“Exactly! Well, Watson, you have done all that a good friendcould. You can now disappear from the scene.”
“I must wait and hear his opinion, Holmes.”
“Of course you must. But I have reasons to suppose thatthis opinion would be very much more frank and valuable if heimagines that we are alone. There is just room behind the head ofmy bed, Watson.”
“My dear Holmes!”
“I fear there is no alternative, Watson. The room does not lenditself to concealment, which is as well, as it is the less likely toarouse suspicion. But just there, Watson, I fancy that it could bedone.” Suddenly he sat up with a rigid intentness upon his haggardface. “There are the wheels, Watson. Quick, man, if you love me!
And don’t budge, whatever happens—whatever happens, do youhear? Don’t speak! Don’t move! Just listen with all your ears.”
Then in an instant his sudden access of strength departed, andhis masterful, purposeful talk droned away into the low, vaguemurmurings of a semi-delirious man.
From the hiding-place into which I had been so swiftly hustledheard the footfalls upon the stair, with the opening and theclosing of the bedroom door. Then, to my surprise, there came along silence, broken only by the heavy breathings and gaspings ofthe sick man. I could imagine that our visitor was standing by thebedside and looking down at the sufferer. At last that strange hushwas broken.
“Holmes!” he cried. “Holmes!” in the insistent tone of one whoawakens a sleeper. “Can’t you hear me, Holmes?” There was arustling, as if he had shaken the sick man roughly by the shoulder.
“Is that you, Mr. Smith?” Holmes whispered. “I hardly daredhope that you would come.”
The other laughed.
“I should imagine not,” he said. “And yet, you see, I am here.
Coals of fire, Holmes—coals of fire!”
“It is very good of you—very noble of you. I appreciate yourspecial knowledge.”
Our visitor sniggered.
“You do. You are, fortunately, the only man in London who does.
Do you know what is the matter with you?”
“The same,” said Holmes.
“Ah! You recognize the symptoms?”
“Only too well.”
The Adventure of Wisteria Lodge 1179
“Well, I shouldn’t be surprised, Holmes. I shouldn’t be surprisedif it were the same. A bad lookout for you if it is. Poor Victor wasa dead man on the fourth day—a strong, hearty young fellow.
It was certainly, as you said, very surprising that he should havecontracted an out-of-the-way Asiatic disease in the heart ofLondon—a disease, too, of which I had made such a very specialstudy. Singular coincidence, Holmes. Very smart of you to noticeit, but rather uncharitable to suggest that it was cause and effect.”
“I knew that you did it.”
“Oh, you did, did you? Well, you couldn’t prove it, anyhow. Butwhat do you think of yourself spreading reports about me likethat, and then crawling to me for help the moment you are introuble? What sort of a game is that—eh?”
I heard the rasping, laboured breathing of the sick man. “Giveme the water!” he gasped.
“You’re precious near your end, my friend, but I don’t want youto go till I have had a word with you. That’s why I give you water.
There, don’t slop it about! That’s right. Can you understand whatI say?”
Holmes groaned.
“Do what you can for me. Let bygones be bygones,” he whispered.
“I’ll put the words out of my head—I swear I will. Only cure me,and I’ll forget it.”
“Forget what?”
“Well, about Victor Savage’s death. You as good as admitted justnow that you had done it. I’ll forget it.”
“You can forget it or remember it, just as you like. I don’t seeyou in the witness-box. Quite another shaped box, my goodHolmes, I assure you. It matters nothing to me that you shouldknow how my nephew died. It’s not him we are talking about. It’syou.”
“Yes, yes.”
“The fellow who came for me—I’ve forgotten his name—saidthat you contracted it down in the East End among the sailors.”
“I could only account for it so.”
“You are proud of your brains, Holmes, are you not? Thinkyourself smart, don’t you? You came across someone who wassmarter this time. Now cast your mind back, Holmes. Can youthink of no other way you could have got this thing?”
“I can’t think. My mind is gone. For heaven’s sake help me!”
“Yes, I will help you. I’ll help you to understand just where youare and how you got there. I’d like you to know before you die.”
“Give me something to ease my pain.”
“Painful, is it? Yes, the coolies used to do some squealing towardsthe end. Takes you as cramp, I fancy.”
1180 The Complete Sherlock Holmes
“Yes, yes; it is cramp.”
“Well, you can hear what I say, anyhow. Listen now! Can youremember any unusual incident in your life just about the timeyour symptoms began?”
“No, no; nothing.”
“Think again.”
“I’m too ill to think.”
“Well, then, I’ll help you. Did anything come by post?”
“By post?”
“A box by chance?”
“I’m fainting—I’m gone!”
“Listen, Holmes!” There was a sound as if he was shaking thedying man, and it was all that I could do to hold myself quietin my hiding-place. “You must hear me. You shall hear me. Doyou remember a box—an ivory box? It came on Wednesday. Youopened it—do you remember?”
“Yes, yes, I opened it. There was a sharp spring inside it. Somejoke—”
“It was no joke, as you will find to your cost. You fool, you wouldhave it and you have got it. Who asked you to cross my path? Ifyou had left me alone I would not have hurt you.”
“I remember,” Holmes gasped. “The spring! It drew blood. Thisbox—this on the table.”
“The very one, by George! And it may as well leave the room inmy pocket. There goes your last shred of evidence. But you havethe truth now, Holmes, and you can die with the knowledge thatkilled you. You knew too much of the fate of Victor Savage, sohave sent you to share it. You are very near your end, Holmes. Iwill sit here and I will watch you die.”
Holmes’s voice had sunk to an almost inaudible whisper.
“What is that?” said Smith. “Turn up the gas? Ah, the shadowsbegin to fall, do they? Yes, I will turn it up, that I may see you thebetter.” He crossed the room and the light suddenly brightened. “Isthere any other little service that I can do you, my friend?”