sobriquet in this particular instance as he is a notorious dealer in stolen antiques and works of art. I first made his acquaintance several years ago when I recovered the Duchess of Melton Mowbray’s collection of jewelled Renaissance stilettos. Unfortunately, I was not then able to lay my hands on Arty himself.
‘Incidentally, may I congratulate you on the cool manner in which you dealt with his request to examine the bedroom at the hotel? I could not have handled the situation better myself.’
‘Oh, it was nothing, Holmes,’ I said with an offhand air although I was secretly delighted with the tribute. ‘Where exactly were you concealed?’
‘I merely retreated to the passage outside the bedroom where I waited until I judged it safe to return. Such a precaution is typical of Arty, however. It is why he has succeeded in evading the law for so long. Following him after he left the hotel was as difficult as tracking a fox through a dense thicket. Although he had no reason to suspect I was on his trail, he changed cabs three times before eventually alighting at Victoria station where he caught the slow train to Chichester which stops at Barton Halt.
‘There he took the only station fly, forcing me to await its return before I could discover his destination from the driver.He had been instructed, he informed me, to take his passenger to Maplestead Hall, a journey of about eight miles, where the man paid him off. That was all the driver could tell me.
‘I was therefore obliged to hire the same fly and, once the horse was rested, repeat Tucker’s journey in order to discover the whereabouts of his employer, for it was quite obvious that Tucker, who was acting as The Magpie’s agent, was, at that very moment, reporting back to him on the transaction at Claridge’s Hotel as well as handing over to him the Samuel Cooper miniature.
‘Having arrived at the gates of Maplestead Hall, which was where Tucker had alighted, I rather foolishly dismissed the fly at the suggestion of the driver who quite mistakenly believed that I would be able to hire another vehicle at the local hostelry, the Dun Cow, for the return journey to Barton Halt. I am afraid, Watson, that the man was over-sanguine. The hospitality at the tavern does not extend as far as transport although it supplied an excellent supper of jugged hare and, once I had bought pots of ale for the customers in the public bar, a fund of information regarding the owner of Maplestead Hall. There is no better place than the tap-room of an inn to hear the neighbourhood gossip.
‘It was there that I discovered our quarry’s true name and the origins of his wealth. He is, moreover, a bachelor and a recluse. No one in the village has ever seen him for it appears he shuns all publicity. This would account for the lack of information about him in the newspapers.
‘The time being then nearly eleven, I paid my bill and took leave of my new-found acquaintances before setting off for Barton Halt where I caught the last train. Hence my late arrival at Baker Street.’
‘On foot, Holmes? But you said it was eight miles from the station to Maplestead!’
‘Oh, I hardly noticed the distance. At the time, it was nothing more than an evening stroll, made even more delightful by the thought that we shall soon have the pleasure of clipping The Magpie’s wings. However, I am willing to admit now to a trifling weariness. I shall sleep for a few hours, Watson, andthen tomorrow – or, rather, this morning, for it is now nearly four o’ clock – you and I shall catch the 9.25 from Victoria to Barton.’
Despite his exertions of the previous day and his lack of sleep, he was the first to rise and was already dressed and seated at the table, reading the Daily Telegraph , when I joined him for breakfast.
When Holmes is engaged on a case, there seems to be no limit to his energy. He can exist without rest or food although, on this occasion, he was enjoying a hearty meal of eggs and
‘Incidentally, may I congratulate you on the cool manner in which you dealt with his request to examine the bedroom at the hotel? I could not have handled the situation better myself.’
‘Oh, it was nothing, Holmes,’ I said with an offhand air although I was secretly delighted with the tribute. ‘Where exactly were you concealed?’
‘I merely retreated to the passage outside the bedroom where I waited until I judged it safe to return. Such a precaution is typical of Arty, however. It is why he has succeeded in evading the law for so long. Following him after he left the hotel was as difficult as tracking a fox through a dense thicket. Although he had no reason to suspect I was on his trail, he changed cabs three times before eventually alighting at Victoria station where he caught the slow train to Chichester which stops at Barton Halt.
‘There he took the only station fly, forcing me to await its return before I could discover his destination from the driver.He had been instructed, he informed me, to take his passenger to Maplestead Hall, a journey of about eight miles, where the man paid him off. That was all the driver could tell me.
‘I was therefore obliged to hire the same fly and, once the horse was rested, repeat Tucker’s journey in order to discover the whereabouts of his employer, for it was quite obvious that Tucker, who was acting as The Magpie’s agent, was, at that very moment, reporting back to him on the transaction at Claridge’s Hotel as well as handing over to him the Samuel Cooper miniature.
‘Having arrived at the gates of Maplestead Hall, which was where Tucker had alighted, I rather foolishly dismissed the fly at the suggestion of the driver who quite mistakenly believed that I would be able to hire another vehicle at the local hostelry, the Dun Cow, for the return journey to Barton Halt. I am afraid, Watson, that the man was over-sanguine. The hospitality at the tavern does not extend as far as transport although it supplied an excellent supper of jugged hare and, once I had bought pots of ale for the customers in the public bar, a fund of information regarding the owner of Maplestead Hall. There is no better place than the tap-room of an inn to hear the neighbourhood gossip.
‘It was there that I discovered our quarry’s true name and the origins of his wealth. He is, moreover, a bachelor and a recluse. No one in the village has ever seen him for it appears he shuns all publicity. This would account for the lack of information about him in the newspapers.
‘The time being then nearly eleven, I paid my bill and took leave of my new-found acquaintances before setting off for Barton Halt where I caught the last train. Hence my late arrival at Baker Street.’
‘On foot, Holmes? But you said it was eight miles from the station to Maplestead!’
‘Oh, I hardly noticed the distance. At the time, it was nothing more than an evening stroll, made even more delightful by the thought that we shall soon have the pleasure of clipping The Magpie’s wings. However, I am willing to admit now to a trifling weariness. I shall sleep for a few hours, Watson, andthen tomorrow – or, rather, this morning, for it is now nearly four o’ clock – you and I shall catch the 9.25 from Victoria to Barton.’
Despite his exertions of the previous day and his lack of sleep, he was the first to rise and was already dressed and seated at the table, reading the Daily Telegraph , when I joined him for breakfast.
When Holmes is engaged on a case, there seems to be no limit to his energy. He can exist without rest or food although, on this occasion, he was enjoying a hearty meal of eggs and
Similar Books
