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12 - The Adventure of the Copper Beeches · Sherlock Holmes

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Speaker 1: This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in
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Speaker 1: visit LibriVox dot org. Recorded by Laurie Ann Walden. The
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Speaker 1: Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Adventure
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Speaker 1: number twelve, The Adventure of the Copper Beaches To the
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Speaker 1: Man who Loves Art for its own sake, remarked Sherlock Holmes,
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Speaker 1: tossing aside the advertisement sheet of the Daily Telegraph. It
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Speaker 1: is frequently in its least important and lowliest manifestations that
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Speaker 1: the keenest pleasure is to be derived. It is pleasant
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Speaker 1: to me to observe Watson, that you have so far
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Speaker 1: grasped this truth, that in these little records of our cases,
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Speaker 1: which you have been good enough to draw up, and
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Speaker 1: I am bound to say occasionally to embellish, you have
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Speaker 1: given prominence not so much to the many cause celebres
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Speaker 1: and sensational trials in which which I have figured, but
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Speaker 1: rather to those incidents which may have been trivial in themselves,
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Speaker 1: but which have given room for those faculties of deduction
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Speaker 1: and of logical synthesis which I have made my special province.
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Speaker 1: And yet said I, smiling, I cannot quite hold myself
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Speaker 1: absolved from the charge of sensationalism which has been urged
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Speaker 1: against my records. You have erred, perhaps, he observed, taking
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Speaker 1: up a glowing cinder with the tongs and lighting with
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Speaker 1: it the long cherrywood pipe, which was wont to replace
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Speaker 1: his clay when he was in a disputatious rather than
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Speaker 1: a meditative mood. You have erred, perhaps in attempting to
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Speaker 1: put color and life into each of your statements, instead
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Speaker 1: of confining yourself to the task of placing upon record
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Speaker 1: that severe reasoning from cause to effect, which is really
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Speaker 1: the only notable feature about the thing. It seems to
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Speaker 1: me that I have done you full justice in the matter,
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Speaker 1: I remarked, with some coldness, for I was repelled by
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Speaker 1: the egotism which I I had more than once observed
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Speaker 1: to be a strong factor in my friend's singular character. No,
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Speaker 1: it is not selfishness or conceit, said he answering, as
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Speaker 1: was his wont my thoughts rather than my words? If
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Speaker 1: I claim full justice for my art, it is because
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Speaker 1: it is an impersonal thing, a thing beyond myself. Crime
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Speaker 1: is common, logic is rare. Therefore, it is upon the logic,
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Speaker 1: rather than upon the crime, that you should dwell. You
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Speaker 1: have degraded what should have been a course of lectures
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Speaker 1: into a series of tales. It was a cold morning
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Speaker 1: of the early spring, and we sat after breakfast on
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Speaker 1: either side of a cheery fire in the old room
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Speaker 1: at Baker Street. A thick fog rolled down between the
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Speaker 1: lines of dun colored houses, and the opposing windows loomed
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Speaker 1: like dark, shapeless blurs through the heavy yellow wreaths. Our
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Speaker 1: gas was lit and shown on the white cloth and
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Speaker 1: glimmer of china and metal. For the table had not
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Speaker 1: been cleared yet. Sherlock Holmes had been silent all the morning,
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Speaker 1: dipping continuously into the advertisement columns of a succession of papers,
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Speaker 1: until at last, having apparently given up his search, he
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Speaker 1: had emerged in no very sweet temper to lecture me
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Speaker 1: upon my literary shortcomings. At the same time, he remarked,
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Speaker 1: after a pause during which he had sat puffing at
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Speaker 1: his long pipe and gazing down into the fire, you
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Speaker 1: can hardly be open to a charge of sensationalism, for
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Speaker 1: out of those cases which you have been so kind
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Speaker 1: as to interest yourself in a fair proportion, do not
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Speaker 1: treat of crime in its legal sense at all. The
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Speaker 1: small matter in which I endeavored to help the King
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Speaker 1: of Bohemia, the singular experience of Miss Mary Sutherland, the
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Speaker 1: problem connected with the man with the twisted lip, and
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Speaker 1: the incident of the noble bachelor were all matters which
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Speaker 1: are outside the pale of the law. But in avoiding
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Speaker 1: this sensational I fear that you may have bordered on
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Speaker 1: the trivial. The end may have been so, I answered,
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Speaker 1: but the methods I hold to have been novel and
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Speaker 1: of interest. Pshaw, my dear fellow, what do the public,
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Speaker 1: the great unobservant public, who could hardly tell a weaver
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Speaker 1: by his tooth or a compositor by his left thumb,
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Speaker 1: care about the finer shades of analysis and deduction? But indeed,
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Speaker 1: if you are trivial, I cannot blame you, for the
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Speaker 1: days of the great cases are past. Man, or at
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Speaker 1: least criminal man, has lost all enterprise and originality. As
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Speaker 1: to my own little practice, it seems to be degenerating
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Speaker 1: into an agency for recovering lost lead pencils and giving
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Speaker 1: advice to young ladies from boarding schools. I think that
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Speaker 1: I have touched bottom at last, However, this note I
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Speaker 1: had this morning marks my zero point. I fancy read it.
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Speaker 1: He tossed a crumpled letter across to me. It was
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Speaker 1: dated from Montague Place upon the preceding evening, and ran, thus,
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Speaker 1: dear mister Holmes, I am very anxious to consult you
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Speaker 1: as to whether I should or should not accept a
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Speaker 1: situation which has been offered to me as governess. I
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Speaker 1: shall call at half past ten tomorrow if I do not,
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Speaker 1: inconvenience you yours faithfully, Violet Hunter, do you know the
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Speaker 1: young lady, I asked, not I It is half past
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Speaker 1: ten now, yes, and I have no doubt that is
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Speaker 1: her ring. It may turn out to be of more
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Speaker 1: interest than you think. You remember that the affair of
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Speaker 1: the blue carbuncle, which appeared to be a mere whim
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Speaker 1: at first, developed into a serious investigation. It may be
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Speaker 1: so in this case also. Well, let us hope so.
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Speaker 1: But our doubts will very soon be solved. For here,
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Speaker 1: unless I am much mistaken, is the person in question.
