by Val Andrews
Then as I sat and pondered upon the good fortune that had allowed me to prevent a dreadful tragedy these thoughts were disturbed by the arrival of a police constable.
'Excuse me, sir, but did I see you giving money to a young woman?'
I answered curtly, 'Why yes, but I fail to see how it can concern you!'
'That depends on what you was a given of it to 'er for, sir!'
For a moment or two his words seemed to make no sense. Then suddenly his meaning dawned upon me. I snapped, 'Really, constable, you are impertinent in the extreme. Do I look like that sort of person?' I handed him one of my cards then added, 'I'll have you know that I am a doctor and a colleague of Sherlock Holmes. If you must know I was assisting a distressed gentlewoman, a Miss Courtney-Smythe, stranded and destitute through no fault of her own.'
The policeman laughed and said in a most impudent tone, 'Oh, so she's on that game now is she? I know young Kate, we've 'ad 'er inside for soliciting often enough but I didn't know she'd taken up the suicide lark!'
I was furious. 'She seemed a most respectable young lady who but for my intervention would have taken her own life.'
'Not 'er sir, quite a few of the girls 'ave given up their reg'lar game in favour of this suicide one. They wait for a likely type, such as yourself, to come along then pretend to be just about to throw themselve. row thees into the river. The mug prevents them, gets a sob story and ends up givin' 'em money. Wonderful actresses some of these girls, reg'lar Sarah Bernhardts some of'em!' He saluted me, then walked off at a regulation two-and-a-half miles an hour.
I sat there for ages ashamed that I had been so easily duped, pondering upon how much of the story to tell Holmes. But eventually I decided to tell him none of it on account of his having enough upon his mind. As I walked to the crossing that would take me back to the hotel I saw another woman similarly dressed but this time ignored her.
I entered the Charing Cross Hotel at exactly eleven of the clock and was relieved to be approached by the lobby porter who with a broad grin said, 'Doctor, Mr Holmes and the American gent would be glad if you would take coffee with them in the lounge.' This meant that the coast was clear with the Doyles and the Blackthornes evidently no longer on the scene. I nodded my thanks and walked to the end of the lounge where I could see the angular cleric and the much smaller but stocky figure of the magician.
At this late hour we had no fear of being within earshot of eavesdroppers, not that we expected any such presence.
'Watson, do join us,' said Holmes, 'I see you have been in dalliance with a lady with dark hair and about five feet three inches tall.' I grunted, my plan to keep from him the affair on the Embankment thwarted. 'Hair on my lapel Holmes?'
'No, Watson, traces of face powder.'
I went through the motions of expressing the obvious. 'How does face powder tell you her hair colour?'
'Because women, Watson, powder their faces with powders that are graded in shade to match or rather complement their hair. I have made quite a study of it, because it has its uses in identifying crime suspects. There is a monograph on my shelf at Fowlhaven.'
I swiftly changed the subject. 'How did the seance go?'
'For me Doc,' replied Houdini, 'it was like the good old curate's egg, good in parts. By which I mean that I could easily see through some of their deceptions and, indeed, there were deceptions. But I confess myself baffled by a couple of things that they pulled off. Sir Arthur and Lady Doyle were most impressed and he is more convinced than ever about the existence of spirits and the ability of some to communicate with them. But I'll let Mr Holmes tell you about it.'
Tell me about it Holmes did, in very great detail: 'They are a plausible couple Watson, these Blackthornes. He is a doctor and has great sincerity of manner. She is an attractive lady in her thirties with rather startling auburn hair. They allowed Mr Houdini, Sir Arthur and myself to examine the seance room thoroughly and, of course, we could find nothing unusual as they had not themselves had access to it. It contained simple furnishings only, as they had requested. A few chairs, a small four-legged table and a gramophone with one or two records of discreet orchestral music. Then Doctor Blackthorne, who proved to be a small, neatly and soberly dressed man, took from an attache case a few simple objects which he said they would use just to concentrate the attention of the spirits when they were unable to speak. These consisted of a small bell, rather like that which rests on the table before us now - used to summon a waiter - a slate, some chalk and a phosphorous-treated trumpet, rather like a small megaphone.
'Lady Doyle was taken to an ante-room where she was allowed to watch Mrs Blackthorne as she changed from her dress into a kimono. We were assured that it was obvious that Marina - as Mrs Blackthorne liked to be called - was not concealing anything untoward about her person. Meanwhile, we checked the doctor's pockets in a similar way. Then we gathered in the seance room and Marina took a seat at the table, facing the door. She placed the bell on the floor under the table and the slate with a piece of chalk lying on it flat on the table near where she sat. The trumpet she placed at the opposite end. We had examined all these objects once but were invited to do so again, which we did. Then Sir Arthur was invited to sit on Marina's left and Mr Houdini on her right. Each held one of her hands and they were each instructed to place a foot lightly upon one of hers. This meant that she could move neither hand nor foot without their being aware of it, or so she explained. She said that under normal conditions in a seance for believers this would be unnecessary. These precautions were entirely for Houdini's benefit so that he would not suspect any sort of trickery.
