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visit to Warsaw, I made the acquaintance of the well-known adventuress, |
Irene Adler. The name is no doubt familiar to you.” |
“Kindly look her up in my index, Doctor,” murmured Holmes without |
opening his eyes. For many years he had adopted a system of docketing |
all paragraphs concerning men and things, so that it was difficult to |
name a subject or a person on which he could not at once furnish |
information. In this case I found her biography sandwiched in between |
that of a Hebrew rabbi and that of a staff-commander who had written a |
monograph upon the deep-sea fishes. |
“Let me see!” said Holmes. “Hum! Born in New Jersey in the year 1858. |
Contralto—hum! La Scala, hum! Prima donna Imperial Opera of Warsaw—yes! |
Retired from operatic stage—ha! Living in London—quite so! Your |
Majesty, as I understand, became entangled with this young person, |
wrote her some compromising letters, and is now desirous of getting |
those letters back.” |
“Precisely so. But how—” |
“Was there a secret marriage?” |
“None.” |
“No legal papers or certificates?” |
“None.” |
“Then I fail to follow your Majesty. If this young person should |
produce her letters for blackmailing or other purposes, how is she to |
prove their authenticity?” |
“There is the writing.” |
“Pooh, pooh! Forgery.” |
“My private note-paper.” |
“Stolen.” |
“My own seal.” |
“Imitated.” |
“My photograph.” |
“Bought.” |
“We were both in the photograph.” |
“Oh, dear! That is very bad! Your Majesty has indeed committed an |
indiscretion.” |
“I was mad—insane.” |
“You have compromised yourself seriously.” |
“I was only Crown Prince then. I was young. I am but thirty now.” |
“It must be recovered.” |
“We have tried and failed.” |
“Your Majesty must pay. It must be bought.” |
“She will not sell.” |
“Stolen, then.” |
“Five attempts have been made. Twice burglars in my pay ransacked her |
house. Once we diverted her luggage when she travelled. Twice she has |
been waylaid. There has been no result.” |
“No sign of it?” |
“Absolutely none.” |
Holmes laughed. “It is quite a pretty little problem,” said he. |
“But a very serious one to me,” returned the King reproachfully. |
“Very, indeed. And what does she propose to do with the photograph?” |
“To ruin me.” |
“But how?” |
“I am about to be married.” |
“So I have heard.” |
“To Clotilde Lothman von Saxe-Meningen, second daughter of the King of |
Scandinavia. You may know the strict principles of her family. She is |
herself the very soul of delicacy. A shadow of a doubt as to my conduct |
would bring the matter to an end.” |
“And Irene Adler?” |
“Threatens to send them the photograph. And she will do it. I know that |
she will do it. You do not know her, but she has a soul of steel. She |