"'Yes, sir.'

　　"'Then take the treaty and lock it up there. I shall give directionsthat you may remain behind when the others go, so that you may copy itat your leisure without fear of being overlooked. When you havefinished, relock both the original and the draft in the desk, and handthem over to me personally to-morrow morning.'

　　"'I took the papers and-'

　　"Excuse me an instant," said Holmes. "Were you alone during thisconversation?"

　　"Absolutely."

　　"'In a large room?"

　　"Thirty feet each way."

　　"In the centre?"

　　"Yes, about it."

　　"And speaking low?"

　　"My uncle's voice is always remarkably low. I hardly spoke at all.""Thank you," said Holmes, shutting his eyes; "pray go on.""I did exactly what he indicated and waited until the other clerkshad departed. One of them in my room, Charles Gorot, had somearrears of work to make up, so I left him there and went out todine. When I returned he was gone. I was anxious to hurry my work, forI knew that Joseph-the Mr. Harrison whom you saw just now-was in town,and that he would travel down to Woking by the eleven-o'clock train,and I wanted if possible to catch it.

　　"When I came to examine the treaty I saw at once that it was of suchimportance that my uncle had been guilty of no exaggeration in what hesaid. Without going into details, I may say that it defined theposition of Great Britain towards the Triple Alliance, andforeshadowed the policy which this country would pursue in the eventof the French fleet gaining a complete ascendency over that of Italyin the Mediterranean. The questions treated in it were purely naval.At the end were the signatures of the high dignitaries who hadsigned it. I glanced my eyes over it, and then settled down to my taskof copying.