As to the arrest of John Mitton, the valet, it was a council ofdespair as an alternative to absolute inaction. But no case couldbe sustained against him. He had visited friends in Hammersmiththat night. The ALIBI was complete. It is true that he started1076 The Complete Sherlock Holmes
home at an hour which should have brought him to Westminsterbefore the time when the crime was discovered, but his ownexplanation that he had walked part of the way seemed probableenough in view of the fineness of the night. He had actuallyarrived at twelve o’clock, and appeared to be overwhelmed bythe unexpected tragedy. He had always been on good terms withhis master. Several of the dead man’s possessions—notably asmall case of razors—had been found in the valet’s boxes, but heexplained that they had been presents from the deceased, andthe housekeeper was able to corroborate the story. Mitton hadbeen in Lucas’s employment for three years. It was noticeable thatLucas did not take Mitton on the Continent with him. Sometimeshe visited Paris for three months on end, but Mitton was left incharge of the Godolphin Street house. As to the housekeeper, shehad heard nothing on the night of the crime. If her master had avisitor he had himself admitted him.
So for three mornings the mystery remained, so far as I couldfollow it in the papers. If Holmes knew more, he kept his owncounsel, but, as he told me that Inspector Lestrade had taken himinto his confidence in the case, I knew that he was in close touchwith every development. Upon the fourth day there appearedlong telegram from Paris which seemed to solve the wholequestion.
A discovery has just been made by the Parisian police [said theDAILY TELEGRAPH] which raises the veil which hung round thetragic fate of Mr. Eduardo Lucas, who met his death by violencelast Monday night at Godolphin Street, Westminster. Our readerswill remember that the deceased gentleman was found stabbed inhis room, and that some suspicion attached to his valet, but thatthe case broke down on an ALIBI. Yesterday a lady, who has beenknown as Mme. Henri Fournaye, occupying a small villa in the RueAusterlitz, was reported to the authorities by her servants as beinginsane. An examination showed she had indeed developed maniaof a dangerous and permanent form. On inquiry, the police havediscovered that Mme. Henri Fournaye only returned from a journeyto London on Tuesday last, and there is evidence to connect herwith the crime at Westminster. A comparison of photographs hasproved conclusively that M. Henri Fournaye and Eduardo Lucaswere really one and the same person, and that the deceased hadfor some reason lived a double life in London and Paris. Mme.
Fournaye, who is of Creole origin, is of an extremely excitablenature, and has suffered in the past from attacks of jealousy whichhave amounted to frenzy. It is conjectured that it was in one ofthese that she committed the terrible crime which has caused such aThe Return of Sherlock Holmes 1077
sensation in London. Her movements upon the Monday night havenot yet been traced, but it is undoubted that a woman answering toher description attracted much attention at Charing Cross Stationon Tuesday morning by the wildness of her appearance and theviolence of her gestures. It is probable, therefore, that the crime waseither committed when insane, or that its immediate effect was todrive the unhappy woman out of her mind. At present she is unableto give any coherent account of the past, and the doctors hold outno hopes of the reestablishment of her reason. There is evidencethat a woman, who might have been Mme. Fournaye, was seen forsome hours upon Monday night watching the house in GodolphinStreet.
“What do you think of that, Holmes?” I had read the accountaloud to him, while he finished his breakfast.
“My dear Watson,” said he, as he rose from the table and pacedup and down the room, “You are most long-suffering, but if I havetold you nothing in the last three days, it is because there is nothingto tell. Even now this report from Paris does not help us much.”
“Surely it is final as regards the man’s death.”
“The man’s death is a mere incident—a trivial episode—incomparison with our real task, which is to trace this documentand save a European catastrophe. Only one important thinghas happened in the last three days, and that is that nothing hashappened. I get reports almost hourly from the government, andit is certain that nowhere in Europe is there any sign of trouble.
Now, if this letter were loose—no, it CAN’t be loose—but if it isn’tloose, where can it be? Who has it? Why is it held back? That’sthe question that beats in my brain like a hammer. Was it, indeed,a coincidence that Lucas should meet his death on the night whenthe letter disappeared? Did the letter ever reach him? If so, whyis it not among his papers? Did this mad wife of his carry it offwith her? If so, is it in her house in Paris? How could I search forit without the French police having their suspicions aroused? It isa case, my dear Watson, where the law is as dangerous to us as thecriminals are. Every man’s hand is against us, and yet the interestsat stake are colossal. Should I bring it to a successful conclusion,it will certainly represent the crowning glory of my career. Ah,here is my latest from the front!” He glanced hurriedly at thenote which had been handed in. “Halloa! Lestrade seems to haveobserved something of interest. Put on your hat, Watson, and wewill stroll down together to Westminster.”
It was my first visit to the scene of the crime—a high, dingy,narrow-chested house, prim, formal, and solid, like the centurywhich gave it birth. Lestrade’s bulldog features gazed out at us1078 The Complete Sherlock Holmes