Latest / The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes / The Yelllow Face - The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Transcript

The Yelllow Face - The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes - Sir Arthur Conan Doyle · The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes

0:00
Speaker 1: The Yellow Face. In publishing these short sketches, based upon
0:05
Speaker 1: the numerous cases in which my companion's singular gifts have
0:09
Speaker 1: made us the listeners to and eventually the actors in
0:13
Speaker 1: some strange drama. It is only natural that I should
0:16
Speaker 1: dwell rather upon his successes than upon his failures. And
0:20
Speaker 1: this not so much for the sake of his reputation.
0:24
Speaker 1: For indeed, it was when he was at his wits
0:27
Speaker 1: end that his energy and his versatility were most admirable.
0:31
Speaker 1: But because where he failed, it happened too often that
0:34
Speaker 1: no one else succeeded, and that the tale was left
0:37
Speaker 1: forever without a conclusion. Now and again, however, it chanced
0:42
Speaker 1: that even when he erred, the truth was still discovered.
0:46
Speaker 1: I have noted of some half dozen cases of the kind.
0:49
Speaker 1: The adventure of the Musgrave Ritual and that which I
0:52
Speaker 1: am about to recount are the two which present the
0:54
Speaker 1: strongest features of interest Sherlock Holmes was a man who
1:00
Speaker 1: who seldom took exercise. For exercise's sake. Few men were
1:04
Speaker 1: capable of greater muscular effort, and he was undoubtedly one
1:07
Speaker 1: of the finest boxers of his weight that I have
1:10
Speaker 1: ever seen. But he looked upon aimless bodily exertion as
1:14
Speaker 1: a waste of energy, and he seldom bestirred himself, save
1:18
Speaker 1: when there was some professional object to be served. Then
1:21
Speaker 1: he was absolutely untiring and indefatigable. That he should have
1:26
Speaker 1: kept himself in training under such circumstances is remarkable. But
1:30
Speaker 1: his diet was usually of the sparest, and his habits
1:33
Speaker 1: were simple to the verge of austerity. Save for the
1:36
Speaker 1: occasional use of cocaine. He had no vices, and he
1:40
Speaker 1: only turned to the drug as a protest against the
1:42
Speaker 1: monotony of existence when cases were scanty and the papers uninteresting.
1:49
Speaker 1: One day in early spring, he had so far relaxed
1:52
Speaker 1: as to go for a walk with me in the park,
1:54
Speaker 1: where the first faint shoots of green were breaking out
1:57
Speaker 1: upon the elms, and the sticky spear heads of the
2:00
Speaker 1: chestnuts were just beginning to burst into their fivefold leaves.
2:05
Speaker 1: For two hours we rambled about together in silence, for
2:09
Speaker 1: the most part, as befits, two men who know each
2:11
Speaker 1: other intimately. He was nearly five before we were back
2:15
Speaker 1: in Baker Street. Once more. Beg pardon, sir, said our
2:19
Speaker 1: page boy as he opened the door. There's been a
2:23
Speaker 1: gentleman here? Ask him for you, sir. Holmes glanced reproachfully
2:27
Speaker 1: at me. So much for afternoon, Walks said, he has
2:32
Speaker 1: this gentleman gone? Then, yes, sir, didn't you ask him in? Yes, sir,
2:39
Speaker 1: he came in. How long did he wait? Half an hour? Sir?
2:44
Speaker 1: He was a very restless gentleman, a walking and a
2:47
Speaker 1: stamping all the time he was here. I was waiting
2:49
Speaker 1: outside the door, sir, and I could hear him. At
2:52
Speaker 1: last he outs into the passage and he cries, is
2:56
Speaker 1: that man never going to come? Those were his very words, Sir.
3:01
Speaker 1: You only need to wait a little longer, says I.
3:04
Speaker 1: Then I'll wait in the open air, for I feel
3:07
Speaker 1: half choked, says he. I'll be back before long. And
3:12
Speaker 1: with that he up send ye outs and all I
3:14
Speaker 1: could say wouldn't hold him back. Well, well you did
3:17
Speaker 1: your best, said Holmes as we walked into our room.
3:21
Speaker 1: It's very annoying, though, Watson. I was badly in need
3:24
Speaker 1: of a case, and this looks from the man's impatience
3:27
Speaker 1: as if it were of importance. Hullo, that's not your
3:31
Speaker 1: pipe on the table. He must have left his behind him,
3:35
Speaker 1: A nice old briar with a good long stem of
3:37
Speaker 1: what the tobacconists call amber. I wonder how many real
3:41
Speaker 1: amber mouthpieces there are in London. Some people think that
3:45
Speaker 1: a fly in it is a sign. Well, he must
3:48
Speaker 1: have been disturbed in his mind to leave a pipe
3:50
Speaker 1: behind him which he evidently values highly. How do you
3:54
Speaker 1: know that he values it highly? I asked, Well, I
3:58
Speaker 1: should put the original cost of the pie at seven
4:00
Speaker 1: and sixpence. Now it has, you see, been twice mended,
4:05
Speaker 1: once in the wooden stem and once in the amber.
4:08
Speaker 1: Each of these mends, done as you observe, with silver brands,
4:13
Speaker 1: must have cost more than the pipe did originally. The
4:16
Speaker 1: man must value the pipe highly when he prefers to
4:18
Speaker 1: patch it up rather than buy a new one with
4:21
Speaker 1: the same money. Anything else I asked for. Holmes was
4:26
Speaker 1: turning the pipe about in his hand and staring at
4:28
Speaker 1: it in his peculiar, pensive way. He held it up
4:32
Speaker 1: and tapped on it with his long, thin forefinger, as
4:36
Speaker 1: a professor might who is lecturing on a bone. Pipes
4:40
Speaker 1: are occasionally of extraordinary interest, said he. Nothing has more individuality,
4:46
Speaker 1: save perhaps watches and boot laces. The indications here, however,
4:52
Speaker 1: are neither very marked nor very important. The owner is
4:55
Speaker 1: obviously a muscular man, left handed, with an excellent set
4:59
Speaker 1: of teeth, careless in his habits, and with no need
5:03
Speaker 1: to practice economy. My friend threw out the information in
5:07
Speaker 1: a very off hand way, but I saw that he
5:10
Speaker 1: cocked his eye at me to see if I had
5:11
Speaker 1: followed his reasoning. You think a man must be well
5:15
Speaker 1: to do if he smokes a seven shilling pipe, said I.
5:19
Speaker 1: This is grove and a mixture at eightpence an ounce.
