The Red-Headed League, Part 3: Copying the Encyclopedia“There was nothing in the office but a couple of wooden chairs and a plain table,” Mr. Wilson went on. “Behind it sat a small man with hair even redder than mine. He always found some fault with each man who came up. But when our turn came, the little man was much friendlier to me than to the others, and he closed the door so that we could talk in private. “‘This is Mr. Jabez Wilson,’ said my assistant, ‘and he is willing to fill a place in the League.’ “The little man looked at me and said, ‘He is perfectly suited for it. I cannot remember when I have seen anything so fine.’ He stared at my hair until I felt quite shy. Then suddenly he took my hair in both hands and pulled until I cried out in pain. As he let go, he said, ‘There are tears in your eyes. I see that all is as it should be. But we have to be careful, for we have twice been tricked by wigs and once by paint.’ Then he went to the window and shouted down that the place was filled. A groan of disappointment came up from below, and the crowd went away until there was not a red head to be seen except mine and the manager’s. “‘My name,’ said he, ‘is Duncan Ross. When will you be able to start your new duties?’ “‘Well, it is a little difficult, because I have a business already,’ said I. “Vincent Spaulding said, ‘Oh, never mind about that, Mr. Wilson! I can look after that for you.’ “‘What would the hours be?’ said I. “‘Ten to two.’ “‘And the pay?’ said I. “‘Four pounds a week. But you must be in the office, or at least in the building, the whole time. If you leave, you lose your position forever. No excuse will be accepted: not illness, not business, nothing.’ “‘And the work?’ “‘Is to copy out the Encyclopedia Britannica. You must bring your own ink, pens and paper, but we provide this table and chair. Will you be ready tomorrow?’ “‘Certainly,’ I answered. “I went home very pleased. But by the evening I was sure that the whole thing must be some great trick. Still, in the morning I bought a penny bottle of ink, a pen and some paper, and I went to Pope’s Court. “To my surprise, everything was just as it should be. Mr. Duncan Ross started me on the letter A and then left me, though he came back from time to time to check on me. At two o’clock he praised the amount I had written and locked the office door after me. “This went on day after day, Mr. Holmes. Every Saturday the manager paid me four gold coins for my week’s work. Little by little, he came in less often, and after a while he did not come at all. Still, I never dared to leave the room for a moment. The job was too good to lose. “Eight weeks passed like this. I had written about Abbots and Archery and Armour and Architecture, and I hoped to reach the letter B before very long. And then, suddenly, the whole business came to an end.”
