Inhaltsverzeichnis

1. TITELBLATT

2. IMPRESSUM

3. THE ADVENTURE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE

4. THE ADVENTURE OF THE NORWOOD BUILDER

5. THE ADVENTURE OF THE DANCING MEN

6. THE ADVENTURE OF THE SOLITARY CYCLIST

7. THE ADVENTURE OF THE PRIORY SCHOOL

8. THE ADVENTURE OF BLACK PETER

9. THE ADVENTURE OF CHARLES AUGUSTUS MILVERTON

10. THE ADVENTURE OF THE SIX NAPOLEONS

11. THE ADVENTURE OF THE THREE STUDENTS

12. THE ADVENTURE OF THE GOLDEN PINCE-NEZ

13. THE ADVENTURE OF THE MISSING THREE-QUARTER

14. THE ADVENTURE OF THE ABBEY GRANGE

15. THE ADVENTURE OF THE SECOND STAIN

16. THE RETURN OF SHERLOCK HOLMES (ENGLISCH)

Arthur Conan Doyle
The Return of Sherlock Holmes / Die Wiederkehr von Sherlock Holmes
Zweisprachige Ausgabe
Übersetzt von Alice und Karl Heinz Berger

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Übersetzung © Aufbau Verlag GmbH & Co. KG, Berlin 1984, 2008.

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THE ADVENTURE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE

DAS LEERE HAUS

IT was in the spring of the year 1894 that all London was interested, and the fashionable world dismayed,

Es war im Frühjahr 1894, als ganz London Anteil nahm – und die vornehmen Kreise mit Bestürzung –

by the murder of the Honourable Ronald Adair under most unusual and inexplicable circumstances.

an der Ermordung des Ehrenwerten Ronald Adair, deren Umstände äußerst ungewöhnlich und unerklärbar erschienen.

The public has already learned those particulars of the crime which came out in the police investigation,

Die Öffentlichkeit kennt inzwischen die Einzelheiten des Verbrechens, die in der polizeilichen Untersuchung zutage gefördert wurden;

but a good deal was suppressed upon that occasion, since the case for the prosecution was so overwhelmingly strong

aber ein beträchtlicher Teil der Ergebnisse ist damals verschwiegen worden, da der Fall für die Anklage so überwältigend zwingend war,

that it was not necessary to bring forward all the facts.

daß keine Notwendigkeit bestand, alle Tatsachen auszubreiten.

Only now, at the end of nearly ten years, am I allowed to supply those missing links which make up the whole of that remarkable chain.

Erst jetzt, fast zehn Jahre danach, darf ich die fehlenden Glieder ergänzen, die erst die ganze bemerkenswerte Kette sichtbar machen.

The crime was of interest in itself, but that interest was as nothing to me compared to the inconceivable sequel,

Das Verbrechen an sich war schon interessant, aber das Interesse daran bedeutet nichts, gemessen an den unbegreiflichen nachfolgenden Ereignissen,

which afforded me the greatest shock and surprise of any event in my adventurous life.

die in mein abenteuerliches Leben die größte Erschütterung und Überraschung brachten.

Even now, after this long interval, I find myself thrilling as I think of it,

Sogar noch heute, nach dieser langen Zeit, schaudert es mich, wenn ich an sie denke,

and feeling once more that sudden flood of joy, amazement, and incredulity which utterly submerged my mind.

und ich fühle noch einmal jene plötzliche Flut von Freude, Verwunderung und Skepsis, die meinen Verstand völlig gefangennahm.

Let me say to that public, which has shown some interest in those glimpses which I have occasionally given them of the thoughts and actions of a very remarkable man,

Ich möchte den Teil des Publikums, der einiges Interesse an den Einblicken bezeigte, die ich gelegentlich in die Gedanken und Taten eines äußerst bemerkenswerten Mannes gewährte, bitten,

that they are not to blame me if I have not shared my knowledge with them,

mich nicht dafür verantwortlich zu machen, daß ich mein Wissen nicht mit ihm geteilt habe;

for I should have considered it my first duty to do so,

ich hätte es als meine vornehmste Pflicht angesehen, dies zu tun,

had I not been barred by a positive prohibition from his own lips, which was only withdrawn upon the third of last month.

wäre nicht das ausdrückliche Verbot aus seinem eigenen Mund gewesen, das erst am 3. letzten Monats zurückgenommen worden ist.