5:23
Speaker 1: Holmes answered, knocking a little out on his palm, as
5:27
Speaker 1: he might get an excellent smoke for half the price.
5:30
Speaker 1: He has no need to practice economy. And the other points.
5:35
Speaker 1: He has been in the habit of lighting his pipe
5:37
Speaker 1: at lamps and gas jets, and you can see that
5:40
Speaker 1: it is quite charred, all down one side. Of course,
5:43
Speaker 1: a match could not have done that. Why should a
5:46
Speaker 1: man hold a match to the side of his pipe,
5:49
Speaker 1: But you cannot light it at a lamp without getting
5:51
Speaker 1: the bowl charred, and it is all on the right
5:54
Speaker 1: side of the pipe. From that I gather that he
5:57
Speaker 1: is a left handed man. You hold your own pipe
6:02
Speaker 1: to the lamp, and see how naturally you, being right handed,
6:06
Speaker 1: hold the left side to the flame. You might do
6:09
Speaker 1: it once the other way, but not as a constancy.
6:13
Speaker 1: This has always been held. So then he has bitten
6:17
Speaker 1: through his amber. It takes a muscular, energetic fellow, and
6:21
Speaker 1: one with a good set of teeth to do that.
6:24
Speaker 1: But if I am not mistaken, I hear him upon
6:26
Speaker 1: the stair, so we shall have something more interesting than
6:29
Speaker 1: his pipe to study. An instant later our door opened
6:33
Speaker 1: and a tall young man entered the room. He was
6:36
Speaker 1: well but quietly dressed in a dark gray suit, and
6:39
Speaker 1: carried a brown wide awake in his hand. I should
6:42
Speaker 1: have put him at about thirty, though he is really
6:45
Speaker 1: some years older. I beg your pardon, said he, with
6:48
Speaker 1: some embarrassment. I suppose I should have not. Yes, of
6:53
Speaker 1: course I should have noted. The fact is that I
6:55
Speaker 1: am a little upset, and you must put it all
6:57
Speaker 1: down to that. He passed his hand over his forehead
7:01
Speaker 1: like a man who is half dazed, and then fell
7:04
Speaker 1: rather than sat down upon a chair. I can see
7:08
Speaker 1: that you have not slept for a night or two,
7:10
Speaker 1: said Holmes, in his easy, genial way that tries a
7:14
Speaker 1: man's nerves more than work, and more even than pleasure.
7:18
Speaker 1: May I ask how I can help you. I wanted
7:21
Speaker 1: your advice, sir. I don't know what to do, and
7:24
Speaker 1: my whole life seems to have gone to pieces. You
7:27
Speaker 1: wish to employ me as a consulting detective, not that
7:31
Speaker 1: only I want your opinion as a judicious man, as
7:35
Speaker 1: a man of the world. I want to know what
7:37
Speaker 1: I ought to do next. I hope to God you'll
7:40
Speaker 1: be able to tell me. He spoke in little, sharp,
7:44
Speaker 1: jerky outbursts, and it seemed to me that to speak
7:47
Speaker 1: at all was very painful to him, and that his
7:49
Speaker 1: will all through was overriding his inclinations. It's a very
7:54
Speaker 1: delicate thing, said he. One does not like to speak
7:57
Speaker 1: of one's domestic affairs to strangers. It seems dreadful to
8:00
Speaker 1: discuss the conduct of one's wife with two men whom
8:03
Speaker 1: I have never seen before. It's horrible to have to
8:07
Speaker 1: do it. But I've got to the end of my tether,
8:09
Speaker 1: and I must have advice. My dear mister Grant Monroe,
8:14
Speaker 1: began Holmes, our visitor, sprang from his chair what he cried.
8:20
Speaker 1: You know my name. If you wish to preserve your incognito,
8:24
Speaker 1: said Holmes, smiling, I would suggest that you cease to
8:28
Speaker 1: write your name upon the lining of your hat, or
8:31
Speaker 1: else that you turn the crown towards the person whom
8:33
Speaker 1: you are addressing. I was about to say that my
8:36
Speaker 1: friend and I have listened to a good many strange
8:39
Speaker 1: secrets in this room, and that we have had the
8:41
Speaker 1: good fortune to bring peace to many troubled souls. I
8:45
Speaker 1: trust that we may do as much for you might.
8:48
Speaker 1: I beg you, as time may prove to be of importance,
8:51
Speaker 1: to furnish me with the facts of your case without
8:53
Speaker 1: further delay. Our visitor again passed his hand over his forehead,
8:59
Speaker 1: as if he found it bitter hard. From every gesture
9:02
Speaker 1: and expression I could see that he was a reserved,
9:05
Speaker 1: self contained man, with a dash of pride in his nature,
9:09
Speaker 1: more likely to hide his wounds than to expose them.
9:12
Speaker 1: Then suddenly, with a fierce gesture of his closed hand,
9:16
Speaker 1: like one who throws reserve to the winds, he began
9:20
Speaker 1: The facts are these, said he. I am a married man,
9:24
Speaker 1: and have been so for three years. During that time,
9:27
Speaker 1: my wife and I have loved each other as fondly
9:30
Speaker 1: and lived as happily as any two that ever were joined.
9:33
Speaker 1: We have not had a difference not one in thought,
9:36
Speaker 1: or word or deed. And now since last Monday, there
9:40
Speaker 1: has suddenly sprung up a barrier between us, and I
9:43
Speaker 1: find that there is something in her life and in
9:46
Speaker 1: her thought of which I know as little as if
9:48
Speaker 1: she were the woman who brushes by me in the street.
9:51
Speaker 1: We are estranged, and I want to know why. Now.
9:55
Speaker 1: There is one thing that I want to impress upon
9:57
Speaker 1: you before I go any further, mister Holmes, Effie loves me.
10:02
Speaker 1: Don't let there be any mistake about that. She loves
10:05
Speaker 1: me with her whole heart and soul, and never more
10:07
Speaker 1: than now I know it, I feel it. I don't
10:12
Speaker 1: want to argue about that. A man can tell easy
10:15
Speaker 1: enough when a woman loves him. But there's this secret
10:17
Speaker 1: between us, and we can never be the same until
10:20
Speaker 1: it is cleared. Kindly, let me have the facts, mister Monroe,
10:24
Speaker 1: said Holmes, with some impatience. I'll tell you what I
10:28
Speaker 1: know about Effie's history. She was a widow when I
10:31
Speaker 1: met her first, though quite young, only twenty five. Her
10:36
Speaker 1: name then was missus Hebron. She went out to America
10:39
Speaker 1: when she was young and lived in the town of Atlanta,
10:42
Speaker 1: where she married this Hebron who was a lawyer with
10:45
Speaker 1: a good practice. They had one child, but the yellow
10:48
Speaker 1: fever broke out badly in the place, and both husband
10:51
Speaker 1: and child died of it. I've seen his death certificate.
