We were all upon our feet, staggering after him with ourstiffened limbs, while he ran swiftly across the bridge and rangviolently at the bell. There was the rasping of bolts from the otherside, and the amazed Ames stood in the entrance. Holmes brushedhim aside without a word and, followed by all of us, rushed intothe room which had been occupied by the man whom we hadbeen watching.
The oil lamp on the table represented the glow which we hadseen from outside. It was now in the hand of Cecil Barker, whoheld it towards us as we entered. Its light shone upon his strong,resolute, clean-shaved face and his menacing eyes.
“What the devil is the meaning of all this?” he cried. “What areyou after, anyhow?”
Holmes took a swift glance round, and then pounced upon asodden bundle tied together with cord which lay where it hadbeen thrust under the writing table.
“This is what we are after, Mr. Barker—this bundle, weightedwith a dumb-bell, which you have just raised from the bottom ofthe moat.”
Barker stared at Holmes with amazement in his face. “How inthunder came you to know anything about it?” he asked.
“Simply that I put it there.”
“You put it there! You!”
“Perhaps I should have said ’replaced it there,’ ” said Holmes.
“You will remember, Inspector MacDonald, that I was somewhatstruck by the absence of a dumb-bell. I drew your attention toit; but with the pressure of other events you had hardly the timeto give it the consideration which would have enabled you to drawdeductions from it. When water is near and a weight is missing it isnot a very far-fetched supposition that something has been sunk inthe water. The idea was at least worth testing; so with the help ofAmes, who admitted me to the room, and the crook of Dr. Watson’sumbrella, I was able last night to fish up and inspect this bundle.
“It was of the first importance, however, that we should beable to prove who placed it there. This we accomplished by thevery obvious device of announcing that the moat would be driedto-morrow, which had, of course, the effect that whoever hadhidden the bundle would most certainly withdraw it the momentthat darkness enabled him to do so. We have no less than fourwitnesses as to who it was who took advantage of the opportunity,and so, Mr. Barker, I think the word lies now with you.”
Sherlock Holmes put the sopping bundle upon the table besidethe lamp and undid the cord which bound it. From within heextracted a dumb-bell, which he tossed down to its fellow in thecorner. Next he drew forth a pair of boots. “American, as youperceive,” he remarked, pointing to the toes. Then he laid uponthe table a long, deadly, sheathed knife. Finally he unravelled abundle of clothing, comprising a complete set of underclothes,socks, a gray tweed suit, and a short yellow overcoat.
“The clothes are commonplace,” remarked Holmes, “saveonly the overcoat, which is full of suggestive touches.” He heldit tenderly towards the light. “Here, as you perceive, is theinner pocket prolonged into the lining in such fashion as to giveample space for the truncated fowling piece. The tailor’s tab ison the neck—’Neal, Outfitter, Vermissa, U.S.A.’ I have spent aninstructive afternoon in the rector’s library, and have enlarged myknowledge by adding the fact that Vermissa is a flourishing littletown at the head of one of the best known coal and iron valleysin the United States. I have some recollection, Mr. Barker, thatyou associated the coal districts with Mr. Douglas’s first wife, andit would surely not be too far-fetched an inference that the V.V.
upon the card by the dead body might stand for Vermissa Valley, orthat this very valley which sends forth emissaries of murder maybe that Valley of Fear of which we have heard. So much is fairlyclear. And now, Mr. Barker, I seem to be standing rather in the wayof your explanation.”
It was a sight to see Cecil Barker’s expressive face during thisexposition of the great detective. Anger, amazement, consternation,and indecision swept over it in turn. Finally he took refuge in asomewhat acrid irony.
“You know such a lot, Mr. Holmes, perhaps you had better tellus some more,” he sneered.
“I have no doubt that I could tell you a great deal more, Mr.
Barker; but it would come with a better grace from you.”
“Oh, you think so, do you? Well, all I can say is that if there’sany secret here it is not my secret, and I am not the man to give itaway.”
“Well, if you take that line, Mr. Barker,” said the inspectorquietly, “we must just keep you in sight until we have the warrantand can hold you.”
“You can do what you damn please about that,” said Barkerdefiantly.
The proceedings seemed to have come to a definite end so faras he was concerned; for one had only to look at that granite faceto realize that no peine forte et dure would ever force him to pleadagainst his will. The deadlock was broken, however, by a woman’svoice. Mrs. Douglas had been standing listening at the half openeddoor, and now she entered the room.
“You have done enough for now, Cecil,” said she. “Whatevercomes of it in the future, you have done enough.”
“Enough and more than enough,” remarked Sherlock Holmesgravely. “I have every sympathy with you, madam, and shouldstrongly urge you to have some confidence in the common senseof our jurisdiction and to take the police voluntarily into yourcomplete confidence. It may be that I am myself at fault fornot following up the hint which you conveyed to me throughmy friend, Dr. Watson; but, at that time I had every reason tobelieve that you were directly concerned in the crime. Now I amassured that this is not so. At the same time, there is much that isunexplained, and I should strongly recommend that you ask Mr.
Douglas to tell us his own story.”
Mrs. Douglas gave a cry of astonishment at Holmes’s words.
The detectives and I must have echoed it, when we were aware ofa man who seemed to have emerged from the wall, who advancednow from the gloom of the corner in which he had appeared.
Mrs. Douglas turned, and in an instant her arms were round him.
