges as would have prevented him fromspeaking of it, and yet would have affected his thoughts in thedirection indicated by his remarks to his fiancee. Very good. We willnow suppose that as he went to the theatre with the young lady hesuddenly, in the fog, caught a glimpse of this same agent going in thedirection of the office. He was an impetuous man, quick in hisdecisions. Everything gave way to his duty. He followed the man, reached the window, saw the abstraction of the documents, and pursuedthe thief. In this way we get over the objection that no one wouldtake originals when he could make copies. This outsider had to takeoriginals. So far it holds together. "

"What is the next step?"

"Then we come into difficulties. One would imagine that under suchcircumstances the first act of young Cadogan West would be to seize thevillain and raise the alarm. Why did he not do so? Could it have beenan official superior who took the papers? That would explain West'sconduct. Or could the chief have given West the slip in the fog, andWest started at once to London to head him off from his own rooms, presuming that he knew where the rooms were? The call must have beenvery pressing, since he left his girl standing in the fog and made noeffort to communicate with her. Our scent runs cold here, and there isa vast gap between either hypothesis and the laying of West's body, with seven papers in his pocket, on the roof of a Metropolitan train. My instinct now is to work form the other end. If Mycroft has given usthe list of addresses we may be able to pick our man and follow twotracks instead of one. "

Surely enough, a note awaited us at Baker Street. A governmentmessenger had brought it post-haste. Holmes glanced at it and threw itover to me. 

There are numerous small fry, but few who would handle so big anaffair. The only men worth considering are Adolph Mayer, of 13 GreatGeorge Street, Westminster; Louis La Rothiere, of Campden Mansions, Notting Hill; and Hugo Oberstein, 13 Caulfield Gardens, Kensington. The latter was known to be in town on Monday and is now reported ashaving left. Glad to hear you have seen some light. The Cabinetawaits your final report with the utmost anxiety. Urgentrepresentations have arrived from the very highest quarter. The wholeforce of the State is at your back if you should need it. 

Mycroft. 

"I'm afraid, " said Holmes, smiling, "that all the queen's horses andall the queen's men cannot avail in this matter. " He had spread outhis big map of London and leaned eagerly over it. "Well, well, " said hepresently with an exclamation of satisfaction, "things are turning alittle in our direction at last. Why, Watson, I do honestly believethat we are going to pull it off, after all. " He slapped me on theshoulder with a sudden burst of hilarity. "I am going out now. It isonly a reconnaissance. I will do nothing serious without my trustedcomrade and biographer at my elbow. Do you stay here, and the odds arethat you will see me again in an hour or two. If time hangs heavy getfoolscap and a pen, and begin your narrative of how we saved the State. "

I felt some reflection of his elation in my own mind, for I knew wellthat he would not depart so far from his usual austerity of demeanourunless there was good cause for exultation. All the long Novemberevening I waited, filled with impatience for his return. At last, shortly after nine o'clock, there arrived a messenger with a note:

Am dining at Goldini's Restaurant, Gloucester Road, Kensington. Pleasecome at once and join me there. Bring with you a jemmy, a darklantern, a chisel, and a revolver. 

S. H. 

It was a nice equipment for a respectable citizen to carry through thedim, fog-draped streets. I stowed them all discreetly away in myovercoat and drove straight to the address given. There sat my friendat a little round table near the door of the garish Italian restaurant. 

"Have you had something to eat? Then join me in a coffee and curacao. Try one of the proprietor's cigars. They are less poisonous than onewould expect. Have you the tools?"

"They are here, in my overcoat. "

"Excellent. Let me give you a short sketch of what I have done, withsome indication of what we are about to do. Now it must be evident toyou, Watson, that this young man's body was PLACED on the roof of thetrain. That was clear from the instant that I determined the fact thatit was from the roof, and not from a carriage, that he had fallen. "

"Could it not have been dropped from a bridge?"

"I should say it was impossible. If you examine the roofs you willfind that they are slightly rounded, and there is no railing roundthem. Therefore, we can say for certain that young Cadogan West wasplaced on it. "

"How could he be placed there?"