10:55
Speaker 1: This sickened her of America, and she came back to
10:58
Speaker 1: live with a maiden aunt at Pinna in miss Sex.
11:01
Speaker 1: I may mention that her husband had left her comfortably off,
11:04
Speaker 1: and that she had a capital of about four thousand,
11:07
Speaker 1: five hundred pounds, which had been so well invested by
11:10
Speaker 1: him that it returned an average of seven percent. She
11:13
Speaker 1: had only been six months at Pinna when I met her.
11:16
Speaker 1: We fell in love with each other, and we married
11:19
Speaker 1: a few weeks afterwards. I am a hot merchant myself,
11:23
Speaker 1: and as I have an income of seven or eight hundred,
11:25
Speaker 1: we found ourselves comfortably off and took a nice eighty
11:28
Speaker 1: pound a year villa at Norbury. Our little place was
11:32
Speaker 1: very countrified, considering that it is so close to town.
11:36
Speaker 1: We had an inn and two houses a little above us,
11:39
Speaker 1: and a single cottage at the other side of the
11:41
Speaker 1: field which faces us, And except those there were no
11:44
Speaker 1: houses until you got half way to the station. My
11:48
Speaker 1: business took me into town at certain seasons but in
11:51
Speaker 1: summer I had less to do, and then in our
11:54
Speaker 1: country home, my wife and I were just as happy
11:57
Speaker 1: as could be wished. I tell you that there never
11:59
Speaker 1: was a shadow between us until this a cursed affair began.
12:04
Speaker 1: There's one thing I ought to tell you before I
12:05
Speaker 1: go further. When we're married, my wife made over all
12:09
Speaker 1: her property to me, rather against my will, for I
12:12
Speaker 1: saw how awkward it would be if my business affairs
12:15
Speaker 1: went wrong. However, she would have it so, and it
12:18
Speaker 1: was done well. About six weeks ago she came to me, Jack,
12:23
Speaker 1: said she. When you took my money, you said that
12:26
Speaker 1: if ever I wanted any I was to ask you
12:29
Speaker 1: for it certainly, said I. It's all your own. Well,
12:34
Speaker 1: said she, I want a hundred pounds. I was a
12:38
Speaker 1: bit staggered at this, for I had imagined it was
12:40
Speaker 1: simply a new dress or something of the kind. That
12:43
Speaker 1: she was after What on earth for, I asked, Oh,
12:47
Speaker 1: said she, in her playful way, You said that you
12:51
Speaker 1: were only my banker, and bankers never ask questions. You know,
12:56
Speaker 1: if you really mean it, of course you shall have
12:59
Speaker 1: the money, said I. Oh, yes, I really mean it,
13:03
Speaker 1: and you won't tell me what you want it for
13:07
Speaker 1: some day perhaps, but not just at present. Jack, so
13:11
Speaker 1: I had to be content with that, though it was
13:14
Speaker 1: the first time that there had ever been any secret
13:16
Speaker 1: between us. I gave her a check and never thought
13:20
Speaker 1: any more of the matter. It may have nothing to
13:23
Speaker 1: do with what came afterwards, but I thought it only
13:26
Speaker 1: right to mention it. Well. I told you just now
13:29
Speaker 1: that there is a cottage not far from our house.
13:32
Speaker 1: There is just a field between us, but to reach
13:34
Speaker 1: it you have to go along the road and then
13:37
Speaker 1: turn down a lane. Just beyond it is a nice
13:40
Speaker 1: little grove of Scotch firs, and I used to be
13:43
Speaker 1: very fond of strolling down there, for trees are always
13:46
Speaker 1: a neighborly kind of thing. The cottage had been standing
13:49
Speaker 1: empty this eight months, and it was a pity, for
13:53
Speaker 1: it was a pretty two storied place, with an old
13:56
Speaker 1: fashioned porch and honeysuckle about it. I have stood many
14:00
Speaker 1: a time and thought what a neat little homestead it
14:02
Speaker 1: would make. Well. Last Monday evening I was taking a
14:06
Speaker 1: stroll down that way when I met an empty van
14:09
Speaker 1: coming up the lane and saw a pile of carpets
14:11
Speaker 1: and things lying about on the grass plot beside the porch.
14:15
Speaker 1: It was clear that the cottage had at last been let.
14:18
Speaker 1: I walked past it and wondered what sort of folk
14:21
Speaker 1: they were who had come to live so near us.
14:24
Speaker 1: And as I looked, I suddenly became aware that a
14:26
Speaker 1: face was watching me out of one of the upper windows.
14:30
Speaker 1: I don't know what there was about that face, mister Holmes,
14:33
Speaker 1: but it seemed to send a chill right down my back.
14:36
Speaker 1: I was some little way off so that I could
14:38
Speaker 1: not make out the features, but there was something unnatural
14:42
Speaker 1: and inhuman about the face. That was the impression that
14:45
Speaker 1: I had, and I moved quickly forwards to get a
14:48
Speaker 1: nearer view of the person who was watching me. But
14:52
Speaker 1: as I did so, the face suddenly disappeared, so suddenly
14:56
Speaker 1: that it seemed to have been plucked away into the
14:58
Speaker 1: darkness of the room. I stood for five minutes, thinking
15:02
Speaker 1: the business over and trying to analyze my impressions. I
15:06
Speaker 1: could not tell of the face with that of a
15:07
Speaker 1: man or a woman, it had been too far from
15:10
Speaker 1: me for that. But its color was what had impressed
15:14
Speaker 1: me most. It was of a livid, chalky white, and
15:18
Speaker 1: with something set and rigid about it, which was shockingly
15:21
Speaker 1: and natural So disturbed was I that I determined to
15:25
Speaker 1: see a little more of the new inmates of the cottage.
15:28
Speaker 1: I approached and knocked at the door, which was instantly
15:31
Speaker 1: opened by a tall, gaunt woman with a harsh, forbidding face.
