A Photograph
The next day we went to Irene Norton's house, with
the King. An old servant opened the door. 'Mr
Sherlock Holmes?' she asked, and smiled.
'Yes,' said my friend. He looked very surprised.
'Mrs Irene Norton and her husband left England this
morning. They will never come back to this country.'
'What?' cried Holmes, his face white and angry.
'And what about the photograph?' cried the King.
We all hurried into the sitting-room. Holmes ran to
the cupboard and opened it. Inside was a photograph,
not of Irene Adler and the King, but of the beautiful
Irene alone. There was also a letter for Sherlock
Holmes. We all read it together.
My dear Mr Sherlock Holmes,
You did it very well. I thought that it was a real fire,
and that you were just a kind old man. But after I
opened the cupboard, I began to think. I knew about
the famous Sherlock Holmes. I knew your address,
and I knew that the King asked you to find the
photograph. So I quickly dressed as a young man
and followed you home to Baker Street. I wanted to
find out if you really were Sherlock Holmes. I said
'good night' to you outside your door!
My husband and I have decided to leave England.
Please tell the King that I shall not show the
photograph to anybody. I love my husband and he
loves me. And he is a better man than the King. But
here is a different photograph. And the King can
keep this photograph, if he likes.
Irene Norton
'What a woman!' cried the King. 'Why didn't I marry
her! What a woman!'
'A very, very clever woman,' said Sherlock Holmes
coldly. 'I am sorry, Your Majesty, that this business
has not finished well.'
'No, no,' said the King. 'She writes that she will
never show the photograph to anybody. I need nothingmore than her word. There is no danger for me now.
How can I thank you, dear Mr Holmes?'
'I would like just one thing, Your Majesty.'
'Tell me at once what it is,' said the King.
'This photograph.'The King looked at him in surprise. 'Irene's photo-graph?' he cried. 'But of course. It is yours.'
And so there was no terrible scandal in the royal
families of Europe. And Sherlock Holmes still has the
photograph of the woman who was cleverer than he
was.