"That was the question which we had to answer. There is only onepossible way. You are aware that the Underground runs clear of tunnelsat some points in the West End. I had a vague memory that as I havetravelled by it I have occasionally seen windows just above my head. Now, suppose that a train halted under such a window, would there beany difficulty in laying a body upon the roof?"

"It seems most improbable. "

"We must fall back upon the old axiom that when all other contingenciesfail, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth. Hereall other contingencies HAVE failed. When I found that the leadinginternational agent, who had just left London, lived in a row of houseswhich abutted upon the Underground, I was so pleased that you were alittle astonished at my sudden frivolity. "

"Oh, that was it, was it?"

"Yes, that was it. Mr. Hugo Oberstein, of 13 Caulfield Gardens, hadbecome my objective. I began my operations at Gloucester Road Station, where a very helpful official walked with me along the track andallowed me to satisfy myself not only that the back-stair windows ofCaulfield Gardens open on the line but the even more essential factthat, owing to the intersection of one of the larger railways, theUnderground trains are frequently held motionless for some minutes atthat very spot. "

"Splendid, Holmes! You have got it!"

"So far--so far, Watson. We advance, but the goal is afar. Well, having seen the back of Caulfield Gardens, I visited the front andsatisfied myself that the bird was indeed flown. It is a considerablehouse, unfurnished, so far as I could judge, in the upper rooms. Oberstein lived there with a single valet, who was probably aconfederate entirely in his confidence. We must bear in mind thatOberstein has gone to the Continent to dispose of his booty, but notwith any idea of flight; for he had no reason to fear a warrant, andthe idea of an amateur domiciliary visit would certainly never occur tohim. Yet that is precisely what we are about to make. "

"Could we not get a warrant and legalize it?"

"Hardly on the evidence. "

"What can we hope to do?"

"We cannot tell what correspondence may be there. "

"I don't like it, Holmes. "

"My dear fellow, you shall keep watch in the street. I'll do thecriminal part. It's not a time to stick at trifles. Think ofMycroft's note, of the Admiralty, the Cabinet, the exalted person whowaits for news. We are bound to go. "

My answer was to rise from the table. 

"You are right, Holmes. We are bound to go. "

He sprang up and shook me by the hand. 

"I knew you would not shrink at the last, " said he, and for a moment Isaw something in his eyes which was nearer to tenderness than I hadever seen. The next instant he was his masterful, practical self oncemore. 

"It is nearly half a mile, but there is no hurry. Let us walk, " saidhe. "Don't drop the instruments, I beg. Your arrest as a suspiciouscharacter would be a most unfortunate complication. "

Caulfield Gardens was one of those lines of flat-faced pillared, andporticoed houses which are so prominent a product of the middleVictorian epoch in the West End of London. Next door there appeared tobe a children's party, for the merry buzz of young voices and theclatter of a piano resounded through the night. The fog still hungabout and screened us with its friendly shade. Holmes had lit hislantern and flashed it upon the massive door. 

"This is a serious proposition, " said he. "It is certainly bolted aswell as locked. We would do better in the area. There is an excellentarchway down yonder in case a too zealous policeman should intrude. Give me a hand, Watson, and I'll do the same for you. "

A minute later we were both in the area. Hardly had we reached thedark shadows before the step of the policeman was heard in the fogabove. As its soft rhythm died away, Holmes set to work upon the lowerdoor. I saw him stoop and strain until with a sharp crash it flewopen. We sprang through into the dark passage, closing the area doorbehind us. Holmes let the way up the curving, uncarpeted stair. Hislittle fan of yellow light shone upon a low window. 

"Here we are, Watson--this must be the one. " He threw it open, and ashe did so there was a low, harsh murmur, growing steadily into a loudroar as a train dashed past us in the darkness. Holmes swept his lightalong the window-sill. It was thickly coated with soot from thepassing engines, but the black surface was blurred and rubbed in places. 

