خدمتکار میفهمه

Chapter two

A Servant Finds Out

When I arrived the next day, Holmes was not there, so I waited in his room. At four o’clock the door opened, and a very strange servant came in. He wore old, dirty clothes, and I had to look very hard before I saw that it was my old friend.

‘Holmes,’ I cried. ‘Where have you been?’

‘I’ve had a very good day,’ he replied with a smile. ‘I’ve been outside Miss Irene Adler’s house. Servants are always happy to talk, and so I have heard a lot about the young woman. For example, she has a good-looking man friend called Godfrey Norton, a lawyer, who often visits her. Now why? If he’s her lawyer, perhaps she’s already given him the photograph. But if he loves her, she won’t show him the photograph.’

‘Most interesting, Holmes,’ I said.

‘While I was there, Mr Norton himself suddenly arrived. I watched them through the windows. When he left, he jumped into a taxi. “To the church of St Monica, as fast as you can,” he shouted. Two minutes later Miss Adler ran out of her house, jumped into another taxi and called, “To the church of St Monica, quickly!” I couldn’t miss this, Watson, so I jumped into a third taxi. When I arrived, I went into the church. Godfrey Norton looked round and saw me.

“Thank God,” he shouted. “Come here quickly!” “Why,” I asked. “Come on, man, we need you!” And so I helped Godfrey Norton to marry Irene Adler. They needed a witness, and a servant from the street was better than nobody.’

‘So she’s married him! What shall we do now,’ I asked.

‘Well, tonight, my dear Watson, I need your help. Will you do what I ask? Without questions?’

‘Of course, Holmes, if you think that it’s important,’ I answered.

‘Later, we’ll go to Briony Lodge. Irene Adler, or Irene Norton, will arrive home at seven o’clock, and she will ask me to go into the house. You must wait outside near the sitting-room window, and when it opens, watch me inside. When I hold up my hand, throw this thing into the room and shout “Fire!”’

I took the small thing out of his hand. ‘What is it, Holmes,’ I asked.

‘It’s a smoke-stick. The room will very quickly be full of smoke. After that, wait for me at the corner of the street.’

‘Right, I’ll do what you want,’ I said.