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Speaker 1: As he spoke, the door opened and a young lady
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Speaker 1: entered the room. She was plainly but neatly dressed, with
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Speaker 1: a bright, quick face, freckled like a pluver's egg, and
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Speaker 1: with the brisk manner of a woman who has had
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Speaker 1: her own way to make in the world. You will
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Speaker 1: excuse my troubling you, I am sure, said she, as
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Speaker 1: my companion rose to greet her. But I have had
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Speaker 1: a very strange experience, and as I have no parents
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Speaker 1: or relations of any sort from whom I could ask advice,
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Speaker 1: I thought that perhaps you would be kind enough to
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Speaker 1: tell me what I should do. Pray, take a seat,
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Speaker 1: miss Hunter. I shall be happy to do anything that
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Speaker 1: I can to serve you. I could see that Holmes
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Speaker 1: was favorably impressed by the manner and speech of his
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Speaker 1: new client. He looked her over in his searching fashion,
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Speaker 1: and then composed himself with his lids drooping and his
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Speaker 1: finger tips together, to listen to her story. I have
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Speaker 1: been a governess for five years, said she, in the
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Speaker 1: family of Colonel Spence Munroe. But two months ago the
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Speaker 1: colonel received an appointment at Halifax in Nova Scotia, and
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Speaker 1: took his children over to America with him. So that
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Speaker 1: I found myself without a situation. I advertised, and I
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Speaker 1: answered advertisements, but without success. At last, the little money
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Speaker 1: which I had saved began to run short, and I
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Speaker 1: was at my wits end as to what I should do.
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Speaker 1: There is a well known agency for governesses in the
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Speaker 1: West End called west Aways, and there I used to
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Speaker 1: call about once a week in order to see whether
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Speaker 1: anything had turned up which might suit me. West Away
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Speaker 1: was the name of the founder of the business, but
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Speaker 1: it is really managed by Miss Stoper. She sits in
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Speaker 1: her own little office, and the ladies who are seeking
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Speaker 1: employment wait in an ante room and are then shown
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Speaker 1: in one by one when she consults her ledgers and
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Speaker 1: sees whether she has anything which would suit them well.
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Speaker 1: When I called last week, I was shown into the
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Speaker 1: little office as usual, but I found that Miss Stoper
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Speaker 1: was not alone. Digiously stout man, with a very smiling
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Speaker 1: face and a great heavy chin which rolled down in
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Speaker 1: fold upon fold over his throat, sat at her elbow
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Speaker 1: with a pair of glasses on his nose, looking very
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Speaker 1: earnestly at the ladies who entered. As I came in,
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Speaker 1: he gave quite a jump in his chair and turned
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Speaker 1: quickly to Miss Stoper. That will do, said he. I
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Speaker 1: could not ask for anything better. Capital capital. He seemed
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Speaker 1: quite enthusiastic and rubbed his hands together in the most
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Speaker 1: genial fashion. He was such a comfortable looking man that
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Speaker 1: it was quite a pleasure to look at him. You
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Speaker 1: are looking for a situation, miss, he asked, Yes, sir,
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Speaker 1: as governess, Yes, sir, And what salary do you ask?
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Speaker 1: I had four pounds a month in my last place
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Speaker 1: with Colonel Spence Monroe. Oh tut tut, sweating, rank sweating,
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Speaker 1: he cried, throwing his hands out into the air like
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Speaker 1: a man who is in a boiling passion. How could
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Speaker 1: any one offer so pitiful a sum to a lady
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Speaker 1: with such attractions and accomplishments. My accomplishments, sir, may be
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Speaker 1: less than you imagine, said I. A little French, a
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Speaker 1: little German, music and drawing. Tut tut, he cried. This
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Speaker 1: is all quite beside the question. The point is, have
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Speaker 1: you or have you not the bearing and deportment of
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Speaker 1: a lady? There it is in a nutshell. If you
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Speaker 1: have not, you are not fitted for the rearing of
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Speaker 1: a child who may some day play a considerable part
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Speaker 1: in the history of the country. But if you have,
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Speaker 1: why then how could any gentleman ask you to condescend
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Speaker 1: to accept anything under the three figures? Your salary with
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Speaker 1: me Madam would commence at one hundred pounds a year.
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Speaker 1: You may imagine, mister Holmes, that to me, destitute as
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Speaker 1: I was, such an offer seemed almost too good to
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Speaker 1: be true. Theentlemen, however, seeing perhaps the look of incredulity
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Speaker 1: upon my face, opened a pocket book and took out
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Speaker 1: a note. It is also my custom, said he, smiling
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Speaker 1: in the most pleasant fashion, until his eyes were just
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Speaker 1: two little shining slits amid the white creases of his face.
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Speaker 1: To advance to my young ladies half their salary beforehand,
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Speaker 1: so that they may meet any little expenses of their
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Speaker 1: journey and their wardrobe. It seemed to me that I
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Speaker 1: had never met so fascinating and so thoughtful a man,
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Speaker 1: as I was already in debt to my tradesman. The
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Speaker 1: advance was a great convenience, and yet there was something
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Speaker 1: unnatural about the whole transaction, which made me wish to
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Speaker 1: know a little more before I quite committed myself. May
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Speaker 1: I ask where you live, sir, said I. Hampshire, charming
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Speaker 1: rural place the Copper Beaches, five miles on the far
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Speaker 1: side of Winchester. It is the most lovely country, my
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Speaker 1: dear young lady, and the dearest old country, and my duties, sir,
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Speaker 1: I should be glad to know what they would be.
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Speaker 1: One child, one dear little romper, just six years old. Oh,
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Speaker 1: if you could see him killing cockroaches with a slipper smack, smack, smack.
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Speaker 1: Three gone before you could wink. He leaned back in
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Speaker 1: his chair and laughed, his eyes into his head again.
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Speaker 1: I was a little startled at the nature of the
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Speaker 1: child's amusement, but the father's laughter made me think that
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Speaker 1: perhaps he was joking My soul duties. Then, I asked,
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Speaker 1: are to take charge of a single child? No, no,
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Speaker 1: not the soul, not the soul, My dear young lady,
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Speaker 1: he cried, Your duty would be as I am sure
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Speaker 1: your good sense would suggest to obey any little commands
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Speaker 1: my wife might give, provided always that they were such
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Speaker 1: commands as a lady might with propriety obey. You see
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Speaker 1: no difficulty, eh, I should be happy to make myself useful,
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Speaker 1: quite so, and dressed now for example, we are fatty people,
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Speaker 1: you know, fatty but kind hearted. If you were asked
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Speaker 1: to wear any dress which we might give you, you
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Speaker 1: would not object to our little whim, eh No, said I,
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Speaker 1: considerably astonished at his words, or to sit here or
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Speaker 1: sit there that would not be offensive to you. Oh no,
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Speaker 1: or to cut your hair quite short before you come
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Speaker 1: to us. I could hardly believe my ears. As you
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Speaker 1: may observe, mister Holmes, my hair is somewhat luxuriant, of
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Speaker 1: a rather peculiar tint of chestnut. It has been considered artistic.
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Speaker 1: I could not dream of sacrificing it in this offhand fashion.
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Speaker 1: I am afraid that that is quite impossible, said I.