It can be imagined that my close intimacy with Sherlock Holmes had interested me deeply in crime,

Man kann sich wohl vorstellen, daß ich durch meine innige Vertrautheit mit Sherlock Holmes vom Verbrechen gefesselt war,

and that after his disappearance I never failed to read with care the various problems which came before the public.

und daß ich es nach seinem Verschwinden nie versäumte, die verschiedenen Fälle, die veröffentlicht wurden, sorgfältig zu lesen,

And I even attempted, more than once, for my own private satisfaction, to employ his methods in their solution, though with indifferent success.

und ich mehr als einmal versucht habe, um der Befriedigung meines Ehrgeizes willen, jedoch mit unwesentlichem Erfolg, seine Methoden zu ihrer Lösung anzuwenden.

There was none, however, which appealed to me like this tragedy of Ronald Adair.

Wie dem auch sei, es gab keinen Fall, der mich so sehr beschäftigte wie die Tragödie um Ronald Adair.

As I read the evidence at the inquest, which led up to a verdict of willful murder against some person or persons unknown,

Als ich von dem Beweisverfahren in der amtlichen Voruntersuchung las, das zu der Anklage gegen Unbekannt wegen vorsätzlichen Mordes führte,

I realized more clearly than I had ever done the loss which the community had sustained by the death of Sherlock Holmes.

wurde mir deutlicher denn je bewußt, welchen Verlust die Gesellschaft durch den Tod von Sherlock Holmes erlitten hatte.

There were points about this strange business which would, I was sure, have specially appealed to him,

In dieser seltsamen Angelegenheit gab es Punkte, die, dessen war ich sicher, ihn besonders angezogen haben würden,

and the efforts of the police would have been supplemented, or more probably anticipated, by the trained observation and the alert mind of the first criminal agent in Europe.

und die Bemühungen der Polizei wären durch die gekonnten Beobachtungen und den beweglichen Geist des besten Verbrechensbekämpfers Europas ergänzt oder, wahrscheinlicher, überflüssig gemacht worden.

All day, as I drove upon my round, I turned over the case in my mind and found no explanation which appeared to me to be adequate.

Den ganzen Tag, während ich meine Krankenbesuche machte, ging mir der Fall im Kopf herum, und ich fand keine Erklärung, die mir hinreichend zu sein schien.

At the risk of telling a twice-told tale, I will recapitulate the facts as they were known to the public at the conclusion of the inquest.

Auf die Gefahr hin, Bekanntes zu wiederholen, möchte ich die Tatsachen noch einmal vortragen, die der Öffentlichkeit am Ende der Voruntersuchung bekannt waren.

The Honourable Ronald Adair was the second son of the Earl of Maynooth, at that time governor of one of the Australian colonies.

Der Ehrenwerte Ronald Adair war der zweite Sohn des Earl of Maynooth, seinerzeit Gouverneur einer der australischen Kolonien.

Adair’s mother had returned from Australia to undergo the operation for cataract, and she,

Adairs Mutter war aus Australien nach England gereist, um sich einer Staroperation zu unterziehen; sie,

her son Ronald, and her daughter Hilda were living together at 427 Park Lane.

ihr Sohn Ronald und ihre Tochter Hilda wohnten im Hause Park Lane 427.

The youth moved in the best society — had, so far as was known, no enemies and no particular vices.

Der junge Mann verkehrte in der besten Gesellschaft, er hatte, soweit man wußte, keine Feinde und keine besonderen Laster.

He had been engaged to Miss Edith Woodley, of Carstairs,

Er war mit Miss Edith Woodley aus Carstairs verlobt gewesen,

but the engagement had been broken off by mutual consent some months before,

doch die Verlobung war einige Monate zuvor in beiderseitigem Einverständnis gelöst worden,

and there was no sign that it had left any very profound feeling behind it.

und es gab keine Anzeichen dafür, daß tiefer gehende Gefühle zurückgeblieben waren.

For the rest the man’s life moved in a narrow and conventional circle, for his habits were quiet and his nature unemotional.

Ansonsten bewegte sich das Leben des Mannes in engen, herkömmlichen Bahnen, denn seine Gewohnheiten waren ruhig und seine Natur leidenschaftslos.

Yet it was upon this easy-going young aristocrat that death came, in most strange and unexpected form, between the hours of ten and eleven-twenty on the night of March 30, 1894.

Und doch ereilte diesen unbeschwerten jungen Aristokraten auf eine äußerst seltsame Weise und völlig unerwartet in der Nacht des 30. März 1894 zwischen zehn und elf Uhr zwanzig der Tod.

Ronald Adair was fond of cards — playing continually, but never for such stakes as would hurt him.

Ronald Adair liebte die Karten und spielte unausgesetzt, aber nie um Beträge, deren Verlust ihn hätte schmerzen können.

He was a member of the Baldwin, the Cavendish, and the Bagatelle card clubs.