"You can see where they rested the body. Halloa, Watson! what is this?There can be no doubt that it is a blood mark. " He was pointing tofaint discolourations along the woodwork of the window. "Here it is onthe stone of the stair also. The demonstration is complete. Let usstay here until a train stops. "

We had not long to wait. The very next train roared from the tunnel asbefore, but slowed in the open, and then, with a creaking of brakes, pulled up immediately beneath us. It was not four feet from thewindow-ledge to the roof of the carriages. Holmes softly closed thewindow. 

"So far we are justified, " said he. "What do you think of it, Watson?"

"A masterpiece. You have never risen to a greater height. "

"I cannot agree with you there. From the moment that I conceived theidea of the body being upon the roof, which surely was not a veryabstruse one, all the rest was inevitable. If it were not for thegrave interests involved the affair up to this point would beinsignificant. Our difficulties are still before us. But perhaps wemay find something here which may help us. "

We had ascended the kitchen stair and entered the suite of rooms uponthe first floor. One was a dining-room, severely furnished andcontaining nothing of interest. A second was a bedroom, which alsodrew blank. The remaining room appeared more promising, and mycompanion settled down to a systematic examination. It was litteredwith books and papers, and was evidently used as a study. Swiftly andmethodically Holmes turned over the contents of drawer after drawer andcupboard after cupboard, but no gleam of success came to brighten hisaustere face. At the end of an hour he was no further than when hestarted. 

"The cunning dog has covered his tracks, " said he. "He has leftnothing to incriminate him. His dangerous correspondence has beendestroyed or removed. This is our last chance. "

It was a small tin cash-box which stood upon the writing-desk. Holmespried it open with his chisel. Several rolls of paper were within, covered with figures and calculations, without any note to show to whatthey referred. The recurring words, "water pressure" and "pressure tothe square inch" suggested some possible relation to a submarine. Holmes tossed them all impatiently aside. There only remained anenvelope with some small newspaper slips inside it. He shook them outon the table, and at once I saw by his eager face that his hopes hadbeen raised. 

"What's this, Watson? Eh? What's this? Record of a series ofmessages in the advertisements of a paper. Daily Telegraph agonycolumn by the print and paper. Right-hand top corner of a page. Nodates--but messages arrange themselves. This must be the first:

"Hoped to hear sooner. Terms agreed to. Write fully to address givenon card. 

"Pierrot. 

"Next comes:

"Too complex for description. Must have full report, Stuff awaits youwhen goods delivered. 

"Pierrot. 

"Then comes:

"Matter presses. Must withdraw offer unless contract completed. Makeappointment by letter. Will confirm by advertisement. 

"Pierrot. 

"Finally:

"Monday night after nine. Two taps. Only ourselves. Do not be sosuspicious. Payment in hard cash when goods delivered. 

"Pierrot. 

"A fairly complete record, Watson! If we could only get at the man atthe other end!" He sat lost in thought, tapping his fingers on thetable. Finally he sprang to his feet. 

"Well, perhaps it won't be so difficult, after all. There is nothingmore to be done here, Watson. I think we might drive round to theoffices of the Daily Telegraph, and so bring a good day's work to aconclusion. "

Mycroft Holmes and Lestrade had come round by appointment afterbreakfast next day and Sherlock Holmes had recounted to them ourproceedings of the day before. The professional shook his head overour confessed burglary. 

"We can't do these things in the force, Mr. Holmes, " said he. "Nowonder you get results that are beyond us. But some of these daysyou'll go too far, and you'll find yourself and your friend in trouble. "

"For England, home and beauty--eh, Watson? Martyrs on the altar of ourcountry. But what do you think of it, Mycroft?"

"Excellent, Sherlock! Admirable! But what use will you make of it?"

Holmes picked up the Daily Telegraph which lay upon the table. 

"Have you seen Pierrot's advertisement to-day?"

"What? Another one?"

"Yes, here it is:

"To-night. Same hour. Same place. Two taps. Most vitally important. Your own safety at stake. 

"Pierrot. 

"By George!" cried Lestrade. "If he answers that we've got him!"