15:37
Speaker 1: What may you be want in, she asked, in a
15:39
Speaker 1: northern accent. I am your neighbor over yonder, said I,
15:44
Speaker 1: nodding towards my house. I see that you have only
15:47
Speaker 1: just moved in, so I thought that if I could
15:49
Speaker 1: be of any help to you in any ay, we'll
15:53
Speaker 1: just ask you when we want, ye, said she, and
15:55
Speaker 1: shut the door in my face. Annoyed at the churlish rebuff,
16:00
Speaker 1: I turned my back and walked home. All evening, though
16:03
Speaker 1: I tried to think of other things, my mind would
16:06
Speaker 1: still turn to the apparition at the window and the
16:09
Speaker 1: rudeness of the woman. I determined to say nothing about
16:13
Speaker 1: the former to my wife, for she is a nervous,
16:16
Speaker 1: highly strung woman, and I had no wish that she
16:18
Speaker 1: should share the unpleasant impression which had been produced upon myself.
16:23
Speaker 1: I remarked to her, however, before I fell asleep, that
16:27
Speaker 1: the cottage was now occupied, to which she returned no reply.
16:32
Speaker 1: I am usually an extremely sound sleeper. It has been
16:35
Speaker 1: a standing jest in the family that nothing could ever
16:38
Speaker 1: wake me during the night. And yet somehow on that
16:41
Speaker 1: particular night, Whether it may have been the slight excitement
16:45
Speaker 1: produced by my little adventure or not, I know not,
16:48
Speaker 1: but I slept much more lightly than usual. Half in
16:52
Speaker 1: my dreams, I was dimly conscious that something was going
16:55
Speaker 1: on in the room, and gradually became aware that my
16:58
Speaker 1: wife had dressed herself and was slipping on her mantle
17:01
Speaker 1: and her bonnet. My lips were parted to murmur out
17:05
Speaker 1: some sleepy words of surprise or remonstrance at this untimely preparation,
17:10
Speaker 1: when suddenly my half opened eyes fell upon her face,
17:13
Speaker 1: illuminated by the candle light, and astonishment held me dumb.
17:19
Speaker 1: She wore an expression such as I had never seen before,
17:23
Speaker 1: such as I should have thought her incapable of, assuming
17:26
Speaker 1: she was deadly pale and breathing fast, glancing furtively towards
17:31
Speaker 1: the bed as she fastened her mantle to see if
17:34
Speaker 1: she had disturbed me. Then, thinking that I was still asleep,
17:38
Speaker 1: she slipped noiselessly from the room, and an instant later
17:42
Speaker 1: I heard a sharp creaking which could only come from
17:45
Speaker 1: the hinges of the front door. I sat up in
17:48
Speaker 1: bed and wrapped my knuckles against the rail to make
17:51
Speaker 1: certain that I was truly awake. Then I took my
17:54
Speaker 1: watch from under the pillow. It was three in the morning.
17:58
Speaker 1: What on this earth could my wife doing out on
18:00
Speaker 1: the country road at three in the morning. I had
18:04
Speaker 1: sat for about twenty minutes, turning the thing over in
18:07
Speaker 1: my mind and trying to find some possible explanation. The
18:11
Speaker 1: more I thought, the more extraordinary and inexplicable did it appear.
18:16
Speaker 1: I was still puzzling over it when I heard the
18:18
Speaker 1: door gently close again and her footsteps coming up the stairs.
18:23
Speaker 1: Where in the world have you been, Effie? I asked?
18:26
Speaker 1: As she entered. She gave a violent start and a
18:29
Speaker 1: kind of gasping cry when I spoke, And that cry
18:33
Speaker 1: and start troubled me more than all the rest, for
18:36
Speaker 1: there was something indescribably guilty about them. My wife had
18:41
Speaker 1: always been a woman of a frank and open nature,
18:44
Speaker 1: and it gave me a chill to see her slinking
18:46
Speaker 1: into her own room and crying out and wincing. When
18:49
Speaker 1: her own husband spoke to her, you wake Jack, She
18:54
Speaker 1: cried with a nervous laugh. Why I thought that nothing
18:57
Speaker 1: could a wake you? Where have you been? I asked
19:01
Speaker 1: more sternly. I don't wonder that you're surprised, said she,
19:05
Speaker 1: and I could see that her fingers were trembling as
19:08
Speaker 1: she undid the fastenings of her mantle. Why I never
19:12
Speaker 1: remember having done such a thing in my life before.
19:15
Speaker 1: The fact is that I felt as though I were
19:17
Speaker 1: choking and had a perfect longing for a breath of
19:20
Speaker 1: fresh air. I really think that I should have fainted
19:23
Speaker 1: if I had not gone out. I stood at the
19:25
Speaker 1: door for a few minutes, and now I am quite
19:28
Speaker 1: myself again. All the time she was telling me this story,
19:33
Speaker 1: she never once looked in my direction, and her voice
19:36
Speaker 1: was quite unlike her usual tones. It was evident to
19:40
Speaker 1: me that she was saying what was false. I said
19:44
Speaker 1: nothing in reply, but turned my face to the wall,
19:47
Speaker 1: sick at heart, with my mind filled with a thousand
19:50
Speaker 1: venomous doubts and suspicions. What was it that my wife
19:54
Speaker 1: was concealing from me? Where had she been during that
19:58
Speaker 1: strange expedition? I felt that I should have no peace
20:01
Speaker 1: until I knew, And yet I shrank from asking her
20:04
Speaker 1: again after once she had told me what was false.
20:08
Speaker 1: All the rest of the night I tossed and tumbled,
20:11
Speaker 1: framing theory after theory, each more unlikely than the last.
20:16
Speaker 1: I should have gone to the city that day, but
20:18
Speaker 1: I was too disturbed in my mind to be able
20:21
Speaker 1: to pay attention to business matters. My wife seemed to
20:24
Speaker 1: be as upset as myself, and I could see from
20:27
Speaker 1: the little questioning glances which she kept shooting at me
20:31
Speaker 1: that she understood that I disbelieved her statement, and that
20:34
Speaker 1: she was at her wits end what to do. We
20:38
Speaker 1: hardly exchanged a word during breakfast, and immediately afterwards I
20:42
Speaker 1: went out for a walk that I might think the
20:45
Speaker 1: matter out in the fresh morning air. I went as
20:48
Speaker 1: far as the Crystal Palace, spent an hour in the grounds,
20:51
Speaker 1: and was back in Norbury by one o'clock. It happened
20:55
Speaker 1: that my way took me past the cottage, and I
20:57
Speaker 1: stopped for an instant to look at the windows and
21:00
Speaker 1: see if I could catch a glimpse of the strange
21:02
Speaker 1: face which had looked out at me on the day before.