'The doctor and I sat near the door so that he could operate the light switch. He insisted that his right hand be left free for this purpose which seemed a reasonable request, but I held onto his left hand. In other words free hand or no, he could not move from his chair or go within a yard of the table without his movements being detected.
'Lady Doyle sat in the remaining chair on one side of the table. The curtains were extremely thick, so once the light was extinguished the darkness was as complete as possible.
'Before being seated the doctor had started the gramophone that the music might put both medium and the spirits into a suitably calm mood. He sat down and extended his right hand, extinguishing the single overhead light.
'To the strains of Liebestraum Marina explained, "We are here in order to help the spirits of the dear departed to try to make contact with those here with us. We will try to contact the dear mother of our brother, Harry Houdini and the beloved son of our dear friend Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. We may or may not succeed and other spirits may be attracted, some of these may even be of a malevolent nature. But no harm can come to anyone save possibly myself. Please do not switch on the light, Robert, unless I request it."
'Then she explained that she would go into a trance and started to hum and sing softly to herself, occasionally stopping to enquire "Is there anyone there?"
'After about half-an-hour a voice was heard, quite unlike Marina's and like that of a roughly spoken artisan. There followed some conversation between Marina and Wallace (which she explained was the name of her guide in the other world). Wallace sang bawdy songs and used coarse language which I would not have expected Marina or Lady Doyle to approve of or even understand. Wallace explained that he had a message for "the old lady and gent" doubtless referring to Sir Arthur and Lady Conan Doyle.
'He explained that their son had not been on the other side long enough to speak to them as yet but would make a sign of his presence by causing the trumpet to move. This it did, most noticeably due to the luminosity that it had. In fact the trumpet all but floated in circles and swayed around before once more settling in its original position. At this point I should explain that every time the gramophone records finished tlids finiplaying, Robert Blackthorne released my grip and felt his way round to switch it off and replace the record before starting it again. But always he did this quickly and I retained my grip on him at all
times when his aid might have seemed to be helpful to Marina.
'She requested the light to be turned on only once, when Houdini's mother had been contacted and, she claimed, had written a message for him on the slate. A word was seen upon the slate, the word LOVE. Several times there were voices of various kinds including that which was claimed to be that of General Gordon, still complaining that the reinforcements had not arrived in time to save him at Khartoum and a child who piped that he had been a sweep's boy, "Lorst hup the chimberley in 1860!" In fact it was a most professional and convincing demonstration but the piece de resistance was yet to come.
'Sir Arthur and Houdini were requested to place their free hands lightly palms down upon the table. Lady Doyle, who had both hands free, was requested to do the same. There was then a terrific groaning and moaning from Wallace and evidently, I was afterwards assured, the table started to rock and raise itself up in a truly eerie manner.
'Remember not only were both Marina's hands encapsulated but both of her feet were restrained by touch. Finally, after the table had ceased to rock and roll the little bell under the table started to ring. When it ceased, Marina called, "Robert, please, the light!"
'Her voice was shaky and none too distinct and when the light was switched on she could be seen to have slumped onto the table.
After she had been revived by Robert and Sir Arthur who chafed her wrists and sent for glasses of brandy, she spoke quite strongly again, "There was a mischief-making spirit which got quite out of control."
'In speaking to the Blackthornes afterwards, Mr Houdini assumed his usual air of disbelief but the Doyles were full of praise, completely convinced that their son was trying to make contact and would eventually be able to speak at a future seance.
'It was my turn to speak and this simple cleric expressed delight with the seance. I then told them that I was myself something of a medium, "though only a tyro in comparison with yourself dear lady" and promised that I would attempt to give them a slight demonstration if they would care to return the following night.
'They agreed to this and, by the way Watson, I asked if Sir Arthur's colleague, Doctor John Watson, might be permitted to attend also, feeling that your light has been hidden under a bushel in this matter long enough. They expressed no suspicion or objection and Doyle was delighted with the idea.'
I should explain to the reader that during Holmes's narrative Houdini had made the odd interjection, reminding Holmes of various points, his comments always showing the sharpness of his mind.
Now it was Houdini who spoke to me at some length.
'That's a pretty good picture of what happened Doc and, of course, Mr Holmes and I have discussed it all since the others left. Your friend should have been a magician because his mind works like mine. We were agreed in the essential details of most of the deceptions that were involved. We figured that Doctor Blackthorne operated a small pair of lazy tongs with which he was able e ihe was to lift and gyrate the trumpet.'
'Where did he get them?' I asked, 'surely you would have spotted them however cursory your search of his clothing?'
'They were in the gramophone Watson,' replied Holmes, 'he picked them up after the search, in the act of placing the needle on the record.'
