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grotesquely horrible in its contortion and his head encircled by a

ghastly crimson halo of blood; lying in a broad wet circle upon the

white woodwork。 His knees were drawn up; his hands thrown out in

agony; and from the centre of his broad; brown; upturned throat

there projected the white haft of a knife driven blade…deep into his

body。 Giant as he was; the man must have gone down like a pole…axed ox

before that terrific blow。 Beside his right hand a most formidable

horn…handled; two…edged dagger lay upon the floor; and near it a black

kid glove。

  〃By George! it's Black Gorgiano himself!〃 cried the American

detective。 〃Someone has got ahead of us this time。〃

  Here is the candle in the window; Mr。 Holmes;〃 said Gregson。 〃Why;

whatever are you doing?〃

   Holmes had stepped across; had lit the candle; and was passing it

backward and forward across the window…panes。 Then he peered into

the darkness; blew the candle out; and threw it on the floor。

  〃I rather think that will be helpful;〃 said he。 He came over and

stood in deep thought while the two professionals were examining the

body。 〃You say that three people came out from the flat while you were

waiting downstairs;〃 said he at last。 〃Did you observe them closely?〃

  〃Yes; I did。〃

  〃Was there a fellow about thirty; black…bearded; dark; of middle

size?〃

  〃Yes; he was the last to pass me。〃

  〃That is your man; I fancy。 I can give you his description; and we

have a very excellent outline of his footmark。 That should be enough

for you。〃

  〃Not much; Mr。 Holmes; among the millions of London。〃

  〃Perhaps not。 That is why I thought it best to summon this lady to

your aid。〃

  We all turned round at the words。 There; framed in the doorway;

was a tall and beautiful woman… the mysterious lodger of Bloomsbury。

Slowly she advanced; her face pale and drawn with a frightful

apprehension; her eyes fixed and staring; her terrified gaze riveted

upon the dark figure on the floor。

  〃You have killed him!〃 she muttered。 〃Oh; Dio mio; you have killed

him!〃 Then I heard a sudden sharp intake of her breath; and she sprang

into the air with a cry of joy。 Round and round the room she danced;

her hands clapping; her dark eyes gleaming with delighted wonder;

and a thousand pretty Italian exclamations pouring from her lips。 It

was terrible and amazing to see such a woman so convulsed with joy

at such a sight。 Suddenly she stopped and gazed at us all with a

questioning stare。

  〃But you! You are police; are you not? You have killed Giuseppe

Gorgiano。 Is it not so?〃

  〃We are police; madam。〃

  She looked round into the shadows of the room。

  〃But where; then; is Gennaro?〃 she asked。 〃He is my husband; Gennaro

Lucca。 am Emilia Lucca; and we are both from New York。 Where is

Gennaro? He called me this moment from this window; and I ran with all

my speed。〃

  〃It was I who called;〃 said Holmes。

  〃You! How could you call?〃

  〃Your cipher was not difficult; madam。 Your presence here was

desirable。 I knew that I had only to flash 〃Vieni〃 and you would

surely come。〃

  The beautiful Italian looked with awe at my companion。

  〃I do not understand how you know these things;〃 she said。 〃Giuseppe

Gorgiano… how did he〃 She paused; and then suddenly her face lit

up with pride and delight。 〃Now I see it! My Gennaro! My splendid;

beautiful Gennaro; who has guarded me safe from all harm; he did it;

with his own strong hand he killed the monster! Oh; Gennaro; how

wonderful you are! What woman could ever be worthy of such a man?〃

  〃Well; Mrs。 Lucca;〃 said the prosaic Gregson; laying his hand upon

the lady's sleeve with as little sentiment as if she were a Notting

Hill hooligan; 〃I am not very clear yet who you are or what you are;