21:05
Speaker 1: As I stood there, imagine my surprise, mister Holmes, when
21:09
Speaker 1: the door suddenly opened and my wife walked out. I
21:14
Speaker 1: was struck dumb with astonishment at the sight of her,
21:16
Speaker 1: But my emotions were nothing to those which showed themselves
21:19
Speaker 1: upon her face. When our eyes met, she seemed for
21:23
Speaker 1: an instant to wish to shrink back inside the house again,
21:26
Speaker 1: And then, seeing how useless all concealment must be, she
21:30
Speaker 1: came forward with a very white face and frightened eyes
21:34
Speaker 1: which belied the smile upon her lips. Ah, Jack, she said,
21:40
Speaker 1: I have just been in to see if I can
21:41
Speaker 1: be of any assistance to our new neighbors. Why do
21:45
Speaker 1: you look at me like that? Jack? You are not
21:47
Speaker 1: angry with me, so said I. This is where you
21:52
Speaker 1: went during the night. What do you mean, she cried,
21:56
Speaker 1: you came here. I am sure of it. Who are
22:00
Speaker 1: these people that you should visit them at such an hour?
22:04
Speaker 1: I have not been here before. How can you tell
22:07
Speaker 1: me what you know is false? I cried? Your very
22:11
Speaker 1: voice changes as you speak. When have I ever had
22:14
Speaker 1: a secret from you? I shall enter that cottage and
22:17
Speaker 1: I shall probe the matter to the bottom. No, No, Jack,
22:21
Speaker 1: for God's sake, she gasped in uncontrollable emotion. Then, as
22:26
Speaker 1: I approached the door, she seized my sleeve and pulled
22:30
Speaker 1: me back with convulsive strength. I implore you not to
22:34
Speaker 1: do this, Jack, she cried. I swear that I will
22:38
Speaker 1: tell you everything some day, but nothing but misery can
22:41
Speaker 1: come of it if you enter that cottage. Then, as
22:45
Speaker 1: I tried to shake her off, she clung to me
22:47
Speaker 1: in a frenzy of entreaty. Trust me, Jack, she cried,
22:52
Speaker 1: Trust me only this once. You will never have cause
22:56
Speaker 1: to regret it. You know that I would not have
22:58
Speaker 1: a secret from you if it were not for your
23:00
Speaker 1: own sake. Our whole lives are at stake in this.
23:04
Speaker 1: If you come home with me, all will be well.
23:07
Speaker 1: If you force your way into that cottage, all is
23:10
Speaker 1: over between us. There was such an earnestness, such despair
23:16
Speaker 1: in her manner, that her words arrested me, and I
23:19
Speaker 1: stood irresolute before the door. I will trust you on
23:23
Speaker 1: one condition, and on one condition only, said I. At last,
23:27
Speaker 1: it is that this mystery comes to an end. From
23:29
Speaker 1: now you are at liberty to preserve your secret. But
23:32
Speaker 1: you must promise me that there shall be no more
23:34
Speaker 1: knightly visits, no more doings which are kept from my knowledge.
23:38
Speaker 1: I am willing to forget those which are past if
23:41
Speaker 1: you will promise that there shall be no more in
23:43
Speaker 1: the future. I was sure that you would trust me,
23:47
Speaker 1: she cried, with a great sigh of relief. It shall
23:50
Speaker 1: be just as you wish. Come away, oh, come away,
23:53
Speaker 1: up to the house. Still pulling at my sleeve, she
23:57
Speaker 1: led me away from the cottage. As we went, I
24:01
Speaker 1: glanced back, and there was that yellow, livid face watching
24:05
Speaker 1: us out of the upper window. What link could there
24:08
Speaker 1: be between that creature and my wife? Or how could
24:11
Speaker 1: the coarse rough woman whom I had seen the day
24:13
Speaker 1: before be connected with her? It was a strange puzzle,
24:18
Speaker 1: and yet I knew that my mind could never know
24:21
Speaker 1: ease again until I had solved it. For two days
24:25
Speaker 1: after this, I stayed at home, and my wife appeared
24:28
Speaker 1: to abide loyally by our engagement. For as far as
24:31
Speaker 1: I know, she never stirred out of the house. On
24:35
Speaker 1: the third day, however, I had ample evidence that her
24:38
Speaker 1: solemn promise was not enough to hold her back from
24:41
Speaker 1: this secret influence which drew her away from her husband
24:45
Speaker 1: and her duty. I had gone into town on that day,
24:49
Speaker 1: but I returned by the two forty instead of the
24:51
Speaker 1: three thirty six, which is my usual train. As I
24:55
Speaker 1: entered the house, the maid ran into the hall with
24:58
Speaker 1: a startled face. Where is your mistress, I asked, I
25:02
Speaker 1: think that she's gone out for a walk, she answered.
25:06
Speaker 1: My mind was instantly filled with suspicion. I rushed upstairs
25:10
Speaker 1: to make sure that she was not in the house.
25:13
Speaker 1: As I did so, I happened to glance out of
25:15
Speaker 1: one of the upper windows and saw the maid with
25:18
Speaker 1: whom I had just been speaking running across the field
25:21
Speaker 1: in the direction of the cottage. Then, of course I
25:25
Speaker 1: saw exactly what it all meant. My wife had gone
25:28
Speaker 1: over there and had asked the servant to call her
25:30
Speaker 1: if I should return. Tingling with anger, I rushed down
25:35
Speaker 1: and hurried across, determined to end the matter once and
25:38
Speaker 1: for ever. I saw my wife and the maid hurrying
25:42
Speaker 1: back along the lane, but I did not stop to
25:45
Speaker 1: speak with them. In the cottage lay the secret which
25:49
Speaker 1: was casting a shadow over my life. I vowed that
25:52
Speaker 1: come what might, it should be a secret no longer.
25:55
Speaker 1: I did not even knock when I reached it, but
25:57
Speaker 1: turned the handle and rushed into the passage. It was
26:01
Speaker 1: all still and quiet upon the ground floor. In the kitchen,
26:05
Speaker 1: a kettle was singing on the fire, and a large
26:07
Speaker 1: black cat lay coiled up in the basket, but there
26:10
Speaker 1: was no sign of the woman whom I had seen before.
26:14
Speaker 1: I ran into the other room, but it was equally deserted.
26:17
Speaker 1: Then I rushed up the stairs, only to find two
26:20
Speaker 1: other rooms empty and deserted. At the top, there was
26:23
Speaker 1: no one at all in the whole house. The furniture
26:27
Speaker 1: and pictures were of the most common and vulgar description,
26:31
Speaker 1: save in the one chamber, at the window of which
26:33
Speaker 1: I had seen the strange face that was comfortable and elegant.
