(_By Cunnin Toil._)
No. V.--THE HUNGARIAN DIAMOND.
Everybody must remember the apparently causeless panic that seized
the various European governments only a few years ago. It was the dead
season. Members of Parliament were all disporting themselves on the
various grouse-moors which are specially reserved for that august
legislative body in order that there may be no lack of accuracy in the
articles of those who imagine that the 12th of August brings to
every M.P. a yearning for the scent of heather and the sound of
breech-loading guns. Suddenly, and without any warning, a great fear
spread through Europe. Nobody seemed able to state precisely how
it began. There were, of course, some who attributed it to an
after-dinner speech made by the German Emperor at the annual banquet
of the Blue Boesewitzers, the famous Cuirassier regiment of which the
Grand Duke of SCHNUPFTUCHSTEIN is the honorary commanding officer.
Others again saw in it the influence of M. PAUL DEROULEDE, while yet a
third party attributed it with an equal assumption of certainty to the
fact that Austria had recently forbidden the import of Servian pigs.
They were all wrong. The time has come when the truth must be known.
The story I am about to tell will show my extraordinary friend,
PICKLOCK HOLES, on an even higher pinnacle of unmatchable acumen than
that which fame has hitherto assigned to him. He may be vexed when
he reads my narrative of his triumphs, for he is as modest as he is
inductive; but I am determined that, at whatever cost, the story shall
be made public.
It was on one of those delightful evenings for which our English
summer is famous, that HOLES and I were as usual sitting together and
conversing as to the best methods of inferring an Archbishop from
a hat-band and a Commander-in-Chief from a penny-whistle. I had put
forward several plans which appeared to me to be satisfactory, but
HOLES had scouted them one after another with a cold impassivity which
had not failed to impress me, accustomed though I was to the great
man's exhibition of it.
"Here," said HOLES, eventually, "are the necessary steps. Hat-band,
band-master, master-mind, mind-your-eye, eye-ball, ball-bearing,
bear-leader, Leda and the Swan, swan-bill, bill-post, post-cart,
cart-road, roadway, Weybridge, bridge-arch, arch-bishop. The inference
of a Commander-in-Chief is even easier. You have only to assume that a
penny-whistle has been found lying on the Horse-Guards' Parade by the
Colonel of the Scots Guards, and carried by him to the office of the
Secretary of State for War. Thereupon you subdivide the number of
drummer-boys in a regiment of Goorkhas by the capital value of a
sergeant's retiring pension, and----"
But the rest of this marvellous piece of concise reasoning must remain
for ever a secret, for at this moment a bugle-call disturbed the
stillness of the summer night, and HOLES immediately paused.
"What can that mean?" I asked, in some alarm, for Camberwell (our
meeting place) is an essentially unmilitary district, and I could not
account for this strange and awe-inspiring musical demonstration.
"Hush," said HOLES, with perfect composure; "it is the agreed signal.
Listen. The great Samovar diamond, the most brilliant jewel in the
turquoise crown of Hungary, has been lost. The Emperor of AUSTRIA is
in despair. Next week he is due at Pesth, but he cannot appear before
the fierce and haughty Magyars in a crown deprived of the decoration
that all Hungary looks upon as symbolical of the national existence.
A riot in Pesth at this moment would shake the Austro-Hungarian empire
to its foundations. With it the Triple Alliance would crumble into
dust, and the peace of Europe would not be worth an hour's purchase.
It is, therefore, imperative that before the dawn of next Monday the
diamond should be restored to its wonted setting."
"My dear HOLES," I said, "this is more terrible than I thought.
Have they appealed to you, as usual, after exhausting all the native
talent?"
"My dear POTSON," replied my friend, "you ask too much. Let it suffice
that I have been consulted, and that the determination of the question
of peace or war lies in these hands." And with these words the
arch-detective spread before my eyes those long, sinewy, and
meditative fingers which had so often excited my admiration.
Our preparations for departure to Hungary were soon made. I hardly
know why I accompanied HOLES. It seemed somehow to be the usual thing
that I should be present at all his feats. I thought he looked for
my company, and though his undemonstrative nature would never have
suffered him to betray any annoyance had I remained absent, I judged
it best not to disturb the even current of his investigations by
departing from established precedent. I therefore departed from
London--my only alternative. Just as we were setting out, HOLES
stopped me with a warning gesture.
"Have you brought the clue with you?" he asked.
"What clue?"
"Oh," he answered, rather testily, "any clue you like, so long as it's
a clue. A torn scrap of paper with writing on it, a foot-print in the
mud, a broken chair, a soiled overcoat--it really doesn't matter what
it is, but a clue of some kind we must have."
"Of course, of course," I said, in soothing tones. "How stupid of me
to forget it. Will this do?" I continued, picking up a piece of faded
green ribbon which happened to be lying on the pavement.
"The very thing," said HOLES, pocketing it, and so we started. Our
first visit on arriving at Pesth was to the Emperor-King, who was
living _incognito_ in a small back alley of the Hungarian capital. We
cheered the monarch's heart, and proceeded to call on the leader of
the Opposition in the Hungarian Diet. He was a stern man of some fifty
summers, dressed in the national costume. We found him at supper.
HOLES was the first to speak. "Sir," he said, "resistance is useless.
Your schemes have been discovered. All that is left for you is to
throw yourself upon the mercy of your King."
The rage of the Magyar was fearful to witness. HOLES continued,
inexorably:--"This piece of green ribbon matches the colour of your
Sunday tunic. Can you swear it has not been torn from the lining? You
cannot. I thought so. Know then that wrapped in this ribbon was found
the great Samovar diamond, and that you, you alone, were concerned in
the robbery."
At this moment the police broke into the room.
"Remove his Excellency," said HOLES, "and let him forthwith expiate
his crimes upon the scaffold."
"But," I ventured to interpose, "where is the diamond? Unless you
restore that----"
"POTSON," whispered HOLES, almost fiercely, "do not be a fool."
As he said this, the door once again opened, and the Emperor-King
entered the room, bearing on his head the turquoise crown, in the
centre of which sparkled the great Samovar, "the moon of brilliancy,"
as the Hungarian poets love to call it. The Emperor approached the
marvellous detective. "Pardon me," he said, "for troubling you. I have
just found the missing stone under my pillow."
"Where," said HOLES, "I was about to tell your Majesty that you would
find it."
"Thank you," said his Majesty, "for restoring to me a valued
possession and ridding me of a knave about whom I have long had my
suspicions." The conclusion of this speech was greeted with loud
"_Eljens_," the Hungarian national shout, in the midst of which we
took our leave. That is the true story of how the peace of Europe was
preserved by my wonderful friend.
* * * * *
Transcriber's Note:
Sundry damaged or missing punctuation has been repaired.
Page 165: 'then' corrected to 'than'.
"But better a miss, or a magpie or so,
Than that bad, bad form which "Sassiety" shames."