Er war Mitglied des Baldwin-, des Davendish- und des Bagatelle-Card-Clubs.

It was shown that, after dinner on the day of his death, he had played a rubber of whist at the latter club.

Es stellte sich heraus, daß er am Tage seines Todes nach dem Dinner im letzteren einen Rubber Whist gespielt hatte.

He had also played there in the afternoon.

Er hatte dort auch bereits nachmittags gespielt.

The evidence of those who had played with him — Mr. Murray, Sir John Hardy, and Colonel Moran — showed

Die Aussagen derer, die mit ihm gespielt hatten – Mr. Murray, Sir John Hardy und Colonel Moran –, ergaben,

that the game was whist, and that there was a fairly equal fall of the cards.

daß man sich an Whist gehalten hatte und daß das Kartenglück ziemlich gleich verteilt gewesen war.

Adair might have lost five pounds, but not more. His fortune was a considerable one, and such a loss could not in any way affect him.

Adair mochte fünf Pfund verloren haben, nicht mehr. Sein Vermögen war beachtlich, und ein solcher Verlust konnte ihn in keiner Weise berühren.

He had played nearly every day at one club or other, but he was a cautious player, and usually rose a winner.

Fast jeden Tag hatte er in einem der Clubs gespielt, und als vorsichtiger Spieler war er meist als Gewinner vom Tisch gegangen.

It came out in evidence that, in partnership with Colonel Moran, he had actually won as much as four hundred and twenty pounds in a sitting, some weeks before, from Godfrey Milner and Lord Balmoral.

Die Zeugenvernehmung ergab, daß er einige Wochen zuvor gemeinsam mit Colonel Moran vierhundertzwanzig Pfund von den Herren Godfrey Milner und Lord Balmoral gewonnen hatte.

So much for his recent history as it came out at the inquest.

Soviel zu der unmittelbaren Vorgeschichte, wie sie bei der amtlichen Voruntersuchung zutage trat.

On the evening of the crime, he returned from the club exactly at ten.

Am Abend des Verbrechens kam er Punkt zehn aus dem Club nach Hause.

His mother and sister were out spending the evening with a relation.

Seine Mutter und seine Schwester waren ausgegangen und verbrachten den Abend bei einer Verwandten.

The servant deposed that she heard him enter the front room on the second floor, generally used as his sitting-room.

Das Dienstmädchen bezeugte, sie habe ihn das Vorderzimmer in der zweiten Etage betreten hören, das er gewöhnlich als sein Wohnzimmer nutzte.

She had lit a fire there, and as it smoked she had opened the window.

Sie hatte dort ein Feuer angemacht und, weil es rauchte, das Fenster geöffnet.

No sound was heard from the room until eleven-twenty, the hour of the return of Lady Maynooth and her daughter.

Kein Geräusch war bis zwanzig nach elf aus dem Zimmer gedrungen, also bis zu der Zeit, da Lady Maynooth mit ihrer Tochter nach Hause kam.

Desiring to say good-night, she attempted to enter her son’s room.

Die Dame wollte ihrem Sohn gute Nacht wünschen und versuchte deshalb in sein Zimmer zu gelangen.

The door was locked on the inside, and no answer could be got to their cries and knocking.

Die Tür war von innen abgeschlossen, und ihr Rufen und Klopfen blieb ohne Antwort.

Help was obtained, and the door forced. The unfortunate young man was found lying near the table.

Man holte Hilfe und brach die Tür auf. Der unglückliche junge Mann lag neben dem Tisch.

His head had been horribly mutilated by an expanding revolver bullet, but no weapon of any sort was to be found in the room.

Sein Kopf war durch ein Explosivgeschoß aus einem Revolver schrecklich zugerichtet, aber in dem Zimmer wurde keine Waffe entdeckt.

On the table lay two banknotes for ten pounds each and seventeen pounds ten in silver and gold,

Auf dem Tisch lagen zwei Bankanweisungen über je zehn Pfund, außerdem siebzehn Pfund zehn Shilling in Silber und Gold;

the money arranged in little piles of varying amount.

die Münzen waren zu Türmchen verschiedener Höhe aufgebaut.

There were some figures also upon a sheet of paper, with the names of some club friends opposite to them,

Auf einem Blatt Papier standen einige Zahlen und dahinter die Namen von Freunden aus den Clubs,

from which it was conjectured that before his death he was endeavouring to make out his losses or winnings at cards.

woraus man ableitete, daß er vor seinem Tod versucht habe, seine Gewinne und Verluste beim Kartenspiel festzustellen.

A minute examination of the circumstances served only to make the case more complex.