26:38
Speaker 1: And all my suspicions rose into a fierce, bitter flame
26:42
Speaker 1: when I saw that on the mantel piece stood a
26:44
Speaker 1: copy of a full length photograph of my wife, which
26:47
Speaker 1: had been taken at my request only three months ago.
26:51
Speaker 1: I stayed long enough to make certain that the house
26:54
Speaker 1: was absolutely empty. Then I left it, feeling a weight
26:58
Speaker 1: at my heart such as I had never had before.
27:02
Speaker 1: My wife came out into the hall as I entered
27:04
Speaker 1: my house, but I was too hurt and angry to
27:07
Speaker 1: speak with her, and pushing past her, I made my
27:10
Speaker 1: way into my study. She followed me. However, before I
27:14
Speaker 1: could close the door, I am so sorry that I
27:17
Speaker 1: broke my promise, Jack, said she. But if you knew
27:21
Speaker 1: all the circumstances, I am sure that you would forgive
27:24
Speaker 1: me tell me everything, then said I. I cannot, Jack,
27:30
Speaker 1: I cannot, she cried, Until you tell me who it
27:34
Speaker 1: is that has been living in that cottage, and who
27:37
Speaker 1: it is to whom you have given that photograph. There
27:39
Speaker 1: can never be any confidence between us, said I, and
27:43
Speaker 1: breaking away from her, I left the house. That was yesterday,
27:47
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, and I have not seen her since, nor
27:51
Speaker 1: do I know anything more about this strange business. It
27:54
Speaker 1: is the first shadow that has come between us, and
27:57
Speaker 1: it has so shaken me that I do not know
27:59
Speaker 1: what I should do for the best. Suddenly this morning
28:03
Speaker 1: it occurred to me that you were the man to
28:05
Speaker 1: advise me. So I have hurried to you now, and
28:08
Speaker 1: I place myself unreservedly in your hands. If there is
28:13
Speaker 1: any point which I have not made clear, pray question
28:16
Speaker 1: me about it, but above all, tell me quickly what
28:20
Speaker 1: I am to do, for this misery is more than
28:23
Speaker 1: I can bear. Holmes and I had listened with the
28:27
Speaker 1: utmost interest to this extraordinary statement, which had been delivered
28:31
Speaker 1: in the jerky, broken fashion of a man who is
28:34
Speaker 1: under the influence of extreme emotions. My companion sat silent
28:39
Speaker 1: for some time, with his chin upon his hand, lost
28:42
Speaker 1: in thought. Tell me, said he at last. Could you
28:47
Speaker 1: swear that this was a man's face which you saw
28:49
Speaker 1: at the window? Each time that I saw it, I
28:53
Speaker 1: was some distance away from it, so that it is
28:56
Speaker 1: impossible for me to say. You appear, however, to have
29:00
Speaker 1: been disagreeably impressed by it. It seemed to be of
29:04
Speaker 1: an unnatural color, and to have a strange rigidity about
29:07
Speaker 1: the features. When I approached it vanished with a jerk.
29:13
Speaker 1: How long is it since your wife asked you for
29:15
Speaker 1: a hundred pounds? Nearly two months? Have you ever seen
29:20
Speaker 1: a photograph of her first husband? No? There was a
29:24
Speaker 1: great fire at Atlanta very shortly after his death, and
29:27
Speaker 1: all her papers were destroyed. And yet she had a
29:30
Speaker 1: certificate of death. You say that you saw it. Yes,
29:35
Speaker 1: she got a duplicate after the fire. Did you ever
29:39
Speaker 1: meet any one who knew her in America? No? Did
29:44
Speaker 1: she ever talk of revisiting the place? No? Or get
29:48
Speaker 1: letters from it? No? Thank you. I should like to
29:53
Speaker 1: think over the matter a little now. If the cottage
29:56
Speaker 1: is now permanently deserted, we may have some difficulty. If,
30:01
Speaker 1: on the other hand, as I fancy, is more likely
30:03
Speaker 1: the inmates were warned of your coming and left before
30:07
Speaker 1: you entered yesterday, then they may be back now, and
30:10
Speaker 1: we should clear it all up easily. Let me advise
30:13
Speaker 1: you then to return to Norbury and to examine the
30:16
Speaker 1: windows of the cottage again. If you have reason to
30:19
Speaker 1: believe that it is inhabited, do not force your way in,
30:23
Speaker 1: but send a wire to my friend and me. We
30:26
Speaker 1: shall be with you within an hour of receiving it,
30:28
Speaker 1: and we shall then very soon get to the bottom
30:30
Speaker 1: of the business. And if it is still empty, in
30:35
Speaker 1: that case, I shall come out to morrow and talk
30:38
Speaker 1: it over with you. Good Bye, and above all, do
30:42
Speaker 1: not fret until you know that you really have a
30:44
Speaker 1: cause for it. I am afraid that this is a
30:48
Speaker 1: bad business, Watson, said my companion, as he returned after
30:52
Speaker 1: accompanying mister Grant Monroe to the door. What do you
30:55
Speaker 1: make of it? It had an ugly sound, I answered, Yes,
31:01
Speaker 1: there's blackmail in it, or I am much mistaken. And
31:05
Speaker 1: who is the blackmailer? Well, it must be the creature
31:08
Speaker 1: who lives in the only comfortable room in the place,
31:12
Speaker 1: and has her photograph above his fireplace. Upon my word, Watson,
31:17
Speaker 1: there is something very attractive about that livid face at
31:20
Speaker 1: the window, and I would not have missed the case
31:22
Speaker 1: for worlds. You have a theory, yes, a provisional one,
31:27
Speaker 1: but I shall be surprised if it does not turn
31:29
Speaker 1: out to be correct. This woman's first husband is in
31:33
Speaker 1: that cottage. Why do you think so? How else can
31:38
Speaker 1: we explain her frenzied anxiety that her second one should
31:42
Speaker 1: not enter it. The facts as I read them, are
31:45
Speaker 1: something like this. This woman was married in America. Her
31:49
Speaker 1: husband developed some hateful qualities, or shall we say that
31:53
Speaker 1: he contracted some loathsome disease, and became a leper or
31:57
Speaker 1: an imbecile. She flies for from him, at last, returns
32:01
Speaker 1: to England, changes her name, and starts her life as
32:05
Speaker 1: she thinks afresh. She has been married three years and
32:09
Speaker 1: believes that her position is quite secure, having shown her
32:12
Speaker 1: husband the death certificate of some man whose name she
32:15
Speaker 1: has assumed, when suddenly her whereabouts is discovered by her
32:19
Speaker 1: first husband, or we may suppose, by some unscrupulous woman
32:24
Speaker 1: who has attached herself to the invalid. They write to
32:28
Speaker 1: the wife and threaten to come and expose her. She
32:31
Speaker 1: asks for one hundred pounds and endeavors to buy them off.
