Part 1 chapter 1 of the valley of fear.
By Sir, Arthur Conan Doyle. All LibriVox recordings are in
the public domain for further information or to volunteer.
Please visit librivox.org. Part 1, the tragedy of
birlstone, chapter 1 the warning.
I'm inclined to think said I, I should do so Sherlock Holmes
remarked in patiently and I believe that I am one of the
most long-suffering of Mortals but I'll admit that I was
annoyed at the sardonic Interruption really Holmes said,
I severely you are a little trying at times He was too much
absorbed with his own thoughts to give any immediate answer to
my remonstrance. He leaned upon his hand with his
untasted breakfast before him and he stared at the slip of
paper which he had just drawn from its envelope.
Then he took the envelope itself, held it up to the light
and very carefully studied both the exterior and the flap.
It is pull-ups. Writing said he thoughtfully.
I can hardly doubt that. It is Bullocks writing though.
I have seen it only twice before the Greek e0 with a peculiar
top. Flourish is distinctive but if
it is porlock, then it must be something of the very first
importance. He was speaking to himself
rather than to me but my vexation disappeared in the
interest which the words awakened.
Who then is porlock. I asked Paul Arc.
Watson is a non de plume. I'm here identification Mark but
behind it lies are Shifty and evasive personality in a formal
letter. He frankly informed me that the
name was not his own and defied me ever to trace him among the
teeming millions of this great City.
Paul Arc is important, not for himself but for the great man
with whom he is in touch. Picture to yourself, the pilot
fish with the shark The Jackal, with the lion, anything that is
insignificant in companionship with that is formidable, not
only for middle or Watson, but Sinister in the highest degree
Sinister. That is where he comes.
Within my purview. You have heard me.
Speak of Professor Moriarty. Famous scientific criminal is
famous among Crooks has my blushes Watson, homes murdered
in a deprecating voice. I was about to say, as he is
unknown to the public, a touch, a distinct touch cried.
Holmes, you are developing a certain unexpected vein of Porky
humor Watson against which I must learn to guard myself.
But in calling Moriarty a criminal, you are uttering a
libel in the eyes of the Law and their lie, the glory and The
Wonder of it, the greatest schemer of all time.
The organizer of every devilry, the controlling brain of the
underworld a brain which might have made or marred the destiny
of Nations. That's the man, but so aloof, is
he from General suspicion? So immune from criticism, so
admirable in his management and self-effacement that, for those
very words that you have uttered, he could hail To a
court and emerge you with your hearts.
Pension as isolation for his wounded character.
Is he not the celebrated author of the Dynamics of an asteroid a
book, which ascends to such rarefied, Heights of pure
mathematics that it is said that there was no man in the
scientific press capable of criticizing it.
Is this a man to traduce foul-mouthed doctor and
slandered Professor such would be your respective roles.
That's genius Watson. But if I'm spared by lesser men,
our day will surely, come may I be there to see I exclaimed
devoutly but you were speaking of this man porlock.
Yes, the so-called porlock is a link in the chain some little
way from its great. Attachment porlock is not quite
a sound link between ourselves. He's the only floor in that
chain so far as I have been able to test it.
But no chain is stronger than its weakest link.
Exactly, my dear Watson. Hence, the extreme importance of
porlock, LED on by some rudimentary aspirations towards,
right? And encouraged by the judicious
stimulation of an occasional. Ten pound note sent to him by
devious methods. He has once or twice, given me
advanced information, which has been of value that highest
value, which anticipates and Rather than Avengers crime, I
cannot doubt that if we had the cipher we should find that this
communication is of the nature that I indicate.
Again. Homes flattened out the paper
upon his unused plate. I Rose and leaning over him
stared down at the Curious inscription which ran as follows
5:34. See 213 127 3631. 4:17 2141,
Douglas 10 92, 93 537, birlstone 26 birlstone, 947, 171, What do
you make of it? Holmes it is obviously an
attempt to convey secret information, but what is the use
of a cipher message without the cipher in this instance, none at
all, Why do you say in this instance?
Because there are many ciphers, which I would read as easily.
As I do the Apocrypha of the agony column such crude devices.
Amuse, the intelligence without fatiguing it, but this is
different. It is clearly a reference to the
words in a page of some book. Until I am told, which page, and
which book I am powerless. But why Douglas and Bill Stone
clearly? Because those are words which
were not contained in the page in question.
Then why has he not indicated the book?
Your native shrewdness, my dear Watson, that innate cunning,
which is the Delight of your friends would surely.
Prevent you from enclosing Cipher and message in the same
envelope. Should it miscarry?
You are undone as it is. Both have to go wrong before any
harm comes from it. Now our second post is now
overdue and I shall be surprised, if it does not bring
us either a further letter of explanation or as is more
probable, the very volume to which the These figures refer.