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Speaker 1: He had been watching me eagerly out of his small eyes,
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Speaker 1: and I could see a shadow pass over his face
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Speaker 1: as I spoke. I am afraid that it is quite essential,
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Speaker 1: said he. It is a little fancy of my wife's
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Speaker 1: and lady's fancies. You know, madam, ladies fancies must be consulted,
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Speaker 1: And so you won't cut your hair, No, sir, I
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Speaker 1: really could not, I answered firmly. Ah, very well. Then
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Speaker 1: that quite settles the matter. It is a pity, because
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Speaker 1: in other respects you would really have done very nicely.
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Speaker 1: In that case, Miss Stoper, I had best inspect a
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Speaker 1: few more of your young ladies. The manageress had sat
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Speaker 1: all this while busy with her papers, without a word
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Speaker 1: to either of us. But she glanced at me now
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Speaker 1: with so much annoyance upon her face that I could
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Speaker 1: not help suspecting that she had lost a handsome commission
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Speaker 1: through my refusal. Do you desire your name to be
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Speaker 1: kept upon the books, she asked, if you please, Miss Stoper. Well,
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Speaker 1: really it seems rather useless, since you refuse the most
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Speaker 1: excellent offers in this fashion, said she sharply, you can
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Speaker 1: hardly expect us to exert ourselves to find another such
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Speaker 1: opening for you. Good day to you, miss Hunter. She
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Speaker 1: struck a gong upon the table, and I was shown
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Speaker 1: out by the page. Well, mister Holmes. When I got
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Speaker 1: back to my lodgings and found little enough in the
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Speaker 1: cupboard and two or three bills upon the table, I
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Speaker 1: began to ask myself whether I had not done a
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Speaker 1: very foolish thing. After all, if these people had strange
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Speaker 1: fads and expected obedience on the most extraordinary matters, they
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Speaker 1: were at least ready to pay for their eccentricity. Very
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Speaker 1: few governesses in England are getting one hundred pounds a year. Besides,
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Speaker 1: what use was my hair to me? Many people are
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Speaker 1: improved by wearing it short, And perhaps I should be
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Speaker 1: among the number. Next day I was inclined to think
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Speaker 1: that I had made a mistake, and by the day
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Speaker 1: after I was sure of it. I had almost overcome
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Speaker 1: my pride so far as to go back to the
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Speaker 1: agency and inquire whether the place was still open. When
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Speaker 1: I received this letter from the gentleman himself. I have
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Speaker 1: it here and I will read it to you the
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Speaker 1: Copper Beaches near Winchester. Dear miss Hunter. Miss Stoper has
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Speaker 1: very kindly given me your address, and I write from
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Speaker 1: here to ask you whether you have reconsidered your decision.
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Speaker 1: My wife is very anxious that you should come, for
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Speaker 1: she has been much attracted by my description of you.
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Speaker 1: We are willing to give thirty pounds a quarter or
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Speaker 1: a hundred and twenty pounds a year, so as to
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Speaker 1: recompense you for any little inconvenience which our fads may
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Speaker 1: cause you. They are not very exacting. After all. My
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Speaker 1: wife is fond of a particular shade of electric blue,
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Speaker 1: and would like you to wear such a dress indoors
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Speaker 1: in the morning. You need not, however, go to the
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Speaker 1: expense of purchasing one, as we have one belonging to
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Speaker 1: my dear daughter Alice, now in Philadelphia, which would I
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Speaker 1: should think fit you very well. Then, as to sitting
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Speaker 1: here or there, or amusing yourself in any manner, indicated
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Speaker 1: that need cause you no inconvenience. As regards your hair,
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Speaker 1: it is no doubt a pity, especially as I could
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Speaker 1: not help remarking its beauty during our short interview. But
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Speaker 1: I am afraid that I must remain firm upon this point,
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Speaker 1: and I only hope that the increased salary may recompense
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Speaker 1: you for the loss. Your duties, as far as the
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Speaker 1: child is concerned, are very light. Now do try to
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Speaker 1: come and I shall meet you with a dogcart at Winchester.
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Speaker 1: Let me know your train yours faithfully, geoffro Rowcastle. That
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Speaker 1: is the letter which I have just received, mister Holmes,
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Speaker 1: and my mind is made up that I will accept it.
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Speaker 1: I thought, however, that before taking the final step, I
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Speaker 1: should like to submit the whole matter to your consideration. Well,
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Speaker 1: miss Hunter, if your mind is made up, that settles
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Speaker 1: the question, said Holmes, smiling. But you would not advise
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Speaker 1: me to refuse. I confess that it is not the
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Speaker 1: situation which I should like to see a sister of
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Speaker 1: mine apply. For what is the meaning of it? All,
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Speaker 1: mister Holmes, Ah, I have no data. I cannot tell.
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Speaker 1: Perhaps you have yourself formed some opinion. Well, there seems
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Speaker 1: to me to be only one possible solution. Mister Rucastle
17:29
Speaker 1: seemed to be a very kind, good natured man. Is
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Speaker 1: it not possible that his wife is a lunatic and
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Speaker 1: that he desires to keep the matter quiet for fear
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Speaker 1: she should be taken to an asylum, and that he
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Speaker 1: humors her fancies in every way in order to prevent
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Speaker 1: an outbreak. That is a possible solution. In fact, as
17:48
Speaker 1: matters stand, it is the most probable one. But in
17:51
Speaker 1: any case, it does not seem to be a nice
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Speaker 1: household for a young lady. But the money, mister Holmes,
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Speaker 1: the money, well, yes, of course the pay is good,
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Speaker 1: too good. That is what makes me uneasy. Why should
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Speaker 1: they give you one hundred and twenty pounds a year
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Speaker 1: when they could have their pick for forty pounds. There
18:11
Speaker 1: must be some strong reason behind. I thought that if
18:15
Speaker 1: I told you the circumstances, you would understand afterwards if
18:18
Speaker 1: I wanted your help, I should feel so much stronger
18:21
Speaker 1: if I felt that you were at the back of me. Oh,
18:25
Speaker 1: you may carry that feeling away with you. I assure
18:28
Speaker 1: you that your little problem promises to be the most
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Speaker 1: interesting which has come my way for some months. There
18:34
Speaker 1: is something distinctly novel about some of the features. If
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Speaker 1: you should find yourself in doubt or in danger, danger,
18:42
Speaker 1: what danger do you foresee? Holmes shook his head gravely.