Die genaue Untersuchung der Umstände machte den Fall nur noch verwickelter.

In the first place, no reason could be given why the young man should have fastened the door upon the inside.

Vor allem fand man keinen Grund dafür, warum der junge Mann die Tür von innen verschlossen haben sollte.

There was the possibility that the murderer had done this, and had afterwards escaped by the window.

Es bestand die Möglichkeit, daß dies der Mörder getan hatte und danach durch das Fenster entwichen war.

The drop was at least twenty feet, however, and a bed of crocuses in full bloom lay beneath.

Die Höhe betrug jedoch mindestens zwanzig Fuß, und unten stand ein Krokusbeet in voller Blüte.

Neither the flowers nor the earth showed any sign of having been disturbed,

Weder die Blumen noch das Erdreich zeigten die geringste Spur,

nor were there any marks upon the narrow strip of grass which separated the house from the road.

und es gab auch keine Abdrücke auf dem schmalen Grasstreifen, der zwischen dem Haus und der Straße lag.

Apparently, therefore, it was the young man himself who had fastened the door.

Anscheinend hatte also der junge Mann selbst die Tür verschlossen.

But how did he come by his death? No one could have climbed up to the window without leaving traces.

Aber wie war er denn dann zu Tode gekommen? Niemand hätte zum Fenster emporklettern können, ohne Spuren zu hinterlassen.

Suppose a man had fired through the window, he would indeed be a remarkable shot

Wäre der Schuß durchs Fenster gekommen, so hätte das wahrlich ein außerordentlicher Schütze gewesen sein müssen,

who could with a revolver inflict so deadly a wound.

der mit einem Revolver auf solche Entfernung eine derart tödliche Wunde beibringen konnte.

Again, Park Lane is a frequented thoroughfare; there is a cab stand within a hundred yards of the house. No one had heard a shot.

Und dann ist die Park Lane eine verkehrsreiche Straße, und hundert Yard vom Haus befindet sich ein Droschkenstand. Kein Mensch hatte einen Schuß gehört.

And yet there was the dead man and there the revolver bullet, which had mushroomed out, as soft-nosed bullets will,

Und doch war da ein Toter und eine Revolverkugel, die plattgedrückt war, nach der Art von Geschossen mit weicher Spitze,

and so inflicted a wound which must have caused instantaneous death.

und eine Wunde verursacht hatte, die sofort zum Tod geführt haben mußte.

Such were the circumstances of the Park Lane Mystery, which were further complicated by entire absence of motive,

Soviel zu den Umständen des Geheimnisses in der Park Lane, das sich durch das völlige Fehlen eines Motivs noch verwickelter darstellte,

since, as I have said, young Adair was not known to have any enemy,

denn – wie ich bereits sagte – es war nichts davon bekannt, daß der junge Adair irgendeinen Feind besaß,

and no attempt had been made to remove the money or valuables in the room.

und es war auch kein Versuch unternommen worden, das Geld oder sonstige Wertsachen aus dem Zimmer zu entwenden.

All day I turned these facts over in my mind, endeavouring to hit upon some theory

Den ganzen Tag über beschäftigten mich diese Tatsachen, und ich mühte mich, auf eine Theorie zu kommen,

which could reconcile them all, and to find that line of least resistance

die sie alle in Einklang bringen konnte, und den Punkt des geringsten Widerstands zu finden,

which my poor friend had declared to be the starting-point of every investigation.

den mein armer Freund immer zum Ausgangspunkt aller Nachforschungen erklärt hatte.

I confess that I made little progress. In the evening I strolled across the Park, and found myself about six o’clock at the Oxford Street end of Park Lane.

Ich gestehe, daß ich kaum Fortschritte machte. Am Abend schlenderte ich durch den Park, und gegen sechs Uhr fand ich mich in der Oxford Street nahe der Park Lane.

A group of loafers upon the pavements, all staring up at a particular window, directed me to the house which I had come to see.

Eine Ansammlung von Streunern auf dem Pflaster, alle blickten zu einem bestimmten Fenster hinauf, dirigierte mich zu dem Haus, das ich hatte sehen wollen.

A tall, thin man with coloured glasses, whom I strongly suspected of being a plain-clothes detective,

Ein großer, dünner Mann mit gefärbten Brillengläsern, den ich sehr im Verdacht hatte, ein Polizist in Zivil zu sein,

was pointing out some theory of his own, while the others crowded round to listen to what he said.

erläuterte irgendeine Theorie, die er sich zurechtgezimmert hatte, und die anderen umdrängten ihn und hörten ihm zu.