Holmes is calculation was fulfilled within a very few
minutes by the appearance of Billy the page with the very
letter, which we were expecting. The same writing remarked Holmes
as he opened the envelope. And actually signed, he added in
an exultant voice. As he unfolded the epistle, come
we are getting on Watson. His brow clouded, however, as he
glanced over the contents, Damn me.
This is very disappointing. I fear.
What's in it? All our expectations.
Come to nothing. I trusted the man Paul.
Lock, will come to no harm. Dear mr.
Holmes, he says, I will go no further in this matter.
It is too dangerous. He suspects me.
I can see that. He suspects me.
He came to me quite unexpectedly after I had actually addressed
this envelope. With the intention of sending
you, the key to the cipher. I was able to cover it up.
If he had seen it, it would have gone hard with me but I read
suspicion in his eyes. Please burn the cipher message,
which can now be of know. No, use to you.
Fred Pollock. Holmes sat for some little time
twisting this letter between his fingers and frowning as he
stared Into the Fire. After all he said at last, there
may be nothing in it, it may be only his guilty conscience,
knowing himself to be a traitor. He may have read the accusation
in the other's eyes. The other being I presume
Professor Moriarty no less. When any of that party talk
about he you know, whom they mean, there is one predominant
he for all of them. But what can you do?
Hmm, that's a large question. When you have one of the first
brains of Europe up against you and all the powers of Darkness
at his back, there are infinite possibilities.
Anyhow, friend Paul lock is evidently scared out of his
senses. Kindly compare the writing in
the note to that upon its envelope which was done, he
tells us before this ill-omened visit, the one is clear and firm
the other hard Lee legible. Why did he write it at all?
Why did he not simply drop it? Because he feared, I would make
some inquiry after him in that case and possibly bring trouble
on him. No doubt said.
I, of course, I had picked up the original Cipher message and
was bending my brows over it. It's pretty maddening to think
that an important secret May lie here on this slip of paper and
that it is beyond human power to penetrate it.
Sherlock Holmes have pushed away, his untasted breakfast and
lit, the unsavory pipe, which was the companion of his deepest
meditations. I wonder said he leaning back
and staring at the ceiling. Perhaps, there are points which
have escaped your Machiavellian intellect, let us consider the
problem. In the light of pure reason,
this man's reference is to a book that is our Point of
Departure, a somewhat vague one. Let us see then if we can narrow
it down as I focus. My mind upon it, it seems rather
less Impenetrable. What indications have we as to
this book non well, well it is surely not quite so bad as that.
The cipher message begins with a large 534, does it?
Not we may take it as a working hypothesis that 534 is a
particular page to which the cipher refers.
So our book has already become a large book, which is surely
something gained. What other indications have we
as to the nature of this large book.
The next sign is see to what do you make of that Watson?
Chapter the second. No doubt hardly that Watson, you
will. I am sure.
Agree. With me that, if the page be
given the number of the chapter is immaterial also that if page,
534 finds us only in the second chapter, the length of the first
one must have been really intolerable.
Column. I cried.
Brilliant Watson. You are scintillating this
morning, if it is not column than I am very much deceived.
So now you see we begin to visualize a large book printed
in double columns which are each of a considerable length.
Since one of the words is numbered in the document as the
293rd have. We reached the limits of what
reason can supply I fear that we have.
Surely you do yourself an injustice, one more chorus,
keishon, my dear Watson. Yet another brain wave.
Had the volume being an unusual one.
He would have sent it to me instead of that he had intended
before his plans, when nipped to send me the clue in this
envelope. He says.
So in this note, this would seem to indicate that the book is
one, which he thought I would have no difficulty in finding
for myself. He had it and he imagined that I
would have it too. In short Watson, it is a very
common book What you say? Certainly sounds plausible.
So we have contracted our field of search to a large book
printed in double columns, and in common use.
The Bible. I cried triumphantly.
Good Watson good. But not if I may say so quite
good enough, even if I accepted the compliment for myself, I
could hardly name any volume. Which will be less likely to lie
at the elbow of one of Moriarty's Associates.
Besides the additions of holy writ are so numerous that he
could hardly, suppose that two copies would have the same
pagination this This is clearly a book which is standardized.
He knows for certain that his page. 534 will exactly agree
with my page 534, but very few books would correspond with
that. Exactly, therein lies our
Salvation. Our search is narrowed down to
standardized books, which anyone may be supposed to possess
Bradshaw. There are difficulties Watson,
the vocabulary of Bradshaw is nervous and terse, but limited,
the selection of words would hardly lend itself.
To the sending of General messages, we will eliminate
Bradshaw. The dictionary, is I fear in a
miserable for the same reason, what then is left and almanach.
Excellent Watson. I am very much mistaken.
