Sherlock Holmes and The Adventure of the Ruby Elephants Read Online Free PDF Page B

strange that this man, so cold in disposition, so cool minded and cerebral in his dealings now proved so indispensable to me. I heard the scraping of bricks and there was a chink of light.
    â€˜Will you join me?’ a familiar voice enquired. The opening grew wider, and with a little discomfort I managed to squeeze myself through the aperture.
    I emerged in the attic room and saw my friend already seated in one of the chairs around the long table, reading by the light of a single candle. It was only once safely inside that I realised that I had clambered directly through the painting of The Viceroy of India. I examined the frame and saw to my astonishment that the canvas was held on an elastic catch and could be rolled back and forward as required. It snapped back into position as soon as I was through.
    â€˜Ingenious!’ I exclaimed.
    â€˜Perfectly simple,’ said Holmes. ‘An old magician’s trick.’
    â€˜But how did you know this was the way in? We barely spent a minute here yesterday.’
    â€˜Again, this can be explained with the utmost ease,’ Holmes replied, laying down his piece of paper. ‘To begin with, I noticed on the exterior of the building black scuff marks on the brickwork, which could not explained by anything other than the toe or heel of a gym shoe. It is the safest way to climb the exterior of a building and always favoured by members of the illicit climbing fraternities of our great universities.’
    â€˜Yet we didn’t wear any such shoes,’ I put in.
    â€˜Which is precisely why we found it so difficult,’ Holmes admitted. ‘Besides, I wanted to prove that it was possible without the right footwear, the reasons for which will become clear.’
    â€˜And the painting?’
    â€˜The painting I had no idea about,’ Holmes conceded. ‘I merely knew there had to be a means of entry somewhere from the roof. We may well just have arrived through the mouth of that fearsome Bengali Tiger over there on the wall.’ It was reassuring to hear that my friend could still surprise himself from time to time.
    Given the early hour and the excitement of the morning so far, I felt a strong desire for a cup of cocoa. Holmes appeared to understand the cause of my agitation.
    â€˜Not long now Watson,’ he said.
    â€˜Not long until what?’
    â€˜The start of the meeting,’ he replied.

THREE - The Meeting
    I stared at Holmes in disbelief.
    â€˜The meeting is due to begin in ten minutes,’ he explained calmly, ‘which gives us precisely nine minutes to find somewhere suitable to conceal ourselves and attend the meeting as uninvited guests. I have a copy of the minutes of the last one. Chatburn was careless enough to leave them lying around, which furnished me with the relevant details.’
    â€˜But what do we possibly have to gain from such an imposition?’
    â€˜I have reason to believe that Chatburn is not telling us everything about The House of the Ruby Elephant or its curious activities.’
    I considered the matter, then scanned the room.
    â€˜I had pre-selected this trunk for you,’ my friend advised, as if I was the prospective purchaser of a delightful new home. ‘I believe it to be sufficiently large and well ventilated to prevent suffocation.’
    â€˜That is reassuring,’ I remarked, ‘and what of your accommodation?’
    â€˜I will be hidden beneath the cloth of this low table.’
    â€˜Let us hope then,’ I said with resignation, ‘that the chairman keeps the business brisk.’
    â€˜Indeed!’ Holmes beamed.
    The next hour was simultaneously the most uncomfortable and astonishing of my life. While the trunk was roomy enough, as my friend had predicted, it had a peculiar musky smell that I could not quite put my finger on. It was not by any means unbearable, but it made my breathing rather laboured and succeeded in bringing on a headache. My legs were