I got as near him as I could, but his observations seemed to me to be absurd, so I withdrew again in some disgust.

Ich ging so nahe heran, wie ich konnte, aber seine Bemerkungen schienen mir ungereimt, und so zog ich mich ziemlich angewidert zurück.

As I did so I struck against an elderly, deformed man, who had been behind me, and I knocked down several books which he was carrying.

Dabei stieß ich gegen einen älteren, mißgestalteten Mann, der hinter mir stand, und dem dabei ein paar Bücher zu Boden fielen, die er unterm Arm getragen hatte.

I remember that as I picked them up, I observed the title of one of them, The Origin of Tree Worship,

Ich erinnere mich, daß ich einen Titel las, als ich die Bücher aufhob: ›Der Ursprung der Anbetung von Bäumen‹,

and it struck me that the fellow must be some poor bibliophile,

und mir kam sofort in den Sinn, der Bursche müsse ein bedauernswerter Bibliophile sein,

who, either as a trade or as a hobby, was a collector of obscure volumes.

der, entweder von Berufs wegen oder als Steckenpferd, obskure Ausgaben sammelte.

I endeavoured to apologize for the accident, but it was evident that these books

Ich wollte mich für den Vorfall entschuldigen, aber es war offensichtlich, daß diese Bücher,

which I had so unfortunately maltreated were very precious objects in the eyes of their owner.

die ich unglücklicherweise so schlecht behandelt hatte, in den Augen ihres Besitzers großen Wert besaßen.

With a snarl of contempt he turned upon his heel, and I saw his curved back and white side-whiskers disappear among the throng.

Mit einem verächtlichen Knurren machte er auf dem Absatz kehrt, und der gekrümmte Rücken und der weiße Backenbart verschwanden in der Menge.

My observations of No. 427 Park Lane did little to clear up the problem in which I was interested.

Meine Beobachtung des Hauses Park Lane 427 erbrachte wenig, um das Problem, das mich beschäftigte, klären zu können.

The house was separated from the street by a low wall and railing, the whole not more than five feet high.

Eine niedrige Mauer mit einem eisernen Gitter, das Ganze nicht höher als fünf Fuß, grenzte das Grundstück zur Straße hin ab.

It was perfectly easy, therefore, for anyone to get into the garden,

So war es für jeden sehr leicht, in den Garten zu gelangen.

but the window was entirely inaccessible, since there was no waterpipe or anything which could help the most active man to climb it.

Aber das Fenster war absolut unerreichbar, selbst für den gewandtesten Mann, denn es gab kein Fallrohr oder etwas Ähnliches, das als Kletterstütze hätte dienen können.

More puzzled than ever, I retraced my steps to Kensington.

Verwirrter als zuvor, lenkte ich meine Schritte wieder nach Kensington.

I had not been in my study five minutes when the maid entered to say that a person desired to see me.

Ich war noch nicht fünf Minuten in meinem Arbeitszimmer, als das Mädchen eintrat und meldete, man wünsche mich zu sprechen.

To my astonishment it was none other than my strange old book collector,

Zu meinem Erstaunen war es niemand anders als der sonderbare alte Büchersammler,

his sharp, wizened face peering out from a frame of white hair, and his precious volumes, a dozen of them at least, wedged under his right arm.

dessen scharfes, verwelktes Gesicht von weißem Haar umrahmt war. Unterm Arm hielt er mindestens ein Dutzend seiner wertvollen Bücher.

“You’re surprised to see me, sir,” said he, in a strange, croaking voice.

»Sie sind überrascht, mich zu sehen, Sir«, sagte er mit seltsam krächzender Stimme.

I acknowledged that I was.

Ich gab zu, überrascht zu sein.

“Well, I’ve a conscience, sir, and when I chanced to see you go into this house, as I came hobbling after you,

»Ich habe ein schlechtes Gewissen, Sir, und da ich Sie zufällig in dieses Haus gehen sah, als ich hinter Ihnen herhumpelte,

I thought to myself, I’ll just step in and see that kind gentleman, and tell him that if I was a bit gruff in my manner there was not any harm meant,

dachte ich, geh doch hinein und sag dem freundlichen Herrn, daß du ihn nicht verletzen wolltest, als du so barsch warst,

and that I am much obliged to him for picking up my books.”

und daß du ihm sehr verbunden bist, weil er deine Bücher aufgehoben hat.«

“You make too much of a trifle,” said I. “May I ask how you knew who I was?”