32:35
Speaker 1: They come in spite of it, and when the husband
32:38
Speaker 1: mentions casually to the wife that there are newcomers in
32:41
Speaker 1: the cottage, she knows in some way that they are
32:44
Speaker 1: her pursuers. She waits until her husband is asleep, and
32:49
Speaker 1: then she rushes down to endeavor to persuade them to
32:51
Speaker 1: leave her in peace. Having no success, she goes again
32:56
Speaker 1: next morning, and her husband meets her as he has
32:59
Speaker 1: told us. As she comes out, she promises him then
33:04
Speaker 1: not to go there again. But two days afterwards, the
33:07
Speaker 1: hope of getting rid of those dreadful neighbors was too
33:09
Speaker 1: strong for her, and she made another attempt, taking down
33:13
Speaker 1: with her the photograph which had probably been demanded from her.
33:17
Speaker 1: In the midst of this interview, the maid rushed in
33:20
Speaker 1: to say that the master had come home, on which
33:23
Speaker 1: the wife, knowing that he would come straight down to
33:25
Speaker 1: the cottage, hurried the inmates out the back door into
33:29
Speaker 1: the grove of fir trees, probably which was mentioned as
33:32
Speaker 1: standing near. In this way he found the place deserted.
33:37
Speaker 1: I shall be very much surprised. However, if it is
33:40
Speaker 1: still so when he reconnoiters it this evening, what do
33:43
Speaker 1: you think of my theory? It is all surmise, but
33:48
Speaker 1: at least it covers all the facts. When new facts
33:51
Speaker 1: come to our knowledge which cannot be covered by it,
33:54
Speaker 1: it will be time enough to reconsider it. We can
33:57
Speaker 1: do nothing more until we have a message from our
33:59
Speaker 1: friend at nort Awbury. But we had not very long
34:03
Speaker 1: time to wait for that. It came just as we
34:05
Speaker 1: had finished our tea. The cottage is still tenanted, it said,
34:10
Speaker 1: have seen the face again at the window. We'll meet
34:13
Speaker 1: the seven o'clock train and will take no steps until
34:16
Speaker 1: you arrive. He was waiting on the platform when we
34:20
Speaker 1: stepped out, and we could see in the light of
34:22
Speaker 1: the station lamps that he was very pale and quivering
34:26
Speaker 1: with agitation. They are still there, mister Holmes said, he
34:30
Speaker 1: laying his hand hard upon my friend's sleeve. I saw
34:33
Speaker 1: lights in the cottage as I came down. We shall
34:36
Speaker 1: settle it now, once and for all. What is your plan,
34:39
Speaker 1: then asked Holmes, as he walked down the dark tree
34:42
Speaker 1: lined road. I am going to force my way in
34:46
Speaker 1: and see for myself who is in the house. I
34:48
Speaker 1: wish you both to be there as witnesses. You are
34:51
Speaker 1: quite determined to do this, in spite of your wife's
34:55
Speaker 1: warning that it is better that you should not solve
34:57
Speaker 1: the mystery. Yes, I am determ well, I think that
35:02
Speaker 1: you are in the right. Any truth is better than
35:05
Speaker 1: indefinite doubt. We had better go up at once. Of course,
35:10
Speaker 1: legally we are putting ourselves hopelessly in the wrong, but
35:13
Speaker 1: I think that it is worth it. It was a
35:16
Speaker 1: very dark night, and a thin rain began to fall
35:19
Speaker 1: as we turned from the high road into a narrow lane,
35:22
Speaker 1: deeply rutted, with hedges on either side. Mister Grant Monroe
35:27
Speaker 1: pushed impatiently forward, however, and we stumbled after him as
35:30
Speaker 1: best we could. There are the lights of my house,
35:34
Speaker 1: he murmured, pointing to a glimmer among the trees. And
35:38
Speaker 1: here is the cottage which I am going to enter.
35:41
Speaker 1: We turned a corner in the lane as he spoke,
35:43
Speaker 1: and there was the building close beside us. A yellow
35:47
Speaker 1: bar falling across the black foreground showed that the door
35:50
Speaker 1: was not quite closed, and one window in the upper
35:53
Speaker 1: story was brightly illuminated. As we looked, we saw a
35:58
Speaker 1: dark blur moving across the bloe. There is that creature,
36:03
Speaker 1: cried Grant Monroe. You can see for yourselves that some
36:06
Speaker 1: one is there. Now follow me and we shall soon
36:09
Speaker 1: know all. We approached the door, but suddenly a woman
36:14
Speaker 1: appeared out of the shadow and stood in the golden
36:16
Speaker 1: track of the lamp light. I could not see her
36:19
Speaker 1: face in the darkness, but her arms were thrown out
36:22
Speaker 1: in an attitude of entreaty. For God's sake, don't jack,
36:27
Speaker 1: she cried, I had a presentiment that you would come
36:30
Speaker 1: this evening. Think better of it. Dear, trust me again,
36:35
Speaker 1: and you will never have cause to regret it. I
36:38
Speaker 1: have trusted you too long, Effie, he cried sternly. Leave
36:42
Speaker 1: go of me. I must pass through my friends, and
36:45
Speaker 1: I are going to settle this matter once and for ever.
36:49
Speaker 1: He pushed her to one side, and we followed closely
36:51
Speaker 1: after him. As he threw the door open, an old
36:55
Speaker 1: woman ran out in front of him and tried to
36:57
Speaker 1: bar his passage, but he thrust her back, and an
37:00
Speaker 1: instant afterwards we were all upon the stairs. Grant Monroe
37:05
Speaker 1: rushed into the lighted room at the top, and we
37:07
Speaker 1: entered at his heels. It was a cozy, well furnished apartment,
37:12
Speaker 1: with two candles burning upon the table and two upon
37:15
Speaker 1: the mantel piece. In the corner, stooping over a desk,
37:19
Speaker 1: there sat what appeared to be a little girl. Her
37:23
Speaker 1: face was turned away as we entered, but we could
37:25
Speaker 1: see that she was dressed in a red frock, and
37:28
Speaker 1: that she had long white gloves on. As she whisked
37:31
Speaker 1: round to us, I gave a cry of surprise and horror.
