'By the way,' said he to Joseph Harrison, 'you found some place, I understand,where the fellow scaled the fence. Let us have a look at that.'
　　The young man led us to a spot where the top of one of the wooden rails had beencracked. A small fragment of the wood was hanging down. Holmes pulled it off andexamined it critically.
　　'Do you think that was done last night? It looks rather old, does it not?'
　　'Well, possibly so.'
　　'There are no marks of anyone jumping down upon the other side. No, I fancy weshall get no help here. Let us go back to the bedroom and talk the matter over.'
　　Percy Phelps was walking very slowly, leaning upon the arm of his futurebrother-in-law. Holmes walked swiftly across the lawn, and we were at the openwindow of the bedroom long before the others came up.
　　'Miss Harrison,' said Holmes, speaking with the utmost intensity of manner, 'youmust stay where you are all day. Let nothing prevent you from staying where you areall day. It is of most vital importance.'
　　'Certainly, if you wish it, Mr. Holmes,' said the girl, in astonishment.
　　'When you go to bed lock the door of this room on the outside and keep the key.Promise to do this.'
　　'But Percy?'
　　'He will come to London with us.'
　　'And I am to remain here?'
　　'It is for his sake. You can serve him! Quick! Promise!'
　　she gave a nod of assent just as the other two came up.
　　'Why do you sit moping there, Annie?' cried her brother. 'Come out into thesunshine!'
　　'No, thank you, Joseph. I have a slight headache, and this room is deliciously cooland soothing.'
　　'What do you propose now, Mr. Holmes?' asked out client.
　　'Well, in investigating this minor affair we must not lose sight of our main inquiry.It would be a very great help to me if you could come up to London with us.'
　　'At once?'
　　'Well, as soon as you conveniently can. Say in an hour.'
　　'I feel quite strong enough, if I can really be of any help.'
　　'The greatest possible.'
　　'Perhaps you would like me to stay there to-night.'
　　'I was just going to propose it.'
　　'Then if my friend of the night comes to revisit me, he will find the bird flown. Weare all in your hands, Mr. Holmes, and you must tell us exactly what you would likedone. Perhaps you would prefer that Joseph came with us, so as to look after me?'
　　'Oh, no; my friend Watson is a medical man, you know, and he'll look after you.We'll have our lunch here, if you will permit us, and then we shall all three set off fortown together.'
　　It was arranged as he suggested, though Miss Harrison excused herself fromleaving the bedroom, in accordance with Holmes's suggestion. What the object of myfriend's manoeuvres was I could not conceive, unless it were to keep the lady awayfrom Phelps, who, rejoiced by his returning health and by the prospect of action,lunched with us in the dinning-room. Holmes had a still more startling surprise for us,however, for after accompanying us down to the station and seeing us into ourcarriage, he calmly announced that he had no intention of leaving Woking.
　　'There are one or two small points which I should desire to clear up before I go,'said he. 'Your absence, Mr. Phelps, will in some ways rather assist me. Watson, whenyou reach London you would oblige me by driving at once to Baker Street with ourfriend here, and remaining with him until I see you again. It is fortunate that you areold schoolfellows, as you must have much to talk over. Mr. Phelps can have the sparebedroom to-night, and I shall be with you in time for breakfast, for there is a trainwhich will take me into Waterloo at eight.'
　　'But how about our investigation in London?' asked Phelps, ruefully.
　　'We can do that to-morrow. I think that just at present I can be of more immediateuse here.'
　　'You might tell them at Briarbrae that I hope to be back to-morrow night,' criedPhelps, as we began to move from the platform.
　　'I hardly expect to go back to Briarbrae,' answered Holmes, and waved his hand tous cheerily as we shot out from the station.
　　Phelps and I talked it over on our journey, but neither of us could devise asatisfactory reason for this new development.
　　'I suppose he wants to find out some clue as to the burglary last night, if a burglar itwas. For myself, I don't believe it was an ordinary thief.'
　　'What is your idea, then?'
　　'Upon my word, you may put it down to my weak nerves or not, but I believe thereis some deep political intrigue going on around me, and that, for some reason thatpasses my understanding, my life is aimed at by the conspirators. It soundshigh-flown and absurd, but consider the facts! Why should a thief try to break in at abedroom window, where there could be no hope of any plunder, and why should hecome with a long knife in his hand?'
　　'You are sure it was not a housebreaker's jemmy?'
　　'Oh, no; it was a knife. I saw the flash of the blade quite distinctly.'
　　'But why on earth should you be pursued with such animosity?'
　　'Ah! That is the question.'
　　'Well, if Holmes takes the same view, that would account for his action, would itnot? Presuming that your theory is correct, if he can lay his hands upon the man whothreatened you last night, he will have gone a long way towards finding who took thenaval treaty. It is absurd to suppose that you have two enemies, one of whom robs youwhile the other threatens your life.'
　　'But Mr. Holmes said that he was not going to Briarbrae.'
　　'I have known him for some time,' said I, 'but I never knew him do anything yetwithout a very good reason,' and with that our conversation drifted off into othertopics.
　　But it was a weary day for me. Phelps was still weak after his long illness, and hismisfortunes made him querulous and nervous. In vain I endeavoured to interest him inAfghanistan, in India, in social questions, in anything which might take his mind outof the groove. He would always come back to his lost treaty; wondering, guessing,speculating, as to what Holmes was doing, what steps lord Holdhurst was taking, whatnews we should have in the morning. As the evening wore on his excitement becamequite painful.