The Adventure of the Bruce-Partington Plans Read online

Woolwichbranch of the Capital and Counties Bank. Through this his identity wasestablished. There were also two dress-circle tickets for the WoolwichTheatre, dated for that very evening. Also a small packet of technicalpapers."

  Holmes gave an exclamation of satisfaction.

  "There we have it at last, Watson! British government--Woolwich.Arsenal--technical papers--Brother Mycroft, the chain is complete. Buthere he comes, if I am not mistaken, to speak for himself."

  A moment later the tall and portly form of Mycroft Holmes was usheredinto the room. Heavily built and massive, there was a suggestion ofuncouth physical inertia in the figure, but above this unwieldy framethere was perched a head so masterful in its brow, so alert in itssteel-gray, deep-set eyes, so firm in its lips, and so subtle in itsplay of expression, that after the first glance one forgot the grossbody and remembered only the dominant mind.

  At his heels came our old friend Lestrade, of Scotland Yard--thin andaustere. The gravity of both their faces foretold some weighty quest.The detective shook hands without a word. Mycroft Holmes struggled outof his overcoat and subsided into an armchair.

  "A most annoying business, Sherlock," said he. "I extremely dislikealtering my habits, but the powers that be would take no denial. Inthe present state of Siam it is most awkward that I should be away fromthe office. But it is a real crisis. I have never seen the PrimeMinister so upset. As to the Admiralty--it is buzzing like anoverturned bee-hive. Have you read up the case?"

  "We have just done so. What were the technical papers?"

  "Ah, there's the point! Fortunately, it has not come out. The presswould be furious if it did. The papers which this wretched youth hadin his pocket were the plans of the Bruce-Partington submarine."

  Mycroft Holmes spoke with a solemnity which showed his sense of theimportance of the subject. His brother and I sat expectant.

  "Surely you have heard of it? I thought everyone had heard of it."

  "Only as a name."

  "Its importance can hardly be exaggerated. It has been the mostjealously guarded of all government secrets. You may take it from methat naval warfare becomes impossible within the radius of aBruce-Partington's operation. Two years ago a very large sum wassmuggled through the Estimates and was expended in acquiring a monopolyof the invention. Every effort has been made to keep the secret. Theplans, which are exceedingly intricate, comprising some thirty separatepatents, each essential to the working of the whole, are kept in anelaborate safe in a confidential office adjoining the arsenal, withburglar-proof doors and windows. Under no conceivable circumstanceswere the plans to be taken from the office. If the chief constructorof the Navy desired to consult them, even he was forced to go to theWoolwich office for the purpose. And yet here we find them in thepocket of a dead junior clerk in the heart of London. From an officialpoint of view it's simply awful."

  "But you have recovered them?"

  "No, Sherlock, no! That's the pinch. We have not. Ten papers weretaken from Woolwich. There were seven in the pocket of Cadogan West.The three most essential are gone--stolen, vanished. You must dropeverything, Sherlock. Never mind your usual petty puzzles of thepolice-court. It's a vital international problem that you have tosolve. Why did Cadogan West take the papers, where are the missingones, how did he die, how came his body where it was found, how can theevil be set right? Find an answer to all these questions, and you willhave done good service for your country."

  "Why do you not solve it yourself, Mycroft? You can see as far as I."

  "Possibly, Sherlock. But it is a question of getting details. Give meyour details, and from an armchair I will return you an excellentexpert opinion. But to run here and run there, to cross-questionrailway guards, and lie on my face with a lens to my eye--it is not mymetier. No, you are the one man who can clear the matter up. If youhave a fancy to see your name in the next honours list--"

  My friend smiled and shook his head.

  "I play the game for the game's own sake," said he. "But the problemcertainly presents some points of interest, and I shall be very pleasedto look into it. Some more facts, please."

