Page:Sherlock Holmes - A Drama in Four Acts - Doyle, Gillete - 1922.djvu/22

18 Oh—dead!

Yes, but the case isn't; there are evidences—letters, photographs, jewellery with inscriptions that he gave her. The sister's been keeping them (A glance about.) We've been keeping the sister You see?

(whistles). Oh, it's the sister you've got 'ere? An' what's 'er little game?

To get even.

Ah! To get back on 'im for the way 'e treated 'er sister?

Precisely.

She don't want money?

No.

An' your little game?

(shrug of shoulders). Whatever there is in it.

These papers an’ things ought to be worth a little something!

I tell you it wouldn't be safe for him to marry until he gets them out of the way! He knows it very well. But what's more, the family knows it!

Oh—family! Rich, I take it.

Rich isn't quite the word. They're something else.

You don't mean (Down a step.)

My Gawd! Which of 'em?

(shakes head). I don't tell you that.

Well, we a-movin' among the swells now, ain't we? But this 'ere girl—the sister o' the one that died—'ow did ya manage to get 'er into it?

(moving near at .). I picked her up, of course, and sympathized and consoled. I invited her to stay with me at my house in London. Jimmy came over and took this place—and when I brought her along a week later it was all ready—and a private desk safe for the letters and jewellery.

(turning). Yes—combination lock and all Everything worked smooth until a couple of weeks ago, when we began to hear from a firm of London solicitors, some veiled proposals were made—which showed that the time was coming. They wanted the things out of the way. Suddenly all negotiations on their side stopped. The next thing for me to do was to threaten. I wanted the letters for this, but when I went to get them—I found that in some way the girl had managed to change the lock on us. The numbers were wrong—and we couldn't frighten or starve her into opening the thing.