Sherlock Holmes pushed him down into the easy-chair and, sittingbeside him, patted his hand and chatted with him in the easy,soothing tones which he knew so well how to employ.
“You have come to me to tell your story, have you not?” saidhe. “You are fatigued with your haste. Pray wait until you haverecovered yourself, and then I shall be most happy to look intoany little problem which you may submit to me.”
The man sat for a minute or more with a heaving chest, fightingagainst his emotion. Then he passed his handkerchief over hisbrow, set his lips tight, and turned his face towards us.
“No doubt you think me mad?” said he.
“I see that you have had some great trouble,” responded Holmes.
“God knows I have! —a trouble which is enough to unseat myreason, so sudden and so terrible is it. Public disgrace I might havefaced, although I am a man whose character has never yet bornea stain. Private affliction also is the lot of every man; but the twocoming together, and in so frightful a form, have been enough toshake my very soul. Besides, it is not I alone. The very noblest inthe land may suffer unless some way be found out of this horribleaffair.”
“Pray compose yourself, sir,” said Holmes, “and let me have aclear account of who you are and what it is that has befallen you.”
“My name,” answered our visitor, “is probably familiar to yourears. I am Alexander Holder, of the banking firm of Holder &Stevenson, of Threadneedle Street.”
The name was indeed well known to us as belonging to thesenior partner in the second largest private banking concern in theCity of London. What could have happened, then, to bring oneof the foremost citizens of London to this most pitiable pass? Wewaited, all curiosity, until with another effort he braced himself totell his story.
“I feel that time is of value,” said he; “that is why I hastenedhere when the police inspector suggested that I should secureyour co?peration. I came to Baker Street by the Undergroundand hurried from there on foot, for the cabs go slowly throughthis snow. That is why I was so out of breath, for I am a man whotakes very little exercise. I feel better now, and I will put the factsbefore you as shortly and yet as clearly as I can.
“It is, of course, well known to you that in a successfulbanking business as much depends upon our being able to findremunerative investments for our funds as upon our increasingour connection and the number of our depositors. One of ourmost lucrative means of laying out money is in the shape of loans,where the security is unimpeachable. We have done a good deal inthis direction during the last few years, and there are many noblefamilies to whom we have advanced large sums upon the securityof their pictures, libraries, or plate.
“Yesterday morning I was seated in my office at the bank whena card was brought in to me by one of the clerks. I started whenI saw the name, for it was that of none other than—well, perhapseven to you I had better say no more than that it was a namewhich is a household word all over the earth—one of the highest,noblest, most exalted names in England. I was overwhelmed bythe honour and attempted, when he entered, to say so, but heplunged at once into business with the air of a man who wishes tohurry quickly through a disagreeable task.
“ ‘Mr. Holder,’ said he, ‘I have been informed that you are in thehabit of advancing money.’
“ ‘The firm does so when the security is good.’ I answered.
“ ‘It is absolutely essential to me,’ said he, ‘that I should have￡50,000 at once. I could, of course, borrow so trifling a sum tentimes over from my friends, but I much prefer to make it a matterof business and to carry out that business myself. In my positionyou can readily understand that it is unwise to place one’s selfunder obligations.’
“ ‘For how long, may I ask, do you want this sum?’ I asked.
“ ‘Next Monday I have a large sum due to me, and I shall thenmost certainly repay what you advance, with whatever interestyou think it right to charge. But it is very essential to me that themoney should be paid at once.’
“ ‘I should be happy to advance it without further parley frommy own private purse,’ said I, ‘were it not that the strain would berather more than it could bear. If, on the other hand, I am to do itin the name of the firm, then in justice to my partner I must insistthat, even in your case, every businesslike precaution should betaken.’
“ ‘I should much prefer to have it so,’ said he, raising up asquare, black morocco case which he had laid beside his chair. ‘Youhave doubtless heard of the Beryl Coronet?’
“ ‘One of the most precious public possessions of the empire,’
said I.
“ ‘Precisely.’ He opened the case, and there, imbedded in soft,flesh-coloured velvet, lay the magnificent piece of jewellery whichhe had named. ‘There are thirty-nine enormous beryls,’ said he, ‘andthe price of the gold chasing is incalculable. The lowest estimatewould put the worth of the coronet at double the sum which I haveasked. I am prepared to leave it with you as my security.’
“I took the precious case into my hands and looked in someperplexity from it to my illustrious client.
“ ‘You doubt its value?’ he asked.
“ ‘Not at all. I only doubt—’
“ ‘The propriety of my leaving it. You may set your mind at restabout that. I should not dream of doing so were it not absolutelycertain that I should be able in four days to reclaim it. It is a purematter of form. Is the security sufficient?’
“ ‘Ample.’