but you've said enough to make it very clear that we shall want you at

the Yard。〃

  〃One moment; Gregson;〃 said Holmes。 〃I rather fancy that this lady

may be as anxious to give us information as we can be to get it。 You

understand; madam; that your husband will be arrested and tried for

the death of the man who lies before us? What you say may be used in

evidence。 But if you think that he has acted from motives which are

not criminal; and which he would wish to have known; then you cannot

serve him better than by telling us the whole story。〃

  〃Now that Gorgiano is dead we fear nothing;〃 said the lady。 〃He

was a devil and a monster; and there can be no judge in the world

who would punish my husband for having killed him。〃

  〃In that case;〃 said Holmes; 〃my suggestion is that we lock this

door; leave things as we found them; go with this lady to her room;

and form our opinion after we have heard what it is that she has to

say to us。〃

  Half an hour later we were seated; all four; in the small

sitting…room of Signora Lucca; listening to her remarkable narrative

of those sinister events; the ending of which we had chanced to

witness。 She spoke in rapid and fluent but very unconventional

English; which; for the sake of clearness; I will make grammatical。

  〃I was born in Posilippo; near Naples;〃 said she; 〃and was the

daughter of Augusto Barelli; who was the chief lawyer and once the

deputy of that part。 Gennaro was in my father's employment; and I came

to love him; as any woman must。 He had neither money nor position…

nothing but his beauty and strength and energy… so my father forbade

the match。 We fled together; were married at Bari; and sold my

jewels to gain the money which would take us to America。 This was four

years ago; and we have been in New York ever since。

  〃Fortune was very good to us at first。 Gennaro was able to do a

service to an Italian gentleman… he saved him from some ruffians in

the place called the Bowery; and so made a powerful friend。 His name

was Tito Castalotte; and he was the senior partner of the great firm

of Castalotte and Zamba; who are the chief fruit importers of New

York。 Signor Zamba is an invalid; and our new friend Castalotte has

all power within the firm; which employs more than three hundred

men。 He took my husband into his employment; made him head of a

department; and showed his good…will towards him in every way。

Signor Castalotte was a bachelor; and I believe that he felt as if

Gennaro was his son; and both my husband and I loved him as if he were

our father。 We had taken and furnished a little house in Brooklyn; and

our whole future seemed assured when that black cloud appeared which

was soon to overspread our sky。

  〃One night; when Gennaro returned from his work; he brought a

fellow…countryman back with him。 His name was Gorgiano; and he had

come also from Posilippo。 He was a huge man; as you can testify; for

you have looked upon his corpse。 Not only was his body that of a giant

but everything about him was grotesque; gigantic; and terrifying。

His voice was like thunder in our little house。 There was scarce

room for the whirl of his great arms as he talked。 His thoughts; his

emotions; his passions; all were exaggerated and monstrous。 He talked;

or rather roared; with such energy that others could but sit and

listen; cowed with the mighty stream of words。 His eyes blazed at

you and held you at his mercy。 He was a terrible and wonderful man。

I thank God that he is dead!

  〃He came again and again。 Yet I was aware that Gennaro was no more

happy than I was in his presence。 My poor husband would sit pale and

listless; listening to the endless raving upon politics and upon

social questions which made up our visitor's conversation。 Gennaro

said nothing; but I; who knew him so well; could read in his face some

emotion which I had never seen there before。 At first I thought that

it was dislike。 And then; gradually; I understood that it was more

than dislike。 It was fear… a deep; secret; shrinking fear。 That night…

the night that I read his terror… I put my arms round him and I

implored him by his love for me and by all that he held dear to hold

nothing from me; and to tell me why this huge man overshadowed him so。

  〃He told me; and my own heart grew cold as ice as I listened。 My

poor Gennaro; in his wild and fiery days; when all the world seemed

against him and his mind was driven half mad by the injustices of

life; had joined a Neapolitan society; the Red Circle; which was

allied to the old Carbonari。 The oaths and secrets of this brotherhood

were frightful; but once within its rule no escape was possible。

When we had fled to America Gennaro thought that he had cast it all

off forever。 What was his horror one evening to meet in the streets

the very man who had initiated him in Naples; the giant Gorgiano; a

man who had earned the name of 'Death' in the south of Italy; for he

was red to the elbow in murder! He had come to New York to avoid the

Italian police; and he had already planted a branch of this dreadful

society in his new home。 All this Gennaro told me and showed me a

summons which he had received that very day; a Red Circle drawn upon


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