“From the moment, Mr. Soames, that you said to me that noone, not even Bannister, could have told that the papers were inyour room, the case began to take a definite shape in my mind. Theprinter one could, of course, dismiss. He could examine the papersin his own office. The Indian I also thought nothing of. If theproofs were in a roll, he could not possibly know what they were.
On the other hand, it seemed an unthinkable coincidence that aman should dare to enter the room, and that by chance on that veryday the papers were on the table. I dismissed that. The man whoentered knew that the papers were there. How did he know?
“When I approached your room, I examined the window. Youamused me by supposing that I was contemplating the possibilityof someone having in broad daylight, under the eyes of all theseopposite rooms, forced himself through it. Such an idea wasabsurd. I was measuring how tall a man would need to be in orderto see, as he passed, what papers were on the central table. I amsix feet high, and I could do it with an effort. No one less thanthat would have a chance. Already you see I had reason to thinkthat, if one of your three students was a man of unusual height, hewas the most worth watching of the three.
“I entered, and I took you into my confidence as to thesuggestions of the side table. Of the centre table I could makenothing, until in your description of Gilchrist you mentionedthat he was a long-distance jumper. Then the whole thing came tome in an instant, and I only needed certain corroborative proofs,which I speedily obtained.
“What happened with {sic} this: This young fellow hademployed his afternoon at the athletic grounds, where he hadbeen practising the jump. He returned carrying his jumping-shoes,which are provided, as you are aware, with several sharp spikes. Ashe passed your window he saw, by means of his great height, theseproofs upon your table, and conjectured what they were. No harmwould have been done had it not been that, as he passed your door,he perceived the key which had been left by the carelessness of yourservant. A sudden impulse came over him to enter, and see if theywere indeed the proofs. It was not a dangerous exploit for he couldalways pretend that he had simply looked in to ask a question.
“Well, when he saw that they were indeed the proofs, it wasthen that he yielded to temptation. He put his shoes on the table.
What was it you put on that chair near the window?”
“Gloves,” said the young man.
Holmes looked triumphantly at Bannister. “He put his gloves onthe chair, and he took the proofs, sheet by sheet, to copy them. Hethought the tutor must return by the main gate and that he wouldsee him. As we know, he came back by the side gate. Suddenlyhe heard him at the very door. There was no possible escape. Heforgot his gloves but he caught up his shoes and darted into thebedroom. You observe that the scratch on that table is slight atone side, but deepens in the direction of the bedroom door. Thatin itself is enough to show us that the shoe had been drawn in thatdirection, and that the culprit had taken refuge there. The earthround the spike had been left on the table, and a second samplewas loosened and fell in the bedroom. I may add that I walkedout to the athletic grounds this morning, saw that tenacious blackclay is used in the jumping-pit and carried away a specimen of it,together with some of the fine tan or sawdust which is strewn overit to prevent the athlete from slipping. Have I told the truth, Mr.
Gilchrist?”
The student had drawn himself erect.
“Yes, sir, it is true,” said he.
“Good heavens! have you nothing to add?” cried Soames.
“Yes, sir, I have, but the shock of this disgraceful exposure hasbewildered me. I have a letter here, Mr. Soames, which I wroteto you early this morning in the middle of a restless night. It wasbefore I knew that my sin had found me out. Here it is, sir. Youwill see that I have said, ‘I have determined not to go in for theexamination. I have been offered a commission in the RhodesianPolice, and I am going out to South Africa at once.’ ”
“I am indeed pleased to hear that you did not intend to profitby your unfair advantage,” said Soames. “But why did you changeyour purpose?”
Gilchrist pointed to Bannister.
“There is the man who set me in the right path,” said he.
“Come now, Bannister,” said Holmes. “It will be clear to you,from what I have said, that only you could have let this young manout, since you were left in the room, and must have locked thedoor when you went out. As to his escaping by that window, it wasincredible. Can you not clear up the last point in this mystery, andtell us the reasons for your action?”
“It was simple enough, sir, if you only had known, but, withall your cleverness, it was impossible that you could know. Timewas, sir, when I was butler to old Sir Jabez Gilchrist, this younggentleman’s father. When he was ruined I came to the college asservant, but I never forgot my old employer because he was downin the world. I watched his son all I could for the sake of the olddays. Well, sir, when I came into this room yesterday, when thealarm was given, the very first thing I saw was Mr. Gilchrist’stan gloves a-lying in that chair. I knew those gloves well, and Iunderstood their message. If Mr. Soames saw them, the game wasup. I flopped down into that chair, and nothing would budge meuntil Mr. Soames he went for you. Then out came my poor youngmaster, whom I had dandled on my knee, and confessed it all tome. Wasn’t it natural, sir, that I should save him, and wasn’t itnatural also that I should try to speak to him as his dead fatherwould have done, and make him understand that he could notprofit by such a deed? Could you blame me, sir?”
“No, indeed,” said Holmes, heartily, springing to his feet. “Well,Soames, I think we have cleared your little problem up, and ourbreakfast awaits us at home. Come, Watson! As to you, sir, I trustthat a bright future awaits you in Rhodesia. For once you havefallen low. Let us see, in the future, how high you can rise.”
The Adventure of the Golden Pince-Nez