FROM the years 1894 to 1901 inclusive Mr.Sherlock Holmes was a very busy man.It is safe to say that there was no public case of any difficulty in which he was not consulted during those eight years, and there were hundreds of private cases, some of them of the most intricate and extraordinary character, in which he played a prominent part.Many startling successes and a few unavoidable failures were the outcome of this long period of continuous work.As I have preserved very full notes of all these cases, and was myself personally engaged in many of them, it may be imagined that it is no easy task to know which Ishould select to lay before the public.I shall, however, preserve my former rule, and give the preference to those cases which derive their interest not so much from the brutality of the crime as from the ingenuity and dramatic quality of the solution.For this reason I will now lay before the reader the facts connected with Miss Violet Smith, the solitary cyclist of Charlington, and the curious sequel of our investigation, which culminated in unexpected tragedy.It is true that the circumstances did not admit of any striking illustration of those powers for which my friend was famous, but there were some points about the case which made it stand out in those long records of crime from which I gather the material for these little narratives.
On referring to my note-book for the year 1895 I find that it was upon Saturday, the 23rd of April, that we first heard of Miss Violet Smith.Her visit was, I remember, extremely unwelcome to Holmes, for he was immersed at the moment in a very abstruse and complicated problem concerning the peculiar persecution to which John Vincent Harden, the well-known tobacco millionaire, had been subjected.My friend, who loved above all things precision and concentration of thought, resented anything which distracted his attention from the matter in hand.And yet without a harshness which was foreign to his nature it was impossible to refuse to listen to the story of the young and beautiful woman, tall, graceful, and queenly, who presented herself at Baker Street late in the evening and implored his assistance and advice.It was vain to urge that his time was already fully occupied, for the young lady had come with the determination to tell her story, and it was evident that nothing short of force could get her out of the room until she had done so.With a resigned air and a somewhat weary smile, Holmes begged the beautiful intruder to take a seat and to inform us what it was that was troubling her.
"At least it cannot be your health," said he, as his keen eyes darted over her; "so ardent a bicyclist must be full of energy."She glanced down in surprise at her own feet, and I observed the slight roughening of the side of the sole caused by the friction of the edge of the pedal.
"Yes, I bicycle a good deal, Mr.Holmes, and that has something to do with my visit to you to-day."My friend took the lady's ungloved hand and examined it with as close an attention and as little sentiment as a scientist would show to a specimen.
"You will excuse me, I am sure.It is my business," said he, as he dropped it."I nearly fell into the error of supposing that you were typewriting.Of course, it is obvious that it is music.You observe the spatulate finger-end, Watson, which is common to both professions? There is a spirituality about the face, however" -- he gently turned it towards the light -- "which the typewriter does not generate.This lady is a musician.""Yes, Mr.Holmes, I teach music."
"In the country, I presume, from your complexion.""Yes, sir; near Farnham, on the borders of Surrey.""A beautiful neighbourhood and full of the most interesting associations.You remember, Watson, that it was near there that we took Archie Stamford, the forger.Now, Miss Violet, what has happened to you near Farnham, on the borders of Surrey?"The young lady, with great clearness and composure, made the following curious statement:--"My father is dead, Mr.Holmes.He was James Smith, who conducted the orchestra at the old Imperial Theatre.My mother and I were left without a relation in the world except one uncle, Ralph Smith, who went to Africa twenty-five years ago, and we have never had a word from him since.When father died we were left very poor, but one day we were told that there was an advertisement in the TIMES inquiring for our whereabouts.You can imagine how excited we were, for we thought that someone had left us a fortune.We went at once to the lawyer whose name was given in the paper.There we met two gentlemen, Mr.Carruthers and Mr.Woodley, who were home on a visit from South Africa.
They said that my uncle was a friend of theirs, that he died some months before in great poverty in Johannesburg, and that he had asked them with his last breath to hunt up his relations and see that they were in no want.It seemed strange to us that Uncle Ralph, who took no notice of us when he was alive, should be so careful to look after us when he was dead; but Mr.Carruthers explained that the reason was that my uncle had just heard of the death of his brother, and so felt responsible for our fate.""Excuse me," said Holmes; "when was this interview?""Last December -- four months ago."
"Pray proceed."
"Mr.Woodley seemed to me to be a most odious person.
He was for ever making eyes at me -- a coarse, puffy-faced, red-moustached young man, with his hair plastered down on each side of his forehead.I thought that he was perfectly hateful --and I was sure that Cyril would not wish me to know such a person.""Oh, Cyril is his name!" said Holmes, smiling.
The young lady blushed and laughed.