'Right and he got rid of them again the same way in switching it off, or rather changing the record,' Houdini added. 'That way he was prepared for any sudden suggestion that he should be searched again.'
'How about the word chalked onto the slate, that could surely not have been managed the same way and in the dark?' I asked.
'I imagine she picked up the chalk with her mouth,' explained Houdini. 'It was fitted into a small metal holder so that she could have manoeuvred it between her teeth and used it that way. Not easy in the dark but she has undoubtedly done it many times before. She's had a lot of practice at writing by mouth.'
'Were there any signs of chalk around her mouth when the lights went on?'
Holmes chuckled, 'She would have had the sense to lick her lips before that happened, right Mr Houdini?'
The American nodded, continuing, 'The bell she rang with her foot, grasping it with her toes.'
I remonstrated, 'Come, surely both her feet were held down by yours and Sir Arthur's?'
It was Holmes who continued, 'We are agreed that she withdrew one foot from a shoe. Possibly she even had an aperture cut from the foot of her stocking allowing the toes to be more easily moved. This would not have been noticed when her shoes were on.'
'Would the shoes perhaps be hard-topped, so that they would not collapse under your own feet when her foot was withdrawn?'
'Exactly and I fancy that there were needle-point spikes on her sole and heel so that the shoe would hold steady on the rug even without her foot being within,' Holmes replied.
Houdini was impressed, 'Wow! That's a refinement that I had missed.' He took a notebook from his pocket and scribbled in it, delighted at this small detail, saying, 'One more little point for my spook-busting demonstration!'
As far as I could see, Houdini and Holmes between them had explained the methods by which the Doyles had been deceived - except for one manifestation which they had not mentioned. All very well, but what about the floating and rocking table?'
Houdini's brows knitted, 'Doctor Watson, I admit myself baffled, which is not good. Unless I can explain everything that Marina does, I can't go to the Doyles and hope to get them to believe that they have been duped.'
'Oh I think I can help you there Mr Houdini,' Holmes said, smiling. 'It puzzled me at first, but I think I have the answer. I have considered all possibilities commensurate with the conditions involved and have decided that the least likely answer is the right one. The method is I believe of the simplest possible nature, therefore simple of execution and undetectable afterwards. Holmes enjoyed having us both on the edges of our seats. He took a Turkish cigarette from a ctabtte froase and lit it with a vesta. (He had decided that a pipe was unsuitable for this particular impersonation yet could not exist for long without strong tobacco.) After what seemed like an age he said, 'She lifted and moved the table with her head.'
Houdini started, 'Her head...you mean she ducked it down beneath the table and lifted it?' Holmes nodded, hardly needing to say more.
Houdini threw back his head and laughed, 'Of course, it's perfect! Mind you, it would be difficult to be absolutely sure that she did it that way but I agree that it's likely. In any case another perfect item for my spook show.'
Holmes suggested that we should examine the seance room before the hotel staff had a chance to clean it. This we did with great thoroughness. The first thing that Holmes looked at carefully was the carpet beneath the table, which I was assured was still in the position it had occupied during the seance. He dropped on his knees, peering with his pocket lens. He chuckled and said, 'There are small holes, like those produced by needle points, just as I expected. So we were right about her ringing the bell with her foot.' He turned his head upward in order to talk to us and his gaze lit upon the underside of the table. There was a whoop of joy unbefitting an elderly clergyman as he jumped to his feet and spun the light table to show us its underside. 'See! There are, providentially, some splinters just under the edge which have trapped some extremely distinctive reddish hairs!'
Sure enough it was just as he said. There they were, long hairs of that particularly unusual auburn tone, which must surely have exactly matched Marina's.
'Well Mr Holmes you are a marvel!' Houdini was delighted. 'I don't figure there is any other way or reason for those hairs to be there, it's obviously just as you deduced. Now why don't we take a look at that phonograph?'
We did then, indeed, examine the gramophone and Holmes pointed out some telltale scratches on the edges of the sound chamber. 'You see, these marks have been recently made by a sharp metal edge. What a pity we did not examine it before the seance. Mind you, I am a detective and not a clairvoyant.'
It was a gratified Houdini who left to join his wife at the
Ritz, vowing to meet us at seven on the following evening.
After he had gone Holmes and I took a nightcap in the lounge which we were able to enjoy without Houdini's disapproving gaze. When we had exhausted the present possibilities of the matter in hand, Holmes pressed me a little further on my dalliance with the lady on the Embankment. I told him the story in full, finishing it by saying, 'So you see, even after all these years of experience through association with yourself, of the criminal classes, I was easily deceived.'
To my amazement Holmes was far from remonstrative. 'Come Watson, just because the policeman told you of this particular ploy it does not follow that you were its victim. You told me yourself that you saw another young woman later on. Was she dressed in anything like the style of this lady with whom you spoke?'