18:47
Speaker 1: It would cease to be a danger if we could
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Speaker 1: define it, said he. But at any time, day or night,
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Speaker 1: a telegram would bring me down to your help. That
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Speaker 1: is enough. She rose briskly from her chair, with the
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Speaker 1: anxiety all swept from her face. I shall go down
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Speaker 1: to Hampshire quite easy in my mind. Now I shall
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Speaker 1: write to mister Rucastle at once, sacrifice my poor hair
19:10
Speaker 1: to night, and start for Winchester tomorrow. With a few
19:15
Speaker 1: grateful words to Holmes. She bade us both good night,
19:18
Speaker 1: and bustled off upon her way. At least, said I,
19:23
Speaker 1: as we heard her quick firm steps descending the stairs.
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Speaker 1: She seems to be a young lady who is very well,
19:29
Speaker 1: able to take care of herself, and she would need
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Speaker 1: to be said Holmes gravely. I am much mistaken if
19:36
Speaker 1: we do not hear from her before many days are past.
19:41
Speaker 1: It was not very long before my friend's prediction was fulfilled.
19:45
Speaker 1: A fortnight went by, during which I frequently found my
19:48
Speaker 1: thoughts turning in her direction and wondering what strange side
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Speaker 1: alley of human experience this lonely woman had strayed into.
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Speaker 1: The unusual salary, The curious conditions, the lif duties all
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Speaker 1: pointed to something abnormal, though whether a fad or a plot,
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Speaker 1: or whether the man were a philanthropist or a villain,
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Speaker 1: it was quite beyond my powers to determine. As to Holmes,
20:12
Speaker 1: I observed that he sat frequently for half an hour
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Speaker 1: on end, with knitted brows and an abstracted air, but
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Speaker 1: he swept the matter away with a wave of his hand.
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Speaker 1: When I mentioned it, data, data, data, he cried impatiently,
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Speaker 1: I can't make bricks without clay. And yet he would
20:30
Speaker 1: always wind up by muttering that no sister of his
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Speaker 1: should ever have accepted such a situation. The telegram, which
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Speaker 1: we eventually received, came late one night, just as I
20:41
Speaker 1: was thinking of turning in and Holmes was settling down
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Speaker 1: to one of those all night chemical researches which he
20:46
Speaker 1: frequently indulged in. When I would leave him stooping over
20:50
Speaker 1: a retort and a test tube at night and find
20:52
Speaker 1: him in the same position when I came down to
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Speaker 1: breakfast in the morning. He opened the yellow envelope and
20:59
Speaker 1: then glanced at the message, threw it across to me.
21:03
Speaker 1: Just look up the trains in Bradshaw, said he, and
21:07
Speaker 1: turned back to his chemical studies. The summons was a
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Speaker 1: brief and urgent one. Please be at the black Swan
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Speaker 1: Hotel at Winchester at midday tomorrow, it said, do come.
21:20
Speaker 1: I am at my wits end hunter. Will you come
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Speaker 1: with me? Asked Holmes, glancing up. I should wish to
21:31
Speaker 1: just look it up. Then there is a train at
21:35
Speaker 1: half past nine, said I, glancing over my Bradshaw. It
21:39
Speaker 1: is due at Winchester at eleven thirty. That will do
21:43
Speaker 1: very nicely. Then perhaps I had better postpone my analysis
21:47
Speaker 1: of the acetones, as we may need to be at
21:49
Speaker 1: our best in the morning. By eleven o'clock the next
21:53
Speaker 1: day we were well upon our way to the old
21:55
Speaker 1: English capital. Holmes had been buried in the morning papers
21:59
Speaker 1: all the way down, but after we had passed the
22:02
Speaker 1: Hampshire border, he threw them down and began to admire
22:05
Speaker 1: the scenery. It was an ideal spring day a light
22:09
Speaker 1: blue sky flecked with little fleecy white clouds drifting across
22:13
Speaker 1: from west to east. The sun was shining very brightly,
22:17
Speaker 1: and yet there was an exhilarating nip in the air,
22:20
Speaker 1: which set an edge to a man's energy. All over
22:23
Speaker 1: the countryside, away to the rolling hills around Aldershot, the
22:27
Speaker 1: little red and gray roofs of the farmsteadings peeped out
22:30
Speaker 1: from amid the light green of the new foliage. Are
22:34
Speaker 1: they not fresh and beautiful? I cried, with all the
22:37
Speaker 1: enthusiasm of a man fresh from the fogs of Baker Street.
22:42
Speaker 1: But Holmes shook his head gravely. Do you know, Watson?
22:46
Speaker 1: Said he that it is one of the curses of
22:49
Speaker 1: a mind with a turn like mine, that I must
22:51
Speaker 1: look at everything with reference to my own special subject.
22:55
Speaker 1: You look at these scattered houses, and you are impressed
22:57
Speaker 1: by their beauty. I look at them, and the only
23:00
Speaker 1: thought which comes to me is a feeling of their
23:03
Speaker 1: isolation and of the impunity with which crime may be
23:06
Speaker 1: committed there, Good Heavens, I cried, who would associate crime
23:11
Speaker 1: with these dear old homesteads. They always fill me with
23:16
Speaker 1: a certain horror. It is my belief Watson founded upon
23:20
Speaker 1: my experience that the lowest and vilest alleys in London
23:24
Speaker 1: do not present a more dreadful record of sin than
23:27
Speaker 1: does the smiling and beautiful countryside. You horrify me, but
23:33
Speaker 1: the reason is very obvious. The pressure of public opinion
23:37
Speaker 1: can do in the town what the law cannot accomplish.
23:40
Speaker 1: There is no lane so vile that the scream of
23:43
Speaker 1: a tortured child, or the thud of a drunkard's blow
23:46
Speaker 1: does not beget sympathy and indignation among the neighbors. And
23:50
Speaker 1: then the whole machinery of justice is ever so close
23:53
Speaker 1: that a word of complaint can set it going, And
23:56
Speaker 1: there is but a step between the crime and the dock.
24:00
Speaker 1: But look at these lonely houses, each in its own fields,
24:03
Speaker 1: filled for the most part with poor, ignorant folk who
24:06
Speaker 1: know little of the law. Think of the deeds of
24:09
Speaker 1: hellish cruelty, the hidden wickedness which may go on year
24:13
Speaker 1: in year out in such places, And none the wiser.