»Das war doch eine Kleinigkeit, Sie spielen es hoch«, sagte ich. »Aber dürfte ich Sie fragen, woher Sie wissen, wer ich bin?«

“Well, sir, if it isn’t too great a liberty, I am a neighbour of yours,

»Nun, Sir, wenn es Ihnen nichts ausmacht: Ich bin einer Ihrer Nachbarn.

for you’ll find my little bookshop at the corner of Church Street, and very happy to see you, I am sure.

Ich betreibe den kleinen Buchladen Ecke Church Street und würde mich glücklich schätzen, Sie dort begrüßen zu dürfen.

Maybe you collect yourself, sir. Here’s British Birds, and Catullus, and The Holy War — a bargain, every one of them.

Vielleicht sind Sie selber Sammler, Sir. Hier: ›Die Vogelwelt Britanniens‹ und ›Catull‹ und ›Der Heilige Krieg‹ – alles einmalige Gelegenheiten.

With five volumes you could just fill that gap on that second shelf. It looks untidy, does it not, sir?”

Mit fünf Büchern könnten Sie die Lücke da in der zweiten Reihe ausfüllen. So etwas sieht unordentlich aus, Sir, oder etwa nicht?«

I moved my head to look at the cabinet behind me.

Ich wandte den Kopf zum Bücherschrank hinter mir.

When I turned again, Sherlock Holmes was standing smiling at me across my study table.

Als ich mich wieder umdrehte, stand Sherlock Holmes da und lächelte mich über den Tisch hinweg an.

I rose to my feet, stared at him for some seconds in utter amazement, and then it appears that I must have fainted for the first and the last time in my life.

Ich erhob mich, starrte ihn einige Sekunden lang in völliger Verwirrung an und muß dann wohl, zum ersten und einzigen Mal in meinem Leben, ohnmächtig geworden sein.

Certainly a gray mist swirled before my eyes, and when it cleared I found my collar-ends undone

Grauer Nebel wirbelte mir vor den Augen, und als er sich verzogen hatte, war mein Kragen geöffnet,

and the tingling after-taste of brandy upon my lips.

und auf meinen Lippen schmeckte ich den prickelnden Nachgeschmack von Kognak.

Holmes was bending over my chair, his flask in his hand.

Holmes stand über meinen Sessel gebeugt und hielt seine Taschenflasche in der Hand.

“My dear Watson,” said the well-remembered voice, “I owe you a thousand apologies.

»Mein lieber Watson«, sagte die wohlbekannte Stimme, »ich muß mich tausendmal bei Ihnen entschuldigen.

I had no idea that you would be so affected.”

Ich konnte nicht ahnen, daß Sie das so angreifen würde.«

I gripped him by the arms.

Ich packte ihn am Arm.

“Holmes!” I cried. “Is it really you? Can it indeed be that you are alive? Is it possible that you succeeded in climbing out of that awful abyss?”

»Holmes!« rief ich, »sind Sie es? Ist es möglich, daß Sie leben? Sind Sie tatsächlich aus jenem schrecklichen Abgrund heraufgeklettert?«

“Wait a moment,” said he. “Are you sure that you are really fit to discuss things?

»Moment mal!« sagte er. »Sind Sie sicher, daß Sie sich wieder gut genug fühlen, um alles durchzusprechen?

I have given you a serious shock by my unnecessarily dramatic reappearance.”

Ich habe Ihnen durch meinen unnötig dramatischen Auftritt einen ernstlichen Schock versetzt.«

“I am all right, but indeed, Holmes, I can hardly believe my eyes.

»Mir geht es gut. Aber wirklich, Holmes, ich wage es nicht, meinen Augen zu trauen.

Good heavens! to think that you — you of all men — should be standing in my study.”

Du lieber Himmel, sich vorzustellen, daß Sie – ausgerechnet Sie – in meinem Arbeitszimmer stehen!«

Again I gripped him by the sleeve, and felt the thin, sinewy arm beneath it.

Wieder packte ich ihn am Ärmel und fühlte den dünnen, sehnigen Arm unter dem Stoff.

“Well, you’re not a spirit anyhow,” said I. “My dear chap, I’m overjoyed to see you.

»Nein, Sie sind kein Gespenst«, sagte ich. »Mein lieber Junge, ich freue mich so, Sie wiederzusehen.

Sit down, and tell me how you came alive out of that dreadful chasm.”