37:35
Speaker 1: The face which she turned towards us was of the
37:38
Speaker 1: strangest livid tint, and the features were absolutely devoid of
37:43
Speaker 1: any expression. An instant later the mystery was explained Holmes,
37:49
Speaker 1: with a laugh, passed his hand behind the child's ear.
37:53
Speaker 1: A mask peeled off from her countenance, and there was
37:56
Speaker 1: a little coal black negress with all her white teeth
37:59
Speaker 1: flashed in amusement at our amazed faces. I burst out,
38:04
Speaker 1: laughing out of sympathy with her merriment. But grantman Rose
38:08
Speaker 1: stood staring with his hand clutching his throat. My God,
38:13
Speaker 1: he cried, what can be the meaning of this? I
38:17
Speaker 1: will tell you the meaning of it, cried the lady,
38:19
Speaker 1: sweeping into the room with a proud set face. You
38:23
Speaker 1: have forced me against my own judgment to tell you,
38:26
Speaker 1: and now we must both make the best of it.
38:29
Speaker 1: My husband died at Atlanta. My child survived your child.
38:36
Speaker 1: She drew a large silver locket from her bosom. You
38:39
Speaker 1: have never seen this open. I understood that it did
38:43
Speaker 1: not open. She touched a spring, and the front hinged back.
38:48
Speaker 1: There was a portrait within of a man, strikingly handsome
38:51
Speaker 1: and intelligent looking, but bearing unmistakable signs upon his features
38:56
Speaker 1: of his African descent. This is John, he of Atlanta,
39:01
Speaker 1: said the lady, and a nobler man never walked the earth.
39:05
Speaker 1: I cut myself off from my race in order to
39:07
Speaker 1: wed him, But never once while he lived did I
39:11
Speaker 1: for an instant regret it. It was our misfortune that
39:15
Speaker 1: our only child took after his people rather than mine.
39:18
Speaker 1: It is often so in such matches. And little Lucy
39:22
Speaker 1: is darker far than ever her father was, but dark
39:26
Speaker 1: or fair. She is my own dear little girlie and
39:29
Speaker 1: her mother's pet. The little creature ran across at the
39:33
Speaker 1: words and nestled up against the lady's dress. When I
39:37
Speaker 1: left her in America, she continued, it was only because
39:41
Speaker 1: her health was weak. And the change might have done
39:44
Speaker 1: her harm. She was given to the care of a
39:46
Speaker 1: faithful scotchwoman who had once been our servant. Never for
39:50
Speaker 1: an instant did I dream of disowning her as my child.
39:54
Speaker 1: But when chance threw you in my way, Jack, and
39:57
Speaker 1: I learned to love you, I feared to tell you
40:00
Speaker 1: about my child. God forgive me. I feared that I
40:04
Speaker 1: should lose you, and I had not the courage to
40:07
Speaker 1: tell you. I had to choose between you, and in
40:10
Speaker 1: my weakness, I turned away from my own little girl.
40:15
Speaker 1: For three years, I have kept her existence a secret
40:17
Speaker 1: from you, but I heard from the nurse, and I
40:20
Speaker 1: knew that all was well with her. At last, however,
40:24
Speaker 1: there came an overwhelming desire to see the child once more.
40:28
Speaker 1: I struggled against it, but in vain though I knew
40:31
Speaker 1: the danger, I determined to have the child over if
40:35
Speaker 1: it were but for a few weeks. I sent a
40:38
Speaker 1: hundred pounds to the nurse, and I gave her instructions
40:41
Speaker 1: about this cottage, so that she might come as a
40:43
Speaker 1: neighbor without my appearing to be in any way connected
40:46
Speaker 1: with her. I pushed my precautions so far as to
40:50
Speaker 1: order her to keep the child in the house during
40:52
Speaker 1: the daytime, and to cover up her little face and hands,
40:56
Speaker 1: so that even those who might see her at the
40:58
Speaker 1: window should not go about there being a black child
41:01
Speaker 1: in the neighborhood. If I had been less cautious, I
41:05
Speaker 1: might have been more wise, But I was half crazy
41:08
Speaker 1: with fear that you should learn the truth. It was
41:12
Speaker 1: you who told me first that the cottage was occupied.
41:15
Speaker 1: I should have waited for the morning, but I could
41:18
Speaker 1: not sleep for excitement, and so at last I slipped out,
41:23
Speaker 1: knowing how difficult it is to awake you. But you
41:26
Speaker 1: saw me go, and that was the beginning of my troubles.
41:30
Speaker 1: Next day you had my secret at your mercy, but
41:34
Speaker 1: you nobly refrained from pursuing your advantage. Three days later, however,
41:39
Speaker 1: the nurse and child only just escaped from the back
41:42
Speaker 1: door as you rushed in at the front. One. And
41:45
Speaker 1: now to night you at last know all. And I
41:49
Speaker 1: ask you what is to become of us, my child
41:51
Speaker 1: and me? She clasped her hands and waited for an answer.
41:57
Speaker 1: It was a long ten minutes before grantman Row broke
42:00
Speaker 1: the silence, and when his answer came, it was one
42:03
Speaker 1: of which I loved to think. He lifted the little child,
42:07
Speaker 1: kissed her, and then, still carrying her, he held his
42:12
Speaker 1: other hand out to his wife and turned towards the door.
42:16
Speaker 1: We can talk it over more comfortably at home, said he.
42:20
Speaker 1: I am not a very good man, Effie, but I
42:23
Speaker 1: think that I am a better one than you have
42:25
Speaker 1: given me credit for. Holmes and I followed them down
42:28
Speaker 1: the lane, and my friend plucked at my sleeve as
42:32
Speaker 1: we came out. I think, said he, that we shall
42:36
Speaker 1: be of more use in London than in Norbury. Not
42:40
Speaker 1: another word did he say of the case until late
42:42
Speaker 1: that night, when he was turning away with his lighted
42:45
Speaker 1: candle for his bedroom. Watson said he, if it should
42:50
Speaker 1: ever strike you that I am getting a little over
42:52
Speaker 1: confident in my powers, or giving less pains to a
42:55
Speaker 1: case than it deserves, kindly whisper nowbery in my ear,
43:01
Speaker 1: and I shall be infinitely obliged to you. End of
43:06
Speaker 1: the Yellow Face