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1"What do you make of that?" asked Holmes. "The name of the maker, no doubt; or his monogram, rather." "Not at all. The
2'G' with the small 't' stands for 'Gesellschaft,' which is the German for 'Company.' It is a customary contraction like
3our 'Co.' 'P,' of course, stands for 'Papier.' Now for the 'Eg.' Let us glance at our Continental Gazetteer." He took
4down a heavy brown volume from his shelves. "Eglow, Eglonitz--here we are, Egria. It is in a German-speaking country--in
5Bohemia, not far from Carlsbad. 'Remarkable as being the scene of the death of Wallenstein, and for its numerous
6glass-factories and paper-mills.' Ha, ha, my boy, what do you make of that?" His eyes sparkled, and he sent up a great
7blue triumphant cloud from his cigarette. "The paper was made in Bohemia," I said. "Precisely. And the man who wrote the
8note is a German. Do you note the peculiar construction of the sentence--'This account of you we have from all quarters
9received.' A Frenchman or Russian could not have written that. It is the German who is so uncourteous to his verbs. It
10only remains, therefore, to discover what is wanted by this German who writes upon Bohemian paper and prefers wearing a
11mask to showing his face. And here he comes, if I am not mistaken, to resolve all our doubts." As he spoke there was the
12sharp sound of horses' hoofs and grating wheels against the curb, followed by a sharp pull at the bell. Holmes whistled.
13"A pair, by the sound," said he. "Yes," he continued, glancing out of the window. "A nice little brougham and a pair of
14beauties. A hundred and fifty guineas apiece. There's money in this case, Watson, if there is nothing else." "I think
15that I had better go, Holmes." "Not a bit, Doctor. Stay where you are. I am lost without my Boswell. And this promises
16to be interesting. It would be a pity to miss it." "But your client--" "Never mind him. I may want your help, and so may
17he. Here he comes. Sit down in that armchair, Doctor, and give us your best attention." A slow and heavy step, which had
18been heard upon the stairs and in the passage, paused immediately outside the door. Then there was a loud and
19authoritative tap. "Come in!" said Holmes. A man entered who could hardly have been less than six feet six inches in
20height, with the chest and limbs of a Hercules. His dress was rich with a richness which would, in England, be looked
21upon as akin to bad taste. Heavy bands of astrakhan were slashed across the sleeves and fronts of his double-breasted
22coat, while the deep blue cloak which was thrown over his shoulders was lined with flame-coloured silk and secured at
23the neck with a brooch which consisted of a single flaming beryl. Boots which extended halfway up his calves, and which
24were trimmed at the tops with rich brown fur, completed the impression of barbaric opulence which was suggested by his
25whole appearance. He carried a broad-brimmed hat in his hand, while he wore across the upper part of his face, extending
26down past the cheekbones, a black vizard mask, which he had apparently adjusted that very moment, for his hand was still
27raised to it as he entered. From the lower part of the face he appeared to be a man of strong character, with a thick,
28hanging lip, and a long, straight chin suggestive of resolution pushed to the length of obstinacy. "You had my note?" he
29asked with a deep harsh voice and a strongly marked German accent. "I told you that I would call." He looked from one to
30the other of us, as if uncertain which to address. "Pray take a seat," said Holmes. "This is my friend and colleague,
31Dr. Watson, who is occasionally good enough to help me in my cases. Whom have I the honour to address?" "You may address
32me as the Count Von Kramm, a Bohemian nobleman. I understand that this gentleman, your friend, is a man of honour and
33discretion, whom I may trust with a matter of the most extreme importance. If not, I should much prefer to communicate
34with you alone." I rose to go, but Holmes caught me by the wrist and pushed me back into my chair. "It is both, or
35none," said he. "You may say before this gentleman anything which you may say to me." The Count shrugged his broad
36shoulders. "Then I must begin," said he, "by binding you both to absolute secrecy for two years; at the end of that time
37the matter will be of no importance. At present it is not too much to say that it is of such weight it may have an
38influence upon European history." "I promise," said Holmes. "And I." "You will excuse this mask," continued our strange
39visitor. "The august person who employs me wishes his agent to be unknown to you, and I may confess at once that the
40title by which I have just called myself is not exactly my own." "I was aware of it," said Holmes dryly. "The
41circumstances are of great delicacy, and every precaution has to be taken to quench what might grow to be an immense
42scandal and seriously compromise one of the reigning families of Europe. To speak plainly, the matter implicates the
43great House of Ormstein, hereditary kings of Bohemia." "I was also aware of that," murmured Holmes, settling himself
44down in his armchair and closing his eyes. Our visitor glanced with some apparent surprise at the languid, lounging
45figure of the man who had been no doubt depicted to him as the most incisive reasoner and most energetic agent in
46Europe. Holmes slowly reopened his eyes and looked impatiently at his gigantic client. "If your Majesty would condescend
47to state your case," he remarked, "I should be better able to advise you." The man sprang from his chair and paced up
48and down the room in uncontrollable agitation. Then, with a gesture of desperation, he tore the mask from his face and
49hurled it upon the ground. "You are right," he cried; "I am the King. Why should I attempt to conceal it?" "Why,
50indeed?" murmured Holmes. "Your Majesty had not spoken before I was aware that I was addressing Wilhelm Gottsreich
51Sigismond von Ormstein, Grand Duke of Cassel-Felstein, and hereditary King of Bohemia." "But you can understand," said
52our strange visitor, sitting down once more and passing his hand over his high white forehead, "you can understand that
53I am not accustomed to doing such business in my own person. Yet the matter was so delicate that I could not confide it
54to an agent without putting myself in his power. I have come incognito from Prague for the purpose of consulting you."
55"Then, pray consult," said Holmes, shutting his eyes once more. "The facts are briefly these: Some five years ago,
56during a lengthy visit to Warsaw, I made the acquaintance of the well-known adventuress, Irene Adler. The name is no
57doubt familiar to you." "Kindly look her up in my index, Doctor," murmured Holmes without opening his eyes. For many
58years he had adopted a system of docketing all paragraphs concerning men and things, so that it was difficult to name a
59subject or a person on which he could not at once furnish information. In this case I found her biography sandwiched in
60between that of a Hebrew rabbi and that of a staff-commander who had written a monograph upon the deep-sea fishes. "Let
61me see!" said Holmes. "Hum! Born in New Jersey in the year 1858. Contralto--hum! La Scala, hum! Prima donna Imperial
62Opera of Warsaw--yes! Retired from operatic stage--ha! Living in London--quite so! Your Majesty, as I understand, became
63entangled with this young person, wrote her some compromising letters, and is now desirous of getting those letters
64back." "Precisely so. But how--" "Was there a secret marriage?" "None." "No legal papers or certificates?" "None." "Then
65I fail to follow your Majesty. If this young person should produce her letters for blackmailing or other purposes, how
66is she to prove their authenticity?" "There is the writing." "Pooh, pooh! Forgery." "My private note-paper." "Stolen."
67"My own seal." "Imitated." "My photograph." "Bought." "We were both in the photograph." "Oh, dear! That is very bad!
68Your Majesty has indeed committed an indiscretion." "I was mad--insane." "You have compromised yourself seriously." "I
69was only Crown Prince then. I was young. I am but thirty now." "It must be recovered." "We have tried and failed." "Your
70Majesty must pay. It must be bought." "She will not sell." "Stolen, then." "Five attempts have been made. Twice burglars
71in my pay ransacked her house. Once we diverted her luggage when she travelled. Twice she has been waylaid. There has
72been no result." "No sign of it?" "Absolutely none."
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