  "I have jotted down the more essential ones upon this sheet of paper,together with a few addresses which you will find of service. Theactual official guardian of the papers is the famous government expert,Sir James Walter, whose decorations and sub-titles fill two lines of abook of reference. He has grown gray in the service, is a gentleman, afavoured guest in the most exalted houses, and, above all, a man whosepatriotism is beyond suspicion. He is one of two who have a key of thesafe. I may add that the papers were undoubtedly in the office duringworking hours on Monday, and that Sir James left for London about threeo'clock taking his key with him. He was at the house of AdmiralSinclair at Barclay Square during the whole of the evening when thisincident occurred."

  "Has the fact been verified?"

  "Yes; his brother, Colonel Valentine Walter, has testified to hisdeparture from Woolwich, and Admiral Sinclair to his arrival in London;so Sir James is no longer a direct factor in the problem."

  "Who was the other man with a key?"

  "The senior clerk and draughtsman, Mr. Sidney Johnson. He is a man offorty, married, with five children. He is a silent, morose man, but hehas, on the whole, an excellent record in the public service. He isunpopular with his colleagues, but a hard worker. According to his ownaccount, corroborated only by the word of his wife, he was at home thewhole of Monday evening after office hours, and his key has never leftthe watch-chain upon which it hangs."

  "Tell us about Cadogan West."

  "He has been ten years in the service and has done good work. He hasthe reputation of being hot-headed and imperious, but a straight,honest man. We have nothing against him. He was next Sidney Johnsonin the office. His duties brought him into daily, personal contactwith the plans. No one else had the handling of them."

  "Who locked up the plans that night?"

  "Mr. Sidney Johnson, the senior clerk."

  "Well, it is surely perfectly clear who took them away. They areactually found upon the person of this junior clerk, Cadogan West.That seems final, does it not?"

  "It does, Sherlock, and yet it leaves so much unexplained. In thefirst place, why did he take them?"

  "I presume they were of value?"

  "He could have got several thousands for them very easily."

  "Can you suggest any possible motive for taking the papers to Londonexcept to sell them?"

  "No, I cannot."

  "Then we must take that as our working hypothesis. Young West took thepapers. Now this could only be done by having a false key--"

  "Several false keys. He had to open the building and the room."

  "He had, then, several false keys. He took the papers to London tosell the secret, intending, no doubt, to have the plans themselves backin the safe next morning before they were missed. While in London onthis treasonable mission he met his end."

  "How?"

  "We will suppose that he was travelling back to Woolwich when he waskilled and thrown out of the compartment."

  "Aldgate, where the body was found, is considerably past the stationLondon Bridge, which would be his route to Woolwich."

  "Many circumstances could be imagined under which he would pass LondonBridge. There was someone in the carriage, for example, with whom hewas having an absorbing interview. This interview led to a violentscene in which he lost his life. Possibly he tried to leave thecarriage, fell out on the line, and so met his end. The other closedthe door. There was a thick fog, and nothing could be seen."

  "No better explanation can be given with our present knowledge; and yetconsider, Sherlock, how much you leave untouched. We will suppose, forargument's sake, that young Cadogan West HAD determined to convey thesepapers to London. He would naturally have made an appointment with theforeign agent and kept his evening clear. Instead of that he took twotickets for the theatre, escorted his fiancee halfway there, and thensuddenly d
isappeared."

  "A blind," said Lestrade, who had sat listening with some impatience tothe conversation.

  "A very singular one. That is objection No. 1. Objection No. 2: Wewill suppose that he reaches London and sees the foreign agent. Hemust bring back the papers before morning or the loss will bediscovered. He took away ten. Only seven were in his pocket. Whathad become of the other three? He certainly would not leave them ofhis own free will. Then, again, where is the price of his treason?Once would have expected to find a large sum of money in his pocket."

  "It seems to me perfectly clear," said Lestrade. "I have no doubt atall as to what occurred. He took the papers to sell them. He saw theagent. They could not agree as to price.