call?'
'None.'
'You may leave the case in my hands,' said Herlock Sholmes carelessly. 'I
may call at Hookey Castle with news for you tomorrow.'
'Bless you, Mr Sholmes!'
And the duke took his leave.
'It is scarcely possible that a skilled pickpocket is to be found in the
Chinwag Department,' said Sholmes thoughtfully.
'Impossible, Mr Sholmes! Every official of that great Department is far
above suspicion of being skilled in any manner whatsoever!'
'True!'
'There is no clue!' said the duke in despairing tones. 'But unless the
missing ticket is recovered, Mr Sholmes, the famous Hookeywalker jewels are
lost!'
Herlock Sholmes lighted a couple of pipes, a habit of his when a
particularly knotty problem required great concentration of thought. I did not
venture to interrupt the meditations of that mighty intellect.
Sholmes spoke at last, with a smile.
'A very interesting little problem, Jotson. I can see that you are
puzzled by my deduction that the pawn ticket was lost before his Grace had
mentioned it.'
'I am astounded, Sholmes.'
'Yet it was simple. I had heard of the great social gathering at Hookey
Castle,' explained Sholmes. 'I deduced that his Grace could only meet the bills
by hypothecating the family jewels. His hurried visit to me and his agitation
could have had but one meaning—I deduced that the pawn ticket was lost or
stolen. Quite elementary my dear Jotson! But the recovery of the missing ticket—’
'That will not be so simple, Sholmes.'
'Who knows, Jotson?' Sholmes rose to his feet and drew his celebrated
dressing-gown about him. 'I must leave you for a short time, Jotson. You may go
and see your patients, my dear fellow.'
'One question, Sholmes. You are going—‘
'To the Chinwag Department.'
'But—‘
But Herlock Sholmes was gone.
II
I confess that Sholmes' behaviour perplexed me. He had declared that the
pickpocket could not be found in the Chinwag Department, yet he had gone there
to commence his investigations. When he returned to Shaker Street, he made no
remark upon the case, and I did not venture to question him. The next morning
he greeted me with a smile as I came down into the sitting-room.
'You are ready for a little run this morning, Jotson?' he asked.
'I am always at your service, Sholmes.'
'Good! Then call a taxi.'
A few minutes later a taxicab was bearing us away. Sholmes had given the
direction to the driver—'Hookey Castle.'
'We are going to see the duke, Sholmes?' I asked.
He nodded.
'But the missing pawn ticket?'
'Wait and see!'
This reply, worthy of a great statesman, was all I could elicit from
Sholmes on the journey.
The taxi drove up the stately approach to Hookey Castle. A gorgeous
footman admitted us to the great mansion, and we were shown into the presence
of the duke.
His Grace had left his guests to see us.
There was a slight impatience in his manner.
'My clear Mr Sholmes,' he said, 'I supposed I had given you the fullest
particulars yesterday. You have called me away from a shove-ha'penny party.'
'I am sorry,' said Sholmes calmly. 'Return to the shove-ha'penny party, by
all means your Grace, and I will call another time with the pawn ticket.'
The duke bounded to his feet.
'Mr Sholmes! You have recovered it?'
Sholmes smiled. He delighted in these dramatic surprises.
The duke gazed with startled eyes at the slip of pasteboard my amazing
friend presented to him.
'The missing pawn ticket!' he ejaculated.
'The same!' said Sholmes.
'Sholmes!' I murmured. I could say no more.
The Duke of Hookeywalker took the ticket with trembling fingers.
'Mr Sholmes' he said in tones of deep emotion, 'you have saved the honour
of the name of Hookeywalker! You will stay to dinner, Mr Sholmes. Come, I
insist—there will be tripe and onions!' he added.
'I cannot resist the tripe and onions,' said Sholmes, with a smile.
And we stayed.
Ill
It was not till the taxi was whirling us homeward to Shaker Street that
Herlock Sholmes relieved my
'None.'