Setzen Sie sich und erzählen Sie, wie sie lebend aus der fürchterlichen Kluft herausgekommen sind.«

THE ADVENTURE OF THE EMPTY HOUSE

IT was in the spring of the year 1894 that all London was interested, and the fashionable world dismayed, by the murder of the Honourable Ronald Adair under most unusual and inexplicable circumstances. The public has already learned those particulars of the crime which came out in the police investigation, but a good deal was suppressed upon that occasion, since the case for the prosecution was so overwhelmingly strong that it was not necessary to bring forward all the facts. Only now, at the end of nearly ten years, am I allowed to supply those missing links which make up the whole of that remarkable chain. The crime was of interest in itself, but that interest was as nothing to me compared to the inconceivable sequel, which afforded me the greatest shock and surprise of any event in my adventurous life. Even now, after this long interval, I find myself thrilling as I think of it, and feeling once more that sudden flood of joy, amazement, and incredulity which utterly submerged my mind. Let me say to that public, which has shown some interest in those glimpses which I have occasionally given them of the thoughts and actions of a very remarkable man, that they are not to blame me if I have not shared my knowledge with them, for I should have considered it my first duty to do so, had I not been barred by a positive prohibition from his own lips, which was only withdrawn upon the third of last month.

It can be imagined that my close intimacy with Sherlock Holmes had interested me deeply in crime, and that after his disappearance I never failed to read with care the various problems which came before the public. And I even attempted, more than once, for my own private satisfaction, to employ his methods in their solution, though with indifferent success. There was none, however, which appealed to me like this tragedy of Ronald Adair. As I read the evidence at the inquest, which led up to a verdict of willful murder against some person or persons unknown, I realized more clearly than I had ever done the loss which the community had sustained by the death of Sherlock Holmes. There were points about this strange business which would, I was sure, have specially appealed to him, and the efforts of the police would have been supplemented, or more probably anticipated, by the trained observation and the alert mind of the first criminal agent in Europe. All day, as I drove upon my round, I turned over the case in my mind and found no explanation which appeared to me to be adequate. At the risk of telling a twice-told tale, I will recapitulate the facts as they were known to the public at the conclusion of the inquest.

The Honourable Ronald Adair was the second son of the Earl of Maynooth, at that time governor of one of the Australian colonies. Adair’s mother had returned from Australia to undergo the operation for cataract, and she, her son Ronald, and her daughter Hilda were living together at 427 Park Lane. The youth moved in the best society — had, so far as was known, no enemies and no particular vices. He had been engaged to Miss Edith Woodley, of Carstairs, but the engagement had been broken off by mutual consent some months before, and there was no sign that it had left any very profound feeling behind it. For the rest the man’s life moved in a narrow and conventional circle, for his habits were quiet and his nature unemotional. Yet it was upon this easy-going young aristocrat that death came, in most strange and unexpected form, between the hours of ten and eleven-twenty on the night of March 30, 1894.

Ronald Adair was fond of cards — playing continually, but never for such stakes as would hurt him. He was a member of the Baldwin, the Cavendish, and the Bagatelle card clubs. It was shown that, after dinner on the day of his death, he had played a rubber of whist at the latter club. He had also played there in the afternoon. The evidence of those who had played with him — Mr. Murray, Sir John Hardy, and Colonel Moran — showed that the game was whist, and that there was a fairly equal fall of the cards. Adair might have lost five pounds, but not more. His fortune was a considerable one, and such a loss could not in any way affect him. He had played nearly every day at one club or other, but he was a cautious player, and usually rose a winner. It came out in evidence that, in partnership with Colonel Moran, he had actually won as much as four hundred and twenty pounds in a sitting, some weeks before, from Godfrey Milner and Lord Balmoral. So much for his recent history as it came out at the inquest.

On the evening of the crime, he returned from the club exactly at ten. His mother and sister were out spending the evening with a relation. The servant deposed that she heard him enter the front room on the second floor, generally used as his sitting-room. She had lit a fire there, and as it smoked she had opened the window. No sound was heard from the room until eleven-twenty, the hour of the return of Lady Maynooth and her daughter. Desiring to say good-night, she attempted to enter her son’s room. The door was locked on the inside, and no answer could be got to their cries and knocking. Help was obtained, and the door forced. The unfortunate young man was found lying near the table. His head had been horribly mutilated by an expanding revolver bullet, but no weapon of any sort was to be found in the room. On the table lay two banknotes for ten pounds each and seventeen pounds ten in silver and gold, the money arranged in little piles of varying amount. There were some figures also upon a sheet of paper, with the names of some club friends opposite to them, from which it was conjectured that before his death he was endeavouring to make out his losses or winnings at cards.