24:18
Speaker 1: Had this lady, who appeals to us for help gone
24:20
Speaker 1: to live in Winchester, I should never have had a
24:23
Speaker 1: fear for her. It is the five miles of country
24:26
Speaker 1: which makes the danger still it is clear that she
24:29
Speaker 1: is not personally threatened. No, if she can come to
24:33
Speaker 1: Winchester to meet us, she can get away quite so,
24:37
Speaker 1: she has her freedom. What can be the matter, then,
24:41
Speaker 1: can you suggest no explanation? I have devised seven separate explanations,
24:47
Speaker 1: each of which would cover the facts as far as
24:50
Speaker 1: we know them. But which of these is correct can
24:52
Speaker 1: only be determined by the fresh information which we shall
24:55
Speaker 1: no doubt find waiting for us. Well, there is the
24:59
Speaker 1: tower of the cathedral, and we shall soon learn all
25:01
Speaker 1: that Miss Hunter has to tell. The Black Swan is
25:05
Speaker 1: an inn of repute in the high Street, at no
25:08
Speaker 1: distance from the station, and there we found the young
25:11
Speaker 1: lady waiting for us. She had engaged a sitting room,
25:14
Speaker 1: and our lunch awaited us upon the table. I am
25:18
Speaker 1: so delighted that you have come, she said earnestly. It
25:22
Speaker 1: is so very kind of you both. But indeed I
25:25
Speaker 1: do not know what I should do. Your advice will
25:28
Speaker 1: be altogether invaluable to me. Pray tell us what has
25:32
Speaker 1: happened to you. I will do so, and I must
25:36
Speaker 1: be quick, for I have promised mister Rookecastle to be
25:38
Speaker 1: back before three. I got his leave to come into
25:41
Speaker 1: town this morning, though he little knew for what purpose.
25:46
Speaker 1: Let us have everything in its due order. Holmes thrust
25:50
Speaker 1: his long, thin legs out towards the fire and composed
25:53
Speaker 1: himself to listen. In the first place, I may say
25:58
Speaker 1: that I have met on the whole which no actual
26:00
Speaker 1: ill treatment for mister and missus Rowcastle. It is only
26:04
Speaker 1: fair to them to say that, But I cannot understand them,
26:08
Speaker 1: and I am not easy in my mind about them.
26:11
Speaker 1: What can you not understand? There are reasons for their conduct,
26:17
Speaker 1: but you shall have it all just as it occurred
26:21
Speaker 1: when I came down. Mister Rowcastle met me here and
26:24
Speaker 1: drove me in his dog cart to the Copper beaches.
26:27
Speaker 1: It is, as he said, beautifully situated. But it is
26:31
Speaker 1: not beautiful in itself, for it is a large square
26:34
Speaker 1: block of a house, whitewashed, but all stained and streaked
26:38
Speaker 1: with damp and bad weather. There are grounds round it,
26:42
Speaker 1: woods on three sides, and on the fourth a field
26:45
Speaker 1: which slopes down to the Southampton high Road, which curves
26:49
Speaker 1: past about a hundred yards from the front door. This
26:52
Speaker 1: ground in front belongs to the house, but the woods
26:55
Speaker 1: all round are part of Lord Southerton's preserves. A clump
26:59
Speaker 1: of copper beach immediately in front of the hall door
27:02
Speaker 1: has given its name to the place. I was driven
27:06
Speaker 1: over by my employer, who was as amiable as ever,
27:10
Speaker 1: and was introduced by him that evening to his wife
27:12
Speaker 1: and the child. There was no truth, mister Holmes in
27:16
Speaker 1: the conjecture which seemed to us to be probable in
27:19
Speaker 1: your rooms at Baker Street. Missus Rucastle is not mad.
27:24
Speaker 1: I found her to be a silent, pale faced woman,
27:27
Speaker 1: much younger than her husband, and not more than thirty,
27:30
Speaker 1: I should think, while he can hardly be less than
27:33
Speaker 1: forty five. From their conversation, I have gathered that they
27:37
Speaker 1: have been married about seven years, that he was a widower,
27:41
Speaker 1: and that his only child by the first wife was
27:43
Speaker 1: the daughter who has gone to Philadelphia. Mister Rucastle told
27:47
Speaker 1: me in private that the reason why she had left
27:50
Speaker 1: them was that she had an unreasoning aversion to her stepmother.
27:54
Speaker 1: As the daughter could not have been less than twenty,
27:57
Speaker 1: I can quite imagine that her position must have been
27:59
Speaker 1: uncomfort with her father's young wife. Missus Rucastle seemed to
28:05
Speaker 1: me to be colorless in mind as well as in feature.
28:08
Speaker 1: She impressed me. Neither favorably, nor the reverse. She was
28:12
Speaker 1: a nonentity. It was easy to see that she was
28:16
Speaker 1: passionately devoted both to her husband and to her little son.
28:20
Speaker 1: Her light gray eyes wandered continually from one to the other,
28:24
Speaker 1: noting every little want and forestalling it if possible. He
28:28
Speaker 1: was kind to her also in his bluff boisterous fashion,
28:32
Speaker 1: and on the whole they seemed to be a happy couple.
28:36
Speaker 1: And yet she had some secret sorrow. This woman. She
28:39
Speaker 1: would often be lost in deep thought, with the saddest
28:42
Speaker 1: look upon her face. More than once I have surprised
28:46
Speaker 1: her in tears. I have thought sometimes that it was
28:49
Speaker 1: the disposition of her child which weighed upon her mind.
28:53
Speaker 1: For I have never met so utterly spoilt, in so
28:56
Speaker 1: ill natured a little creature. He is small for his age,
29:00
Speaker 1: with a head which is quite disproportionately large. His whole
29:05
Speaker 1: life appears to be spent in an alternation between savage
29:08
Speaker 1: fits of passion and gloomy intervals of sulking. Giving pain
29:13
Speaker 1: to any creature weaker than himself seems to be his
29:16
Speaker 1: one idea of amusement, and he shows quite remarkable talent
29:20
Speaker 1: in planning the capture of mice little birds and insects.
29:24
Speaker 1: But I would rather not talk about the creature mister Holmes,
29:28
Speaker 1: and indeed he has little to do with my story.
29:32
Speaker 1: I am glad of all details, remarked my friend, whether
29:35
Speaker 1: they seem to you to be relevant or not. I
29:40
Speaker 1: shall try not to miss anything of importance. The one
29:43
Speaker 1: unpleasant thing about the house which struck me at once
29:47
Speaker 1: was the appearance and conduct of the servants. There are
29:50
Speaker 1: only two, A man and his wife, Taller for that
29:55
Speaker 1: is his name, is a rough, uncouth man, with grizzled
29:58
Speaker 1: hair and whiskers, and a prop setual smell of drink.
30:02
Speaker 1: Twice since I have been with him he has been
30:04
Speaker 1: quite drunk, and yet mister Rucastle seemed to take no
30:07
Speaker 1: notice of it. His wife is a very tall and
30:10
Speaker 1: strong woman, with a sour face, as silent as Missus Rucastle,
30:14
Speaker 1: and much less amiable. They are a most unpleasant couple.
