“When did Mr. Booth first enter your bank?” said Holmes. “In January 1881.” “Do you know where he lived when he first came to Sheffield?” “He took lodgings at Ashgate Road, and has, I believe, lived there ever since.” “Do you know anything of his history or life before he came to you?” “Very little, I fear; beyond that his parents were both dead, and that he came to us with the best testimonials from one of the Leeds branches of our bank, I know nothing.” “Did you find him quick and reliable?” “He was one of the best and smartest men I have ever had in my employ.” “Do you know whether he was conversant with any other language besides English?” “I feel pretty sure he wasn’t. We have one clerk who attends to any foreign correspondence we may have, and I know that Booth has repeatedly passed letters and papers on to him.”
“With your experience of banking matters, Mr Jervis, how long a time do you think he might reasonably have calculated would elapse between the presentation of the forged cheques and their detection?” “Well, that would depend very largely upon circumstances,” said Mr Jervis. “In the case of a single cheque it might be a week or two, unless the amounts were so large as to call for special inquiry, in which case it would probably never be cashed at all until such inquiry had been made. In the present case, when there were a dozen forged cheques, it was most unlikely that some one of them should not be detected within twenty-four hours and so lead to the discovery of the fraud. No sane person would dare to presume upon the crime remaining undetected for a longer period than that.” “Thanks,” said Holmes, rising. “Those were the chief points I wished to speak to you about. I will communicate to you any news of importance I may have.”
“I am deeply obliged to you, Mr Holmes. The case is naturally causing us great anxiety. We leave it entirely to your discretion to take whatever steps you may consider best. Oh, by the way, I sent instructions to Booth’s landlady to disturb nothing in his rooms until you had had an opportunity of examining them.” “That was a very wise thing to do,” said Holmes, “and may be the means of helping us materially.” “I am also instructed by my company,” said the banker, as he bowed us politely out, “to ask you to make a note of any expenses incurred, which they will of course immediately defray.”
A few moments later we were ringing the bell of the house in Ashgate Road, Broomhill, at which Mr Booth had been a lodger for over seven years. It was answered by a maid who informed us that Mrs Purnell was engaged with a gentleman upstairs. When we explained our errand she showed us at once up to Mr Booth’s rooms, on the first floor, where we found Mrs Purnell, a plump, voluble, little lady of about forty, in conversation with Mr Lestrade, who appeared to be just concluding his examination of the rooms. “Good morning, Holmes,” said the detective, with a very self-satisfied air. “You arrive on the scene a little too late; I fancy I have already got all the information needed to catch our man!” “I’m delighted to hear it,” said Holmes dryly, “and must indeed congratulate you, if this is actually the case. Perhaps after I’ve made a little tour of inspection we can compare notes.” “Just as you please,” said Lestrade, with the air of one who can afford to be gracious. “Candidly, I think you will be wasting time, and so would you if you knew what I’ve discovered.” “Still, I must ask you to humour my little whim,” said Holmes, leaning against the mantelpiece and whistling softly as he looked round the room. After a moment he turned to Mrs Purnell, “The furniture of this room belongs, of course, to you?” Mrs Purnell assented. “The picture that was taken down from over the mantelpiece last Wednesday morning,” continued Holmes, “that belonged to Mr Booth, I presume?” I followed Holmes’s glance across to where an unfaded patch on the wallpaper clearly indicated that a picture had recently been hanging. Well as I knew my friend’s methods of reasoning, however, I did not realize for a moment that the little bits of spider web which had been behind the picture, and were still clinging to the wall, had told him that the picture could only have been taken down immediately before Mrs Purnell had received orders to disturb nothing in the room;