'The impatience of youth,' observed Lord Darlington mirthlessly.
'I should like to see your gallery,' said Holmes as though the brusque interruption had not occurred.
With some reluctance Lord Darlington took us into his inner sanctum. It was a long chamber whose ceiling was studded with skylights, none of which, we were informed, could be opened. Down the two long walls were a number of red velvet curtains covering a series of paintings. In the centre of the room was a comfortable swivel chair and a table containing a tantalus and an ornate cigar box.
'May we see the de Granville?' asked Holmes.
Without replying, his Lordship pulled back the cord on one of the curtains to reveal the masterpiece. I have only a layman's appreciation of art, but even I could see that this was a work of great beauty and skill.
'It is magnificent,' said Lord Darlington, almost caressing the frame.
'Indeed,' said Holmes, examining the canvas closely with his lens. 'Tell me, Lord Darlington, do you keep a dog?'
'A dog?' our client's mouth dropped open. 'No. Why do you ask?'
Holmes shrugged. 'It is no matter at the moment.'
Lord Darlington seemed irritated at Holmes's vague response. He consulted his watch. 'Gentlemen, I have an important appointment in the House at eleven-thirty…'
'Perhaps you could leave us in the capable hands of your wife. I should like to ascertain some details concerning the domestic arrangements.'
'Very well, if you think it is important.'
We were left in the hallway while our client arranged for his departure and informed his wife of our request. Holmes casually examined the calling cards in the tray. His face grew taut with excitement as he caught sight of one. He grinned. 'Muddy waters grow clearer, my dear fellow,' he said cheerily.
Once more we found ourselves in the drawing room. Lady Darlington had arranged coffee for us. She seemed to have lost her nervous edge and appeared composed and fully at ease, sitting on the edge of the sofa, hardly touching her drink.
'You do not share your husband's love of painting, Lady Darlington?'
'It is his passion. I could never match his devotion to art. He leads a difficult public life and his paintings afford him relief and a respite.'
'You never visit the gallery?'
'Never.'
'What about your son?'
'Rupert?' Her face softened at the mention of her son and a loving smile touched her lips. 'He has a young man's interests, and old paintings form no part of those. Rupert and I are alike in that respect.'
'He is a member of the Pandora Club.'
Lady Darlington looked askance at Holmes. 'He… he may be. I am not aware of all my son's leisure haunts.'
'Or his acquaintances – like Lord Arthur Beacham, for example?'
'Lord Arthur, what of him?'
'He does not possess a very high reputation.'
'Perhaps not in the circles in which you mix, Mr Holmes. You must not listen to the gossip of maids and gardeners. Lord Arthur is a pleasant gentleman, but only one of many among Rupert's associates. Now if you have no further questions…'
'Just one more, Lady Darlington. Who has a key to the gallery?'
'There is only one and it never leaves my husband's possession. He carries it on his watch chain.'
'Thank you. Thank you very much.'
As we were being shown out of the house by a dour and decrepit butler we encountered a florid-faced, rotund man on the doorstep. He gave Holmes a polite smile of recognition and shook his hand. Holmes leaned forward and whispered some words in his ear before we set off down the street.
'Let us walk back to Baker Street,' said my friend vigorously, 'I am in need of fresh air and exercise.'
'By all means,' I agreed, falling in step with him. 'I gather that rather red-faced gentleman was Hillary Stallybrass come to verify the de Granville.'
'Indeed, it was, and I passed on a little advice that may be beneficial to him and certainly to us. Time will tell on that account.'
'What is all this business of Lord Arthur Beacham and the Pandora Club? Your remarks were rather pointed in that direction.'
Holmes beamed. 'They were, weren't they? Someone was rather careless in leaving his calling card on show in the hall. Contrary to Lady Darlington's opinion, Lord Arthur has rather a doubtful reputation: he is a dissolute fellow whose activities sometimes stray into the realms of criminality. And Scotland Yard have had their eye on the Pandora Club, Beacham's office of operations, for some time. It is the centre for a number of somewhat nefarious dealings.'
'How naive of Lady Darlington to consider him a suitable companion for her son.'
'How naive of you, Watson, to think so.'
I ignored my friend's riddle. 'Do you think Beacham is mixed up with the missing picture?'
'I do. I am not sure yet what he is up to and quite who else is involved, but I have my theory which I will put to the test later today.'
After a simple lunch provided by Mrs Hudson, Holmes busied himself with some malodorous chemical experiments, while I caught up with correspondence and prepared some case notes ready for publication. As dusk was falling, he retired to his room, emerging some forty-five minutes later in disguise. He was attired in evening dress, but he had padded out his lithe shape so that he appeared quite plump. His face was flushed and a large moustache adorned his upper lip, while a monocle twinkled in his left eye.The touches of disguise were light, but at the same time they transformed the familiar figure who was my friend and fellow lodger into a totally different character.
'I am ready for a night at the Pandora Club,' he announced, his own voice seeming unnatural emanating from this stranger standing in our rooms. 'After all my admonishments to you about the cavalier manner in which you throw your wound pension away on the guesses of the turf, I shall be very careful not to lose too much.'
'You do not require my services, then?'
'Later, m'boy, but tonight I need to act, or rather observe, alone.'
At this moment, Billy arrived with a telegram. Holmes ripped it open with gusto. 'Aha,' he cried, reading the contents and then throwing the missive over to me. It was from Hillary Stallybrass. It read: 'de Granville is genuine. Some of the other works are not.'
It was at breakfast the following morning when I next saw Holmes. He emerged, without disguise, clad in a purple dressing gown and beaming brightly.
'I gather from that grin,' said I, tapping the shell of my boiled egg, 'that your excursion to the Pandora Club was fruitful.'
'The process of deduction is catching,' he grinned, joining me at the table and pouring himself a cup of coffee. 'One day I must pen a monograph on the importance in the art of detection of developing a knowledge of international crime and criminals.'
'Riddles at breakfast? Come now Holmes, speak your mind.' 'Does the name Alfredo Fellini mean anything to you?'
I shook my head.
'You prove my point,' my friend replied smugly. 'Now I happen to know that he is the right hand man of Antonio Carreras, one of the biggest gangland chiefs in the New York area. Blackmail and extortion are his methods and he has grown fat on them. So much so that he has been able to build up quite an impressive art collection. So my friend Barnes at Pinkerton's informs me in his regular reports.'
'Art collection?' I dabbed my chin with the napkin and, pushing my half-eaten egg away, gave Holmes my full attention.
'Yes. Now I observed Fellini last night at the Pandora Club where he spent a great deal of his time deep in conversation with a certain member of the Darlington household.'
'His Lordship's son, Rupert.'
