It was dated from Montague Place upon the preceding evening,and ran thus:
“DEAR MR. HOLMES: —I am very anxious to consult you as towhether I should or should not accept a situation which has beenoffered to me as governess. I shall call at half-past ten to-morrow ifI do not inconvenience you.
Yours faithfully,
“VIOLET HUNTER.”
“Do you know the young lady?” I asked.
“Not I.”
“It is half-past ten now.”
“Yes, and I have no doubt that is her ring.”
“It may turn out to be of more interest than you think. Youremember that the affair of the blue carbuncle, which appeared tobe a mere whim at first, developed into a serious investigation. Itmay be so in this case, also.”
“Well, let us hope so. But our doubts will very soon be solved,for here, unless I am much mistaken, is the person in question.”
As he spoke the door opened and a young lady entered theroom. She was plainly but neatly dressed, with a bright, quick face,freckled like a plover’s egg, and with the brisk manner of a womanwho has had her own way to make in the world.
“You will excuse my troubling you, I am sure,” said she, asmy companion rose to greet her, “but I have had a very strangeexperience, and as I have no parents or relations of any sort fromwhom I could ask advice, I thought that perhaps you would bekind enough to tell me what I should do.”
“Pray take a seat, Miss Hunter. I shall be happy to do anythingthat I can to serve you.”
I could see that Holmes was favourably impressed by themanner and speech of his new client. He looked her over inhis searching fashion, and then composed himself, with his lidsdrooping and his finger-tips together, to listen to her story.
“I have been a governess for five years,” said she, “in the familyof Colonel Spence Munro, but two months ago the colonelreceived an appointment at Halifax, in Nova Scotia, and took hischildren over to America with him, so that I found myself withouta situation. I advertised, and I answered advertisements, butwithout success. At last the little money which I had saved beganto run short, and I was at my wit’s end as to what I should do.
“There is a well-known agency for governesses in the West Endcalled Westaway’s, and there I used to call about once a week inorder to see whether anything had turned up which might suit me.
Westaway was the name of the founder of the business, but it isreally managed by Miss Stoper. She sits in her own little office, andthe ladies who are seeking employment wait in an anteroom, andare then shown in one by one, when she consults her ledgers andsees whether she has anything which would suit them.
“Well, when I called last week I was shown into the littleoffice as usual, but I found that Miss Stoper was not alone. Aprodigiously stout man with a very smiling face and a great heavychin which rolled down in fold upon fold over his throat sat at herelbow with a pair of glasses on his nose, looking very earnestly atthe ladies who entered. As I came in he gave quite a jump in hischair and turned quickly to Miss Stoper.
“ ‘That will do,’ said he; ‘I could not ask for anything better.
Capital! capital!’ He seemed quite enthusiastic and rubbed his handstogether in the most genial fashion. He was such a comfortablelookingman that it was quite a pleasure to look at him.
“ ‘You are looking for a situation, miss?’ he asked.
“ ‘Yes, sir.’
“ ‘As governess?’
“ ‘Yes, sir.’
“ ‘And what salary do you ask?’
“ ‘I had ￡4 a month in my last place with Colonel Spence Munro.’
“ ‘Oh, tut, tut! sweating—rank sweating!’ he cried, throwing hisfat hands out into the air like a man who is in a boiling passion.
‘How could anyone offer so pitiful a sum to a lady with suchattractions and accomplishments?’
“ ‘My accomplishments, sir, may be less than you imagine,’ said I.
‘A little French, a little German, music, and drawing—’
“ ‘Tut, tut!’ he cried. ‘This is all quite beside the question. Thepoint is, have you or have you not the bearing and deportment ofa lady? There it is in a nutshell. If you have not, you are not fittedfor the rearing of a child who may some day play a considerablepart in the history of the country. But if you have why, then, howcould any gentleman ask you to condescend to accept anythingunder the three figures? Your salary with me, madam, wouldcommence at ￡100 a year.’
“You may imagine, Mr. Holmes, that to me, destitute as I was,such an offer seemed almost too good to be true. The gentleman,however, seeing perhaps the look of incredulity upon my face,opened a pocket-book and took out a note.
“ ‘It is also my custom,’ said he, smiling in the most pleasantfashion until his eyes were just two little shining slits amid thewhite creases of his face, ‘to advance to my young ladies half theirsalary beforehand, so that they may meet any little expenses oftheir journey and their wardrobe.’
“It seemed to me that I had never met so fascinating and sothoughtful a man. As I was already in debt to my tradesmen, theadvance was a great convenience, and yet there was somethingunnatural about the whole transaction which made me wish toknow a little more before I quite committed myself.
“ ‘May I ask where you live, sir?’ said I.
“ ‘Hampshire. Charming rural place. The Copper Beeches, fivemiles on the far side of Winchester. It is the most lovely country,my dear young lady, and the dearest old country-house.’
“ ‘And my duties, sir? I should be glad to know what they wouldbe.’
“ ‘One child—one dear little romper just six years old. Oh, if youcould see him killing cockroaches with a slipper! Smack! smack!
smack! Three gone before you could wink!’ He leaned back in hischair and laughed his eyes into his head again.
“I was a little startled at the nature of the child’s amusement,but the father’s laughter made me think that perhaps he wasjoking.
“ ‘My sole duties, then,’ I asked, ‘are to take charge of a singlechild?’