A minute examination of the circumstances served only to make the case more complex. In the first place, no reason could be given why the young man should have fastened the door upon the inside. There was the possibility that the murderer had done this, and had afterwards escaped by the window. The drop was at least twenty feet, however, and a bed of crocuses in full bloom lay beneath. Neither the flowers nor the earth showed any sign of having been disturbed, nor were there any marks upon the narrow strip of grass which separated the house from the road. Apparently, therefore, it was the young man himself who had fastened the door. But how did he come by his death? No one could have climbed up to the window without leaving traces. Suppose a man had fired through the window, he would indeed be a remarkable shot who could with a revolver inflict so deadly a wound. Again, Park Lane is a frequented thoroughfare; there is a cab stand within a hundred yards of the house. No one had heard a shot. And yet there was the dead man and there the revolver bullet, which had mushroomed out, as soft-nosed bullets will, and so inflicted a wound which must have caused instantaneous death. Such were the circumstances of the Park Lane Mystery, which were further complicated by entire absence of motive, since, as I have said, young Adair was not known to have any enemy, and no attempt had been made to remove the money or valuables in the room.

All day I turned these facts over in my mind, endeavouring to hit upon some theory which could reconcile them all, and to find that line of least resistance which my poor friend had declared to be the starting-point of every investigation. I confess that I made little progress. In the evening I strolled across the Park, and found myself about six o’clock at the Oxford Street end of Park Lane. A group of loafers upon the pavements, all staring up at a particular window, directed me to the house which I had come to see. A tall, thin man with coloured glasses, whom I strongly suspected of being a plain-clothes detective, was pointing out some theory of his own, while the others crowded round to listen to what he said. I got as near him as I could, but his observations seemed to me to be absurd, so I withdrew again in some disgust. As I did so I struck against an elderly, deformed man, who had been behind me, and I knocked down several books which he was carrying. I remember that as I picked them up, I observed the title of one of them, The Origin of Tree Worship, and it struck me that the fellow must be some poor bibliophile, who, either as a trade or as a hobby, was a collector of obscure volumes. I endeavoured to apologize for the accident, but it was evident that these books which I had so unfortunately maltreated were very precious objects in the eyes of their owner. With a snarl of contempt he turned upon his heel, and I saw his curved back and white side-whiskers disappear among the throng.

My observations of No. 427 Park Lane did little to clear up the problem in which I was interested. The house was separated from the street by a low wall and railing, the whole not more than five feet high. It was perfectly easy, therefore, for anyone to get into the garden, but the window was entirely inaccessible, since there was no waterpipe or anything which could help the most active man to climb it. More puzzled than ever, I retraced my steps to Kensington. I had not been in my study five minutes when the maid entered to say that a person desired to see me. To my astonishment it was none other than my strange old book collector, his sharp, wizened face peering out from a frame of white hair, and his precious volumes, a dozen of them at least, wedged under his right arm.

“You’re surprised to see me, sir,” said he, in a strange, croaking voice.

I acknowledged that I was.

“Well, I’ve a conscience, sir, and when I chanced to see you go into this house, as I came hobbling after you, I thought to myself, I’ll just step in and see that kind gentleman, and tell him that if I was a bit gruff in my manner there was not any harm meant, and that I am much obliged to him for picking up my books.”

“You make too much of a trifle,” said I. “May I ask how you knew who I was?”

“Well, sir, if it isn’t too great a liberty, I am a neighbour of yours, for you’ll find my little bookshop at the corner of Church Street, and very happy to see you, I am sure. Maybe you collect yourself, sir. Here’s British Birds, and Catullus, and The Holy War — a bargain, every one of them. With five volumes you could just fill that gap on that second shelf. It looks untidy, does it not, sir?”

I moved my head to look at the cabinet behind me. When I turned again, Sherlock Holmes was standing smiling at me across my study table. I rose to my feet, stared at him for some seconds in utter amazement, and then it appears that I must have fainted for the first and the last time in my life. Certainly a gray mist swirled before my eyes, and when it cleared I found my collar-ends undone and the tingling after-taste of brandy upon my lips. Holmes was bending over my chair, his flask in his hand.

“My dear Watson,” said the well-remembered voice, “I owe you a thousand apologies. I had no idea that you would be so affected.”

I gripped him by the arms.

“Holmes!” I cried. “Is it really you? Can it indeed be that you are alive? Is it possible that you succeeded in climbing out of that awful abyss?”

“Wait a moment,” said he. “Are you sure that you are really fit to discuss things? I have given you a serious shock by my unnecessarily dramatic reappearance.”

“I am all right, but indeed, Holmes, I can hardly believe my eyes. Good heavens! to think that you — you of all men — should be standing in my study.” Again I gripped him by the sleeve, and felt the thin, sinewy arm beneath it. “Well, you’re not a spirit anyhow,” said I. “My dear chap, I’m overjoyed to see you. Sit down, and tell me how you came alive out of that dreadful chasm.”