970 The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone

“I probably shall. But not just yet. Would you glance carefully out of the window, Watson, and see is anybody is hanging about in the street?”
Watson looked warily round the edge of the curtain.
“Yes, there is one rough chap near the door.”
“That will be Sam Merton- the faithful but rather fatuous Sam. Where is this gentleman, Quinn?”
“In the waiting room, sir”
“Show him up when I ring”
‘Yes, sir”
“If I am not in the room, show him in all the same he has with him a stone of which I don’t know the colour, but am intent on finding out”
‘Yes, sir”

Watson waited until the door was closed and then he turned earnestly to his companion.

“Look here Holmes, this is simply impossible. This is a desperate man, who sticks at nothing. He may have come to murder you”
“I should not be surprised”
“I insist on staying with you”
“You would be horribly in the way”
“In his way”
“No, My dear fellow-in my way”
“Well, I can’t possibly leave you”
‘Yes, you can Watson. And you will, for you have never failed to play the game. I am sure you will play it to the end. This man has come for his own purpose, but he may stay for mine”
Holmes took out his notebook and scribbled a few lines.
“Take a cab to Scotland Yard and give this to Griffin of the C.I.D. Come back with the police. The fellow’s arrest will follow.”
‘I’ll do that with joy.”
“Before you return I may just have time to find out where the stone is,” He touched the bell. “I think we will go out through the bedroom. This second exit is exceedingly useful. I rather want to see my shark without his seeing me, and I have, as you will remember, my own way of doing it”

Watson left into the dark passage and was quite aware that his companion did not follow close behind him.
It was therefore, an empty room into which Quinn, a minute later, ushered Count Clovis. The famous Game-shot, sportsman, and man-about-town was a big swarthy fellow, with a formidable dark moustache, shading a cruel, thin lipped mouth, and surmounted by a long curved nose and a scar running from underneath his nose across both lips. He was well dressed, but his paisley necktie and silver pin were flamboyant in their effect. As the door closed behind him he looked around the room with fierce startled eyes, like one who suspects a trap at every turn. Then he gave a violent start as he saw the shining shoes pointing out from beneath the red curtain. He approached carefully, creeping not to make a noise although he well knew he was quite as exposed as the one who was concealed.

“I can see you Holmes!” He cried in a wicked and crackling voice, which thought it had won and raised his hands excitedly.

“ Yes, see me you may” said a voice from behind the curtain, “But you also gave away your secret Count Clovis”
Holmes spoke calmly and slowly
“Your hand twitched terribly towards your left pocket, where you have so casually concealed the Mazarin Stone when you, so unmistakably, for just a moment, thought you were in this room alone”

A. Conan Doyle & G. Schofield

970 The Adventure of the Mazarin Stone

“I probably shall. But not just yet. Would you glance carefully out of the window, Watson, and see is anybody is hanging about in the street?”
Watson looked warily round the edge of the curtain.
“Yes, there is one rough chap near the door.”
“That will be Sam Merton- the faithful but rather fatuous Sam. Where is this gentleman, Quinn?”
“In the waiting room, sir”
“Show him up when I ring”
‘Yes, sir”
“If I am not in the room, show him in all the same he has with him a stone of which I don’t know the colour, but am intent on finding out”
‘Yes, sir”

Watson waited until the door was closed and then he turned earnestly to his companion.

“Look here Holmes, this is simply impossible. This is a desperate man, who sticks at nothing. He may have come to murder you”
“I should not be surprised”
“I insist on staying with you”
“You would be horribly in the way”
“In his way”
“No, My dear fellow-in my way”
“Well, I can’t possibly leave you”
‘Yes, you can Watson. And you will, for you have never failed to play the game. I am sure you will play it to the end. This man has come for his own purpose, but he may stay for mine”
Holmes took out his notebook and scribbled a few lines.
“Take a cab to Scotland Yard and give this to Griffin of the C.I.D. Come back with the police. The fellow’s arrest will follow.”
‘I’ll do that with joy.”
“Before you return I may just have time to find out where the stone is,” He touched the bell. “I think we will go out through the bedroom. This second exit is exceedingly useful. I rather want to see my shark without his seeing me, and I have, as you will remember, my own way of doing it”

Watson left into the dark passage and was quite aware that his companion did not follow close behind him.
It was therefore, an empty room into which Quinn, a minute later, ushered Count Clovis. The famous Game-shot, sportsman, and man-about-town was a big swarthy fellow, with a formidable dark moustache, shading a cruel, thin lipped mouth, and surmounted by a long curved nose and a scar running from underneath his nose across both lips. He was well dressed, but his paisley necktie and silver pin were flamboyant in their effect. As the door closed behind him he looked around the room with fierce startled eyes, like one who suspects a trap at every turn. Then he gave a violent start as he saw the shining shoes pointing out from beneath the red curtain. He approached carefully, creeping not to make a noise although he well knew he was quite as exposed as the one who was concealed.

“I can see you Holmes!” He cried in a wicked and crackling voice, which thought it had won and raised his hands excitedly.

“ Yes, see me you may” said a voice from behind the curtain, “But you also gave away your secret Count Clovis”
Holmes spoke calmly and slowly
“Your hand twitched terribly towards your left pocket, where you have so casually concealed the Mazarin Stone when you, so unmistakably, for just a moment, thought you were in this room alone”

A. Conan Doyle & G. Schofield