2. Baker Street 3rd Resident

Morning came, and all too soon, something had happened to disturb my peaceful slumber. As I sleepily wake, someone from the living quarter exclaimed loudly, "Oh my goodness!" It was undoubtedly our young guest. She had evidently regained energy from the rest and the bit of food last night. I dressed hurriedly and went out to see what was troubling her and only to find the room covered in a dense and thick veil of smoke. Adeline was coughing hard and trying to get to the window.

"How could you stand all this smoke?" she scolded Holmes, "Are you trying to kill us with this dense cloud of poison?"

"My apologies," Holmes replied casually, "I didn't notice how appalling the smoke was, and I certainly couldn't know of your objection to my smoking."

Adeline struggled to unlatch the window, and when she did finally manage to open it, the young lady stuck her head out and took in a nice long breath of fresh air before it became contaminated with the toxic. "Now, that's much better," she told herself and then turned back to my companion, "I don't care if you choose to intoxicate your lungs with that stuff, but, please, spare the innocence bystander!"

"What are when he or she isn't an innocence bystander?" Holmes apparently hadn't forgotten about his feat last night.

"Ouch!" our guest winced, but quickly recovered and smiled brightly like a blossoming flower in the Spring with nothing to cover its radiant beauty, "Aw, Mr. Holmes, it's too early in the morning for that. I haven't even have breakfast yet. My body functions better when it's fully awake and filled with food." She yawned and walked toward the dining room.

The great detective stared after Adeline with rapid attention and observed her every move. She was wearing a loose white gown with short puffy sleeves. A goldenrod sash was tied around her waist in a large bow. Half of her ravenous hair was tied in the same material and fashion. Adeline was skipping like a little child with no care in the world.

After breakfast, Holmes and I sat in the living quarter passing by the time until it was time for us to meet Lestrade at Sheffield Hall. Adeline told us she would like to go out and explore the city. She had never been in London but had always dreamt of going. Adeline gave us one of her brilliant and hypnotizing smile and was gone.

"What a gorgeous young lady she is!" I told Holmes when she had left the room, "I wouldn't be surprise to find that she attracts many admirers. Such a fine, graceful young lady must've come from a family in the high class of society."

Holmes chuckled, "Good old Watson! You've been observant, but as always, your deductions are erroneous."

I had quite gotten used to Holmes remarks. "What did you deduce about her from what you've observed so far, Holmes?"

"Our Adeline, as I have said before, is quite an interesting character. She has an air of a duchess, but yet she is not proud, conceited, or arrogant. She is confident, witty, and clever, but is not caustic or offensive. Adeline has an education more than equal that of a lady of high class, but she is not of an aristocratic born.

"She had traveled to many foreign countries. Our Adeline is so knowledgeable that knowing one or two languages isn't enough. She can read, write, or may be even speak Spanish and French well, and believe it or not, our Adeline can even read and write Latin.

"Adeline is well mannered. She can, if she choose, speak like a refined lady, walk like a duchess, and dine in perfect grace with kings and queen as a Princess. Mark my words, Watson! There isn't an aristocratic bone in her body, but to an untrained eye, or even with a trained eye, she can fool the world to believe she is a princess of some distance unknown country."

"My words, Holmes, how and where do you get all those deductions from? I didn't observe any aristocratic grace in her. How could you know that she speaks all those languages? If she is not of a well-to-do family, how could she be as educated as you said she is? I haven't seen any woman, or a man even, who claimed to know as much as you claim our Adeline does."

"Yes, Watson, it is strange and curious, but everything I'd told you is true. I chanced a sneak into her room last night."

"Good gracious, Holmes!"

"Rest assured, Watson, I did nothing a gentleman wouldn't do. I just want to take a look into her inventory. A lady always carries some sort of personal possession with her."

"Holmes, I didn't notice that she had a purse or a pocket book with her."

"She didn't!"

"Then how could she carry any possession with her?"

"Your guess is as good as mine, Watson. She didn't have any valuable possessions with her only a few letters, a sixpence, a few books, some papers, pens, ink, and a small pistol. Where she hides them? I can't really answer that."

"She carries a pistol? Why?" I was ejaculated. How could a sweet, innocence girl have a pistol in her possession?

"Why indeed! That, Watson, is one of the many questions that I'm trying to find answers to."

"Also, how do you know that she can read and write in Spanish and French? Or that she had traveled to foreign countries?"

"The letters I found in her possession told me so," Holmes replied, "She had acquaintances in other countries and her letters were written beautifully in French. Her reply letter also matches the beautiful prose of the letters written to her. There was one letter in Spanish, from an acquaintance in Spain. The letters in French referred to some other acquaintances she had met in other different countries."

"How did you know she knew Latin?"
"One of her books was in Latin, a philosophy book to be exact. Only the most intelligent of people read philosophy book. The fact that it is in Latin say something about her intellect or education as well. On the margin were notes about the book. The usual notes I used to write in my college days. Those notes told me two things: one, she can read in Latin, or at least knows a little of it, and two, she had been highly educated."

"You also said that she is not of a high class family. How did you come to that conclusion?"

"She was alone when Lestrade found her. No respectable lady would travel a lone or be so starved that she would fall unconscious on the street. She was willing to sleep on the street. No lady of the upper class would willingly do that because sleeping with the maid is so much better and respectable than on the street. Also, if she was from the upper class she would've brought out money or a likewise promise for a decent bed."
"If she is not of a wealthy family, how on earth did she learn all those languages or finance her travels or get such a high education?"

"That, my dear Watson," Holmes replied, "is one of the many mystery that surrounds her. With God as my witness, Watson, I will solve every one of them or die trying."