30:19
Speaker 1: But fortunately I spend most of my time in the
30:22
Speaker 1: nursery and my own room, which are next to each
30:24
Speaker 1: other in one corner of the building. For two days
30:28
Speaker 1: after my arrival at the Copper Beaches, my life was
30:31
Speaker 1: very quiet. On the third, Missus Rucastle came down just
30:35
Speaker 1: after breakfast and whispered something to her husband. Oh yes,
30:40
Speaker 1: said he, turning to me. We are very much obliged
30:43
Speaker 1: to you, miss Hunter, for falling in with our whims
30:45
Speaker 1: so far as to cut your hair. I assure you
30:48
Speaker 1: that it is not detracted in the tiniest iota from
30:51
Speaker 1: your appearance. We shall now see how the electric blue
30:54
Speaker 1: dress will become you. You will find it laid out
30:57
Speaker 1: upon the bed in your room, and if you will
30:59
Speaker 1: be so good as to put it on, we should
31:01
Speaker 1: both be extremely obliged. The dress which I found waiting
31:06
Speaker 1: for me was of a peculiar shade of blue. It
31:09
Speaker 1: was of excellent material, a sort of beige, but it
31:13
Speaker 1: bore unmistakable signs of having been worn before. It could
31:17
Speaker 1: not have been a better fit if I had been
31:19
Speaker 1: measured for it. Both mister and missus Rowcastle expressed a
31:23
Speaker 1: delight at the look of it, which seemed quite exaggerated
31:26
Speaker 1: in its vehemence. They were waiting for me in the
31:30
Speaker 1: drawing room, which is a very large room stretching along
31:33
Speaker 1: the entire front of the house, with three long windows
31:36
Speaker 1: reaching down to the floor. A chair had been placed
31:40
Speaker 1: close to the central window, with its back turned towards it.
31:44
Speaker 1: In this I was asked to sit, and then mister Rucastle,
31:48
Speaker 1: walking up and down on the other side of the room,
31:51
Speaker 1: began to tell me a series of the funniest stories
31:53
Speaker 1: that I have ever listened to. You cannot imagine how
31:57
Speaker 1: comical he was, and I laughed until I was quite weary.
32:01
Speaker 1: Missus Rucastle, however, who has evidently no sense of humor,
32:06
Speaker 1: never so much as smiled, but sat with her hands
32:08
Speaker 1: in her lap and a sad, anxious look upon her face.
32:13
Speaker 1: After an hour or so, mister Rucastle suddenly remarked that
32:16
Speaker 1: it was time to commence the duties of the day,
32:18
Speaker 1: and that I might change my dress and go to
32:20
Speaker 1: Little Edward in the nursery. Two days later, this same
32:25
Speaker 1: performance was gone through under exactly similar circumstances. Again I
32:29
Speaker 1: changed my dress. Again, I sat in the window, and
32:33
Speaker 1: again I laughed very heartily at the funny stories of
32:36
Speaker 1: which my employer had an immense repertoire, and which he
32:39
Speaker 1: told inimitably. Then he handed me a yellow backed novel, and,
32:44
Speaker 1: moving my chair a little sideways that my own shadow
32:47
Speaker 1: might not fall upon the page, he begged me to
32:50
Speaker 1: read aloud to him. I read for about ten minutes,
32:54
Speaker 1: beginning in the heart of a chapter, and then suddenly,
32:57
Speaker 1: in the middle of a sentence, he ordered me to
33:00
Speaker 1: cease and to change my dress. You can easily imagine,
33:04
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, how curious I became as to what the
33:07
Speaker 1: meaning of this extraordinary performance could possibly be. They were
33:12
Speaker 1: always very careful. I observed to turn my face away
33:15
Speaker 1: from the window, so that I became consumed with a
33:18
Speaker 1: desire to see what was going on behind my back.
33:22
Speaker 1: At first it seemed to be impossible, but I soon
33:25
Speaker 1: devised a means. My hand mirror had been broken, so
33:29
Speaker 1: a happy thought seized me, and I concealed a piece
33:32
Speaker 1: of the glass in my handkerchief. On the next occasion,
33:36
Speaker 1: in the midst of my laughter, I put my handkerchief
33:39
Speaker 1: up to my eyes and was able, with a little management,
33:42
Speaker 1: to see all that there was behind me. I confess
33:45
Speaker 1: that I was disappointed there was nothing, at least that
33:49
Speaker 1: was my first impression. At the second glance, however, I
33:53
Speaker 1: perceived that there was a man standing in the Southampton Road,
33:57
Speaker 1: a small bearded man in a gray suit, who seemed
34:00
Speaker 1: to be looking in my direction. The road is an
34:03
Speaker 1: important highway and there are usually people there. This man, however,
34:08
Speaker 1: was leaning against the railings which bordered our field, and
34:11
Speaker 1: was looking earnestly up. I lowered my handkerchief and glanced
34:15
Speaker 1: at missus Rucastle, to find her eyes fixed upon me
34:18
Speaker 1: with a most searching gaze. She said nothing, but I
34:23
Speaker 1: am convinced that she had divined that I had a
34:25
Speaker 1: mirror in my hand and had seen what was behind me.
34:29
Speaker 1: She rose at once. Jeoff Row said she. There is
34:34
Speaker 1: an impertinent fellow upon the road there who stares up
34:36
Speaker 1: at Miss Hunter. No friend of yours, Miss Hunter, he asked, No,
34:43
Speaker 1: I know no one in these parts. Dear me, how
34:47
Speaker 1: very impertinent kindly turned round and motioned to him to
34:50
Speaker 1: go away. Surely it would be better to take no notice. No, no,
34:57
Speaker 1: we should have him loitering here. Always kindly turn round
35:01
Speaker 1: and wave him away like that. I did as I
35:04
Speaker 1: was told, and at the same instant missus Rucastle drew
35:07
Speaker 1: down the blind. That was a week ago, and from
35:11
Speaker 1: that time I have not sat again in the window,
35:13
Speaker 1: nor have I worn the blue dress, nor seen the
35:16
Speaker 1: man in the road. Pray continue, said Holmes. Your narrative
35:21
Speaker 1: promises to be a most interesting one. You will find
35:25
Speaker 1: it rather disconnected, I fear, and there may prove to
35:28
Speaker 1: be little relation between the different incidents of which I speak.
35:32
Speaker 1: On the very first day that I was at the
35:34
Speaker 1: Copper Beaches, mister Rucastle took me to a small outhouse
35:38
Speaker 1: which stands near the kitchen door. As we approached it,
35:41
Speaker 1: I heard the sharp rattling of a chain and the
35:44
Speaker 1: sound as of a large animal moving about. Look in here,
35:48
Speaker 1: said mister Rucastle, showing me a slit between two planks.
