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- Артур Конан Дойл
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- Tales of Terror and Mystery
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"
In
a
word
,
then
,
there
was
a
famous
trial
in
Paris
,
in
the
year
1890
,
in
connection
with
a
monstrous
scandal
in
politics
and
finance
.
How
monstrous
that
scandal
was
can
never
be
known
save
by
such
confidential
agents
as
myself
.
The
honour
and
careers
of
many
of
the
chief
men
in
France
were
at
stake
.
You
have
seen
a
group
of
ninepins
standing
,
all
so
rigid
,
and
prim
,
and
unbending
.
Then
there
comes
the
ball
from
far
away
and
pop
,
pop
,
pop
—
there
are
your
ninepins
on
the
floor
.
Well
,
imagine
some
of
the
greatest
men
in
France
as
these
ninepins
and
then
this
Monsieur
Caratal
was
the
ball
which
could
be
seen
coming
from
far
away
.
If
he
arrived
,
then
it
was
pop
,
pop
,
pop
for
all
of
them
.
It
was
determined
that
he
should
not
arrive
.
"
I
do
not
accuse
them
all
of
being
conscious
of
what
was
to
happen
.
There
were
,
as
I
have
said
,
great
financial
as
well
as
political
interests
at
stake
,
and
a
syndicate
was
formed
to
manage
the
business
.
Some
subscribed
to
the
syndicate
who
hardly
understood
what
were
its
objects
.
But
others
understood
very
well
,
and
they
can
rely
upon
it
that
I
have
not
forgotten
their
names
.
They
had
ample
warning
that
Monsieur
Caratal
was
coming
long
before
he
left
South
America
,
and
they
knew
that
the
evidence
which
he
held
would
certainly
mean
ruin
to
all
of
them
.
The
syndicate
had
the
command
of
an
unlimited
amount
of
money
—
absolutely
unlimited
,
you
understand
.
They
looked
round
for
an
agent
who
was
capable
of
wielding
this
gigantic
power
.
The
man
chosen
must
be
inventive
,
resolute
,
adaptive
—
a
man
in
a
million
.
They
chose
Herbert
de
Lernac
,
and
I
admit
that
they
were
right
.
"
My
duties
were
to
choose
my
subordinates
,
to
use
freely
the
power
which
money
gives
,
and
to
make
certain
that
Monsieur
Caratal
should
never
arrive
in
Paris
.
With
characteristic
energy
I
set
about
my
commission
within
an
hour
of
receiving
my
instructions
,
and
the
steps
which
I
took
were
the
very
best
for
the
purpose
which
could
possibly
be
devised
.
"
A
man
whom
I
could
trust
was
dispatched
instantly
to
South
America
to
travel
home
with
Monsieur
Caratal
.
Had
he
arrived
in
time
the
ship
would
never
have
reached
Liverpool
;
but
alas
!
it
had
already
started
before
my
agent
could
reach
it
.
I
fitted
out
a
small
armed
brig
to
intercept
it
,
but
again
I
was
unfortunate
.
Like
all
great
organizers
I
was
,
however
,
prepared
for
failure
,
and
had
a
series
of
alternatives
prepared
,
one
or
the
other
of
which
must
succeed
.
You
must
not
underrate
the
difficulties
of
my
undertaking
,
or
imagine
that
a
mere
commonplace
assassination
would
meet
the
case
.
We
must
destroy
not
only
Monsieur
Caratal
,
but
Monsieur
Caratal
’
s
documents
,
and
Monsieur
Caratal
’
s
companions
also
,
if
we
had
reason
to
believe
that
he
had
communicated
his
secrets
to
them
.
And
you
must
remember
that
they
were
on
the
alert
,
and
keenly
suspicious
of
any
such
attempt
.
It
was
a
task
which
was
in
every
way
worthy
of
me
,
for
I
am
always
most
masterful
where
another
would
be
appalled
.
