“This DETOUR has been entirely for our benefit, then?” saidHolmes. “No wonder that my inquiries among those villagers ledto nothing. The doctor has certainly played the game for all it isworth, and one would like to know the reason for such elaboratedeception. This should be the village of Trumpington to theright of us. And, by Jove! here is the brougham coming round thecorner. Quick, Watson—quick, or we are done!”
He sprang through a gate into a field, dragging the reluctantPompey after him. We had hardly got under the shelter of thehedge when the carriage rattled past. I caught a glimpse of Dr.
Armstrong within, his shoulders bowed, his head sunk on hishands, the very image of distress. I could tell by my companion’sgraver face that he also had seen.
“I fear there is some dark ending to our quest,” said he. “Itcannot be long before we know it. Come, Pompey! Ah, it is thecottage in the field!”
There could be no doubt that we had reached the end of ourjourney. Pompey ran about and whined eagerly outside the gate,where the marks of the brougham’s wheels were still to be seen.
A footpath led across to the lonely cottage. Holmes tied the dogto the hedge, and we hastened onward. My friend knocked at thelittle rustic door, and knocked again without response. And yetthe cottage was not deserted, for a low sound came to our ears—akind of drone of misery and despair which was indescribablymelancholy. Holmes paused irresolute, and then he glanced backat the road which he had just traversed. A brougham was comingdown it, and there could be no mistaking those gray horses.
“By Jove, the doctor is coming back!” cried Holmes. “Thatsettles it. We are bound to see what it means before he comes.”
He opened the door, and we stepped into the hall. The droningsound swelled louder upon our ears until it became one long, deepwail of distress. It came from upstairs. Holmes darted up, and Ifollowed him. He pushed open a half-closed door, and we bothstood appalled at the sight before us.
A woman, young and beautiful, was lying dead upon the bed.
Her calm pale face, with dim, wide-opened blue eyes, lookedupward from amid a great tangle of golden hair. At the foot of thebed, half sitting, half kneeling, his face buried in the clothes, was ayoung man, whose frame was racked by his sobs. So absorbed washe by his bitter grief, that he never looked up until Holmes’s handwas on his shoulder.
“Are you Mr. Godfrey Staunton?”
“Yes, yes, I am—but you are too late. She is dead.”
1046 The Complete Sherlock Holmes
The man was so dazed that he could not be made to understandthat we were anything but doctors who had been sent to hisassistance. Holmes was endeavouring to utter a few words ofconsolation and to explain the alarm which had been caused to hisfriends by his sudden disappearance when there was a step uponthe stairs, and there was the heavy, stern, questioning face of Dr.
Armstrong at the door.
“So, gentlemen,” said he, “you have attained your end and havecertainly chosen a particularly delicate moment for your intrusion.
would not brawl in the presence of death, but I can assure youthat if I were a younger man your monstrous conduct would notpass with impunity.”
“Excuse me, Dr. Armstrong, I think we are a little at crosspurposes,”
said my friend, with dignity. “If you could stepdownstairs with us, we may each be able to give some light to theother upon this miserable affair.”
A minute later, the grim doctor and ourselves were in thesitting-room below.
“Well, sir?” said he.
“I wish you to understand, in the first place, that I am notemployed by Lord Mount-James, and that my sympathies in thismatter are entirely against that nobleman. When a man is lost it ismy duty to ascertain his fate, but having done so the matter endsso far as I am concerned, and so long as there is nothing criminalam much more anxious to hush up private scandals than to givethem publicity. If, as I imagine, there is no breach of the law inthis matter, you can absolutely depend upon my discretion and mycooperation in keeping the facts out of the papers.”
Dr. Armstrong took a quick step forward and wrung Holmes bythe hand.
“You are a good fellow,” said he. “I had misjudged you. I thankheaven that my compunction at leaving poor Staunton all alonein this plight caused me to turn my carriage back and so to makeyour acquaintance. Knowing as much as you do, the situationvery easily explained. A year ago Godfrey Staunton lodgedin London for a time and became passionately attached to hislandlady’s daughter, whom he married. She was as good as shewas beautiful and as intelligent as she was good. No man need beashamed of such a wife. But Godfrey was the heir to this crabbedold nobleman, and it was quite certain that the news of hismarriage would have been the end of his inheritance. I knew thelad well, and I loved him for his many excellent qualities. I did allcould to help him to keep things straight. We did our very bestto keep the thing from everyone, for, when once such a whispergets about, it is not long before everyone has heard it. Thanks tothis lonely cottage and his own discretion, Godfrey has up to nowThe Return of Sherlock Holmes 1047