If you have not touched the spot and almanach, let us consider
the claims of Whitaker's Almanac.
It is in common use, it has the requisite number of pages.
It is in double column, though. Reserved in its earlier
vocabulary, it becomes. If I remember, right?
Quite garrulous towards the end. He picked the volume from his
desk. Here is Page, 534 column to a
substantial block of print dealing.
I perceive with the trade and resources of British, India,
jot, down the words. Watson number 13 is marotta.
Not I fear a very auspicious beginning.
Number 127 is government, which at least makes sense, though.
Somewhat irrelevant to ourselves and Professor Moriarty, now let
us try again. What does a Maserati government
do alas? The next word is pigs bristles.
We are undone my good Watson. It is finished.
He had spoken ingesting, vain, but the twitching of his bushy
eyebrows, bespoke, his disappointment and irritation.
I sat helpless and unhappy staring into the fire.
A long silence was broken by a sudden exclamation from homes,
who dashed at a cupboard from, which he emerged with a second.
Yellow covered volume in his hand, we pay the price Watson
for being too up-to-date. He cried we are before our time
and suffer. The usual penalties being the
7th of January. We have very properly laid in
the new almanach. But it is more than likely that
porlock took his message from the old one, no doubt he would
have told us so had his letter of explanation, been written.
Now, let us see what page 534 has in store for us.
Number 13, is there which is much more promising.
Number 127 is is there is Holmes's Eyes Were Gleaming with
excitement and is thin nervous fingers twitch.
The as he counted the words danger, haha Capital, put that
down Watson there is danger. May come very soon one.
Then we have the name, Douglas rich country now.
At birlstone house, birlstone confidence is pressing.
They're Watson. What do you think of pure
reason? And it's fruit.
If the green grocer had such a thing.
As a laurel wreath, I should send Billy round for it.
I was staring at the strange message which I had scrawled as
he deciphered it upon a sheet of foolscap on my knee.
What a queer scrambling way of expressing.
His meaning said, I on the contrary, he has done quite
remarkably well, said, Holmes, when you search a single column
for words, with which, to express your meaning, you can
hardly expect to get everything you want.
You're bound to leave something to the intelligence of your
correspondent. The purport is perfectly clear.
Some devilry is intended against one Douglas, whoever he may be
residing a A rich country gentleman.
He is sure confidence was as near as he could get too.
Confident that it is pressing. There is our result and a very
workmanlike little bit of analysis.
It was homes, had the impersonal joy of the true artist in his
better work, even as he mourned Darkly.
When it fell below the high level to which he aspired.
He was still chuckling over his success.
When Billy swung open the door and inspector MacDonald.
Of Scotland Yard was ushered into the room.
Those were the early days at the end of the 80s, when Alec
McDonald was far from having attained the national Fame,
which he has now achieved. He was a young, but trusted
member of the detective Force, who had distinguished himself in
several cases, which have been entrusted to him.
He is tall. Bernie figure gave promise of
exceptional physical strength while his great Cranium and
deep-set, lustrous eyes spoke no less clearly of the key.
Intelligence which twinkled out from behind his bushy eyebrows.
He was a silent precise, man with a dow nature and a hard.
A bodoni, an accident. Twice already in his career, had
homes helped him to attain success, his own soul reward
being the intellectual joy of the problem for this reason.
The affectation and respect of the Scotchman for his amateur
colleague were profound and he showed them by the frankness
with which he consulted homes in every difficulty.
Mediocrity knows nothing higher than itself, but Talent
instantly recognizes genius and McDonald Had Talent enough for
his profession to enable him to perceive that there was no
humiliation in seeking the assistance of one who already
stood alone in Europe both in his gifts.
And in his experience Holmes was not prone to Friendship, but he
was tolerant of the big Scotchman and smiled at the
sight of him. You are an early bird.
Mr. Mack said he, I wish you luck with your worm.
I fear. This means that there is some
Mischief afoot. If you said, hope instead of
fear, it would be nearer the truth and thinking mr.
Holmes, inspector answered with a knowing grin.
Well, maybe a wee nip. Would keep out the raw morning
chill. No, I won't smoke, I thank you.
I'll have to be pushing on my way for the early hours of a
case of the precious ones. There's no man knows better than
your own self. Self.
But, but the inspector had stopped suddenly and was staring
with a look of absolute amazement at a paper upon the
table. It was the sheet upon which I
had scrawled. The enigmatic message to Alice,
he stammered birlstone, what's this mr.
Holmes, man, it's witchcraft. Where's the name of all?
That is wonderful. Did you get these names?
It is a cipher that dr. Watson and I have had occasion
to solve, but why, what's amiss with the names?
The inspector looked from one to the other of us in Dazed
amazement, Justice said he does mr.
Douglas have belston, manor house was horribly murdered last
night. End of chapter 1.