"That was my idea when I put it in. I think if you could both make itconvenient to come with us about eight o'clock to Caulfield Gardens wemight possibly get a little nearer to a solution. "

One of the most remarkable characteristics of Sherlock Holmes was hispower of throwing his brain out of action and switching all histhoughts on to lighter things whenever he had convinced himself that hecould no longer work to advantage. I remember that during the whole ofthat memorable day he lost himself in a monograph which he hadundertaken upon the Polyphonic Motets of Lassus. For my own part I hadnone of this power of detachment, and the day, in consequence, appearedto be interminable. The great national importance of the issue, thesuspense in high quarters, the direct nature of the experiment which wewere trying--all combined to work upon my nerve. It was a relief to mewhen at last, after a light dinner, we set out upon our expedition. Lestrade and Mycroft met us by appointment at the outside of GloucesterRoad Station. The area door of Oberstein's house had been left openthe night before, and it was necessary for me, as Mycroft Holmesabsolutely and indignantly declined to climb the railings, to pass inand open the hall door. By nine o'clock we were all seated in thestudy, waiting patently for our man. 

An hour passed and yet another. When eleven struck, the measured beatof the great church clock seemed to sound the dirge of our hopes. Lestrade and Mycroft were fidgeting in their seats and looking twice aminute at their watches. Holmes sat silent and composed, his eyelidshalf shut, but every sense on the alert. He raised his head with asudden jerk. 

"He is coming, " said he. 

There had been a furtive step past the door. Now it returned. We hearda shuffling sound outside, and then two sharp taps with the knocker. Holmes rose, motioning us to remain seated. The gas in the hall was amere point of light. He opened the outer door, and then as a darkfigure slipped past him he closed and fastened it. "This way!" weheard him say, and a moment later our man stood before us. Holmes hadfollowed him closely, and as the man turned with a cry of surprise andalarm he caught him by the collar and threw him back into the room. Before our prisoner had recovered his balance the door was shut andHolmes standing with his back against it. The man glared round him, staggered, and fell senseless upon the floor. With the shock, hisbroad-brimmed hat flew from his head, his cravat slipped sown from hislips, and there were the long light beard and the soft, handsomedelicate features of Colonel Valentine Walter. 

Holmes gave a whistle of surprise. 

"You can write me down an ass this time, Watson, " said he. "This wasnot the bird that I was looking for. "

"Who is he?" asked Mycroft eagerly. 

"The younger brother of the late Sir James Walter, the head of theSubmarine Department. Yes, yes; I see the fall of the cards. He iscoming to. I think that you had best leave his examination to me. "

We had carried the prostrate body to the sofa. Now our prisoner satup, looked round him with a horror-stricken face, and passed his handover his forehead, like one who cannot believe his own senses. 

"What is this?" he asked. "I came here to visit Mr. Oberstein. "

"Everything is known, Colonel Walter, " said Holmes. "How an Englishgentleman could behave in such a manner is beyond my comprehension. But your whole correspondence and relations with Oberstein are withinour knowledge. So also are the circumstances connected with the deathof young Cadogan West. Let me advise you to gain at least the smallcredit for repentance and confession, since there are still somedetails which we can only learn from your lips. "

The man groaned and sank his face in his hands. We waited, but he wassilent. 

"I can assure you, " said Holmes, "that every essential is alreadyknown. We know that you were pressed for money; that you took animpress of the keys which your brother held; and that you entered intoa correspondence with Oberstein, who answered your letters through theadvertisement columns of the Daily Telegraph. We are aware that youwent down to the office in the fog on Monday night, but that you wereseen and followed by young Cadogan West, who had probably some previousreason to suspect you. He saw your theft, but could not give thealarm, as it was just possible that you were taking the papers to yourbrother in London. Leaving all his private concerns, like the goodcitizen that he was, he followed you closely in the fog and kept atyour heels until you reached this very house. There he intervened, andthen it was, Colonel Walter, that to treason you added the moreterrible crime of murder. "

"I did not! I did not! Before God I swear that I did not!" cried ourwretched prisoner. 