35:52
Speaker 1: Is he not a beauty? I looked through and was
35:56
Speaker 1: conscious of two glowing eyes and of a vague figure
35:59
Speaker 1: huddled up in the darkness. Don't be frightened, said my employer,
36:04
Speaker 1: laughing at the start which I had given. It's only Carlo,
36:08
Speaker 1: my mastiff, I call him mine, but really old Toller,
36:12
Speaker 1: my groom, is the only man who can do anything
36:14
Speaker 1: with him. We feed him once a day, and not
36:18
Speaker 1: too much thin, so that he is always as keen
36:20
Speaker 1: as mustard. Toller lets him loose every night, and God
36:25
Speaker 1: help the trespasser whom he lays his fangs upon. For
36:28
Speaker 1: goodness sake, don't you ever, on any pretext set your
36:31
Speaker 1: foot over the threshold at night, For it's as much
36:34
Speaker 1: as your life is worth. The warning was no idle
36:38
Speaker 1: one for two nights later. I happened to look out
36:41
Speaker 1: of my bedroom window about two o'clock in the morning.
36:44
Speaker 1: It was a beautiful moonlight night, and the lawn in
36:47
Speaker 1: front of the house was silvered over and almost as
36:50
Speaker 1: bright as day. I was standing wrapped in the peaceful
36:54
Speaker 1: beauty of the scene when I was aware that something
36:57
Speaker 1: was moving under the shadow of the copper beeches. As
37:00
Speaker 1: it emerged into the moonshine, I saw what it was.
37:04
Speaker 1: It was a giant dog as large as a calf,
37:07
Speaker 1: tawny tinted, with hanging jowl, black muzzle, and huge projecting bones.
37:13
Speaker 1: It walked slowly across the lawn and vanished into the
37:16
Speaker 1: shadow upon the other side. That dreadful sentinel sent a
37:20
Speaker 1: chill to my heart, which I do not think that
37:22
Speaker 1: any burglar could have done. And now I have a
37:26
Speaker 1: very strange experience to tell you. I had, as you know,
37:30
Speaker 1: cut off my hair in London, and I had placed
37:33
Speaker 1: it in a great coil at the bottom of my trunk.
37:36
Speaker 1: One evening, after the child was in bed, I began
37:39
Speaker 1: to amuse myself by examining the furniture of my room,
37:43
Speaker 1: and by rearranging my own little things. There was an
37:46
Speaker 1: old chest of drawers in the room, the two upper
37:49
Speaker 1: ones empty and open, the lower one locked. I had
37:53
Speaker 1: filled the first two with my linen, and as I
37:55
Speaker 1: had still much to pack away, I was naturally annoyed
37:58
Speaker 1: at not having the use of the third drawer. It
38:01
Speaker 1: struck me that it might have been fastened by a
38:03
Speaker 1: mere oversight. So I took out my bunch of keys
38:06
Speaker 1: and tried to open it. The very first key fitted
38:10
Speaker 1: to perfection, and I drew the drawer open. There was
38:14
Speaker 1: only one thing in it, but I am sure that
38:16
Speaker 1: you would never guess what it was. It was my
38:19
Speaker 1: coil of hair. I took it up and examined it.
38:24
Speaker 1: It was of the same peculiar tint and the same thickness.
38:29
Speaker 1: But then the impossibility of the thing obtruded itself upon me.
38:33
Speaker 1: How could my hair have been locked in the drawer?
38:36
Speaker 1: With trembling hands, I undid my trunk, turned out the contents,
38:40
Speaker 1: and drew from the bottom my own hair. I laid
38:43
Speaker 1: the two tresses together, and I assure you that they
38:46
Speaker 1: were identical? Was it not extraordinary puzzle? As I would,
38:51
Speaker 1: I could make nothing at all of what it meant.
38:54
Speaker 1: I returned the strange hair to the drawer, and I
38:57
Speaker 1: said nothing of the matter to the rooe castles as
38:59
Speaker 1: I fell that I had put myself in the wrong
39:01
Speaker 1: by opening a drawer which they had locked. I am
39:05
Speaker 1: naturally observant, as you may have remarked, mister Holmes, and
39:09
Speaker 1: I soon had a pretty good plan of the whole
39:11
Speaker 1: house in my head. There was one wing, however, which
39:14
Speaker 1: appeared not to be inhabited at all. A door which
39:18
Speaker 1: faced that which led into the quarters of the tollers
39:21
Speaker 1: opened into this suite, but it was invariably locked. One day, however,
39:27
Speaker 1: as I ascended the stair, I met mister Rucastle coming
39:30
Speaker 1: out through this door, his keys in his hand, and
39:33
Speaker 1: a look on his face which made him a very
39:35
Speaker 1: different person to the round, jovial man to whom I
39:38
Speaker 1: was accustomed. His cheeks were red, his brow was all
39:43
Speaker 1: crinkled with anger, and the veins stood out at his
39:45
Speaker 1: temples with passion. He locked the door and hurried past
39:49
Speaker 1: me without a word or a look. This aroused my curiosity,
39:54
Speaker 1: so when I went out for a walk in the
39:56
Speaker 1: grounds with my charge, I strolled round to the side
39:59
Speaker 1: from which I could see the windows of this part
40:01
Speaker 1: of the house. There were four of them in a row,
40:05
Speaker 1: three of which were simply dirty, while the fourth was
40:08
Speaker 1: shuddered up. They were evidently all deserted. As I strolled
40:13
Speaker 1: up and down, glancing at them occasionally, mister Rucastle came
40:16
Speaker 1: out to me, looking as mary and jovial as ever.
40:21
Speaker 1: Ah said he you must not think me rude if
40:24
Speaker 1: I passed you without a word, my dear young lady,
40:26
Speaker 1: I was preoccupied with business matters. I assured him that
40:31
Speaker 1: I was not offended by the way, said I. You
40:35
Speaker 1: seem to have quite a suite of spare rooms up there,
40:37
Speaker 1: and one of them has the shutters up. He looked surprised, and,
40:42
Speaker 1: as it seemed to me, a little startled at my remark.
40:46
Speaker 1: Photography is one of my hobbies, said he, I have
40:49
Speaker 1: made my dark room up there. But dear me, what
40:52
Speaker 1: an observant young lady we have come upon. Who would
40:55
Speaker 1: have believed it? Who would have ever believed it? He
40:59
Speaker 1: spoke in a jesting tone, but there was no jest
41:02
Speaker 1: in his eyes. As he looked at me. I read suspicion,
41:05
Speaker 1: there an annoyance, but no jest. Well, mister Holmes from
41:11
Speaker 1: the moment that I understood that there was something about
41:14
Speaker 1: that suite of rooms which I was not to know,
41:17
Speaker 1: I was all on fire to go over them. It
41:20
Speaker 1: was not mere curiosity, though I have my share of that.