"
I
was
all
ready
for
Monsieur
Caratal
’
s
reception
in
Liverpool
,
and
I
was
the
more
eager
because
I
had
reason
to
believe
that
he
had
made
arrangements
by
which
he
would
have
a
considerable
guard
from
the
moment
that
he
arrived
in
London
.
Anything
which
was
to
be
done
must
be
done
between
the
moment
of
his
setting
foot
upon
the
Liverpool
quay
and
that
of
his
arrival
at
the
London
and
West
Coast
terminus
in
London
.
We
prepared
six
plans
,
each
more
elaborate
than
the
last
;
which
plan
would
be
used
would
depend
upon
his
own
movements
.
Do
what
he
would
,
we
were
ready
for
him
.
If
he
had
stayed
in
Liverpool
,
we
were
ready
.
If
he
took
an
ordinary
train
,
an
express
,
or
a
special
,
all
was
ready
.
Everything
had
been
foreseen
and
provided
for
.
"
You
may
imagine
that
I
could
not
do
all
this
myself
.
What
could
I
know
of
the
English
railway
lines
?
But
money
can
procure
willing
agents
all
the
world
over
,
and
I
soon
had
one
of
the
acutest
brains
in
England
to
assist
me
.
I
will
mention
no
names
,
but
it
would
be
unjust
to
claim
all
the
credit
for
myself
.
My
English
ally
was
worthy
of
such
an
alliance
.
He
knew
the
London
and
West
Coast
line
thoroughly
,
and
he
had
the
command
of
a
band
of
workers
who
were
trustworthy
and
intelligent
.
The
idea
was
his
,
and
my
own
judgement
was
only
required
in
the
details
.
We
bought
over
several
officials
,
amongst
whom
the
most
important
was
James
McPherson
,
whom
we
had
ascertained
to
be
the
guard
most
likely
to
be
employed
upon
a
special
train
.
Smith
,
the
stoker
,
was
also
in
our
employ
.
John
Slater
,
the
engine
-
driver
,
had
been
approached
,
but
had
been
found
to
be
obstinate
and
dangerous
,
so
we
desisted
.
We
had
no
certainty
that
Monsieur
Caratal
would
take
a
special
,
but
we
thought
it
very
probable
,
for
it
was
of
the
utmost
importance
to
him
that
he
should
reach
Paris
without
delay
.
It
was
for
this
contingency
,
therefore
,
that
we
made
special
preparations
—
preparations
which
were
complete
down
to
the
last
detail
long
before
his
steamer
had
sighted
the
shores
of
England
.
You
will
be
amused
to
learn
that
there
was
one
of
my
agents
in
the
pilot
-
boat
which
brought
that
steamer
to
its
moorings
.
"
The
moment
that
Caratal
arrived
in
Liverpool
we
knew
that
he
suspected
danger
and
was
on
his
guard
.
He
had
brought
with
him
as
an
escort
a
dangerous
fellow
,
named
Gomez
,
a
man
who
carried
weapons
,
and
was
prepared
to
use
them
.
This
fellow
carried
Caratal
’
s
confidential
papers
for
him
,
and
was
ready
to
protect
either
them
or
his
master
.
The
probability
was
that
Caratal
had
taken
him
into
his
counsel
,
and
that
to
remove
Caratal
without
removing
Gomez
would
be
a
mere
waste
of
energy
.
It
was
necessary
that
they
should
be
involved
in
a
common
fate
,
and
our
plans
to
that
end
were
much
facilitated
by
their
request
for
a
special
train
.
On
that
special
train
you
will
understand
that
two
out
of
the
three
servants
of
the
company
were
really
in
our
employ
,
at
a
price
which
would
make
them
independent
for
a
lifetime
.
I
do
not
go
so
far
as
to
say
that
the
English
are
more
honest
than
any
other
nation
,
but
I
have
found
them
more
expensive
to
buy
.