"Tell us, then, how Cadogan West met his end before you laid him uponthe roof of a railway carriage. "

"I will. I swear to you that I will. I did the rest. I confess it. It was just as you say. A Stock Exchange debt had to be paid. Ineeded the money badly. Oberstein offered me five thousand. It was tosave myself from ruin. But as to murder, I am as innocent as you. "

"What happened, then?"

"He had his suspicions before, and he followed me as you describe. Inever knew it until I was at the very door. It was thick fog, and onecould not see three yards. I had given two taps and Oberstein had cometo the door. The young man rushed up and demanded to know what we wereabout to do with the papers. Oberstein had a short life-preserver. Healways carried it with him. As West forced his way after us into thehouse Oberstein struck him on the head. The blow was a fatal one. Hewas dead within five minutes. There he lay in the hall, and we were atour wit's end what to do. Then Oberstein had this idea about thetrains which halted under his back window. But first he examined thepapers which I had brought. He said that three of them were essential, and that he must keep them. 'You cannot keep them, ' said I. 'Therewill be a dreadful row at Woolwich if they are not returned. ' 'I mustkeep them, ' said he, 'for they are so technical that it is impossiblein the time to make copies. ' 'Then they must all go back togetherto-night, ' said I. He thought for a little, and then he cried out thathe had it. 'Three I will keep, ' said he. 'The others we will stuffinto the pocket of this young man. When he is found the whole businesswill assuredly be put to his account. ' I could see no other way out ofit, so we did as he suggested. We waited half an hour at the windowbefore a train stopped. It was so thick that nothing could be seen, and we had no difficulty in lowering West's body on to the train. Thatwas the end of the matter so far as I was concerned. "

"And your brother?"

"He said nothing, but he had caught me once with his keys, and I thinkthat he suspected. I read in his eyes that he suspected. As you know, he never held up his head again. "

There was silence in the room. It was broken by Mycroft Holmes. 

"Can you not make reparation? It would ease your conscience, andpossibly your punishment. "

"What reparation can I make?"

"Where is Oberstein with the papers?"

"I do not know. "

"Did he give you no address?"

"He said that letters to the Hotel du Louvre, Paris, would eventuallyreach him. "

"Then reparation is still within your power, " said Sherlock Holmes. 

"I will do anything I can. I owe this fellow no particular good-will. He has been my ruin and my downfall. "

"Here are paper and pen. Sit at this desk and write to my dictation. Direct the envelope to the address given. That is right. Now theletter:

"Dear Sir:

"With regard to our transaction, you will no doubt have observed by nowthat one essential detail is missing. I have a tracing which will makeit complete. This has involved me in extra trouble, however, and Imust ask you for a further advance of five hundred pounds. I will nottrust it to the post, nor will I take anything but gold or notes. Iwould come to you abroad, but it would excite remark if I left thecountry at present. Therefore I shall expect to meet you in thesmoking-room of the Charing Cross Hotel at noon on Saturday. Rememberthat only English notes, or gold, will be taken. 

"That will do very well. I shall be very much surprised if it does notfetch our man. "

And it did! It is a matter of history--that secret history of a nationwhich is often so much more intimate and interesting than its publicchronicles--that Oberstein, eager to complete the coup of his lifetime, came to the lure and was safely engulfed for fifteen years in a Britishprison. In his trunk were found the invaluable Bruce-Partington plans, which he had put up for auction in all the naval centres of Europe. 

Colonel Walter died in prison towards the end of the second year of hissentence. As to Holmes, he returned refreshed to his monograph uponthe Polyphonic Motets of Lassus, which has since been printed forprivate circulation, and is said by experts to be the last word uponthe subject. Some weeks afterwards I learned incidentally that myfriend spent a day at Windsor, whence he returned with a remarkablyfine emerald tie-pin. When I asked him if he had bought it, heanswered that it was a present from a certain gracious lady in whoseinterests he had once been fortunate enough to carry out a smallcommission. He said no more; but I fancy that I could guess at thatlady's august name, and I have little doubt that the emerald pin willforever recall to my friend's memory the adventure of theBruce-Partington plans.