'You may leave the case in my hands,' said Herlock Sholmes carelessly. 'I
may call at Hookey Castle with news for you tomorrow.'
'Bless you, Mr Sholmes!'
And the duke took his leave.
'It is scarcely possible that a skilled pickpocket is to be found in the
Chinwag Department,' said Sholmes thoughtfully.
'Impossible, Mr Sholmes! Every official of that great Department is far
above suspicion of being skilled in any manner whatsoever!'
'True!'
'There is no clue!' said the duke in despairing tones. 'But unless the
missing ticket is recovered, Mr Sholmes, the famous Hookeywalker jewels are
lost!'
Herlock Sholmes lighted a couple of pipes, a habit of his when a
particularly knotty problem required great concentration of thought. I did not
venture to interrupt the meditations of that mighty intellect.
Sholmes spoke at last, with a smile.
'A very interesting little problem, Jotson. I can see that you are
puzzled by my deduction that the pawn ticket was lost before his Grace had
mentioned it.'
'I am astounded, Sholmes.'
'Yet it was simple. I had heard of the great social gathering at Hookey
Castle,' explained Sholmes. 'I deduced that his Grace could only meet the bills
by hypothecating the family jewels. His hurried visit to me and his agitation
could have had but one meaning—I deduced that the pawn ticket was lost or
stolen. Quite elementary my dear Jotson! But the recovery of the missing ticket—’
'That will not be so simple, Sholmes.'
'Who knows, Jotson?' Sholmes rose to his feet and drew his celebrated
dressing-gown about him. 'I must leave you for a short time, Jotson. You may go
and see your patients, my dear fellow.'
'One question, Sholmes. You are going—‘
'To the Chinwag Department.'
'But—‘
But Herlock Sholmes was gone.
II
I confess that Sholmes' behaviour perplexed me. He had declared that the
pickpocket could not be found in the Chinwag Department, yet he had gone there
to commence his investigations. When he returned to Shaker Street, he made no
remark upon the case, and I did not venture to question him. The next morning
he greeted me with a smile as I came down into the sitting-room.
'You are ready for a little run this morning, Jotson?' he asked.
'I am always at your service, Sholmes.'
'Good! Then call a taxi.'
A few minutes later a taxicab was bearing us away. Sholmes had given the
direction to the driver—'Hookey Castle.'
'We are going to see the duke, Sholmes?' I asked.
He nodded.
'But the missing pawn ticket?'
'Wait and see!'
This reply, worthy of a great statesman, was all I could elicit from
Sholmes on the journey.
The taxi drove up the stately approach to Hookey Castle. A gorgeous
footman admitted us to the great mansion, and we were shown into the presence
of the duke.
His Grace had left his guests to see us.
There was a slight impatience in his manner.
'My clear Mr Sholmes,' he said, 'I supposed I had given you the fullest
particulars yesterday. You have called me away from a shove-ha'penny party.'
'I am sorry,' said Sholmes calmly. 'Return to the shove-ha'penny party, by
all means your Grace, and I will call another time with the pawn ticket.'
The duke bounded to his feet.
'Mr Sholmes! You have recovered it?'
Sholmes smiled. He delighted in these dramatic surprises.
The duke gazed with startled eyes at the slip of pasteboard my amazing
friend presented to him.
'The missing pawn ticket!' he ejaculated.
'The same!' said Sholmes.
'Sholmes!' I murmured. I could say no more.
The Duke of Hookeywalker took the ticket with trembling fingers.
'Mr Sholmes' he said in tones of deep emotion, 'you have saved the honour
of the name of Hookeywalker! You will stay to dinner, Mr Sholmes. Come, I
insist—there will be tripe and onions!' he added.
'I cannot resist the tripe and onions,' said Sholmes, with a smile.
And we stayed.
Ill
It was not till the taxi was whirling us homeward to Shaker Street that
Herlock Sholmes relieved my
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