41:24
Speaker 1: It was more a feeling of duty, a feeling that
41:26
Speaker 1: some good might come from my penetrating to this place.
41:30
Speaker 1: They talk of woman's instinct. Perhaps it was woman's instinct
41:34
Speaker 1: which gave me that feeling. At any rate, it was there,
41:38
Speaker 1: and I was keenly on the lookout for any chance
41:40
Speaker 1: to pass the forbidden door. It was only yesterday that
41:44
Speaker 1: the chance came. I may tell you that besides mister Rucastle,
41:49
Speaker 1: both Toller and his wife find something to do in
41:51
Speaker 1: these deserted rooms. And I once saw him carrying a
41:54
Speaker 1: large black linen bag with him through the door. Recently
41:58
Speaker 1: he has been drinking hard, and yesterday evening he was
42:01
Speaker 1: very drunk, And when I came upstairs there was the
42:04
Speaker 1: key in the door. I had no doubt at all
42:07
Speaker 1: that he had left it there. Mister and missus Rucastle
42:10
Speaker 1: were both downstairs, and the child was with them, so
42:14
Speaker 1: that I had an admirable opportunity. I turned the key
42:17
Speaker 1: gently in the lock, opened the door and slipped through.
42:22
Speaker 1: There was a little passage in front of me, unpapered
42:25
Speaker 1: and uncarpeted, which turned at a right angle. At the
42:28
Speaker 1: farther end. Round this corner were three doors in a line,
42:32
Speaker 1: the first and third of which were open. They each
42:35
Speaker 1: led into an empty room, dusty and cheerless, with two
42:39
Speaker 1: windows in the one and one in the other, so
42:42
Speaker 1: thick with dirt that the evening light glimmered dimly through them.
42:46
Speaker 1: The center door was closed, and across the outside of
42:49
Speaker 1: it had been fastened one of the broad bars of
42:51
Speaker 1: an iron bed padlocked at one end to a ring
42:54
Speaker 1: in the wall, and fastened at the other with stout cord.
42:58
Speaker 1: The door itself was well and the key was not there.
43:04
Speaker 1: This barricaded door corresponded clearly with the shuttered window outside,
43:08
Speaker 1: and yet I could see by the glimmer from beneath
43:11
Speaker 1: it that the room was not in darkness. Evidently there
43:14
Speaker 1: was a skylight which led in light from above. As
43:18
Speaker 1: I stood in the passage, gazing at the sinister door
43:21
Speaker 1: and wondering what secret it might veil, I suddenly heard
43:24
Speaker 1: the sound of steps within the room, and saw a
43:27
Speaker 1: shadow pass backward and forward against the little slit of
43:29
Speaker 1: dim light which shone out from under the door. A mad,
43:33
Speaker 1: unreasoning terror rose up in me at the sight mister Holmes.
43:37
Speaker 1: My overstrung nerves failed me suddenly, and I turned and
43:41
Speaker 1: ran ran, as though some dreadful hand were behind me,
43:44
Speaker 1: clutching at the skirt of my dress. I rushed down
43:47
Speaker 1: the passage, through the door and straight into the arms
43:50
Speaker 1: of mister Rucastle, who was waiting outside, so said he, smiling.
43:56
Speaker 1: It was you, then, I thought that it must be
43:58
Speaker 1: when I saw the door open. Oh I am so frightened,
44:02
Speaker 1: I panted, my dear young lady. You cannot think how
44:07
Speaker 1: caressing and soothing his manner was, and what has frightened you,
44:11
Speaker 1: my dear young lady. But his voice was just a
44:15
Speaker 1: little too coaxing. He overdid it. I was keenly on
44:20
Speaker 1: my guard against him. I was foolish enough to go
44:23
Speaker 1: into the empty wing, I answered. But it is so
44:26
Speaker 1: lonely and eerie in this dim light that I was
44:29
Speaker 1: frightened and ran out again. Oh it is so dreadfully
44:32
Speaker 1: still in there only that, said he, looking at me keenly.
44:39
Speaker 1: Why what did you think, I asked, Why do you
44:43
Speaker 1: think that I locked this door. I am sure that
44:46
Speaker 1: I do not know. It is to keep people out
44:50
Speaker 1: who have no business there. Do you see? He was
44:54
Speaker 1: still smiling in the most amiable manner. I am sure
44:57
Speaker 1: if I had known well, then you know now, and
45:02
Speaker 1: if you ever put your foot over that threshold again.
45:05
Speaker 1: Here in an instant the smile hardened into a grin
45:08
Speaker 1: of rage, and he glared down at me with the
45:10
Speaker 1: face of a demon. I'll throw you to the mastiff.
45:14
Speaker 1: I was so terrified that I do not know what
45:16
Speaker 1: I did. I suppose that I must have rushed past
45:19
Speaker 1: him into my room. I remember nothing until I found
45:23
Speaker 1: myself lying on my bed, trembling all over. Then I
45:26
Speaker 1: thought of you, mister Holmes. I could not live there
45:29
Speaker 1: longer without some advice. I was frightened of the house,
45:32
Speaker 1: of the man, of the woman, of the servants, even
45:36
Speaker 1: of the child. They were all horrible to me. If
45:39
Speaker 1: I could only bring you down, all would be well.
45:43
Speaker 1: Of course, I might have fled from the house, But
45:46
Speaker 1: my curiosity was almost as strong as my fears. My
45:50
Speaker 1: mind was soon made up. I would send you a wire.
45:54
Speaker 1: I put on my hat and cloak went down to
45:56
Speaker 1: the office, which is about half a mile from the house,
45:59
Speaker 1: and then returned feeling very much easier. A horrible doubt
46:04
Speaker 1: came into my mind as I approached the door, lest
46:06
Speaker 1: the dog might be loose. But I remembered that Toller
46:09
Speaker 1: had drunk himself into a state of insensibility that evening,
46:13
Speaker 1: and I knew that he was the only one in
46:15
Speaker 1: the household who had any influence with the savage creature,
46:18
Speaker 1: or who had ventured to set him free. I slipped
46:22
Speaker 1: in in safety and lay awake half the night in
46:24
Speaker 1: my joy at the thought of seeing you. I had
46:28
Speaker 1: no difficulty in getting leave to come into Winchester this morning,
46:31
Speaker 1: but I must be back before three o'clock, for mister
46:34
Speaker 1: and Missus Rucastle are going on a visit and will
46:37
Speaker 1: be away all the evening, so that I must look
46:39
Speaker 1: after the child. Now I have told you all my adventures,
46:43
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, and I should be very glad if you
46:45
Speaker 1: could tell me what it all means, and above all,
46:48
Speaker 1: what I should do. Holmes and I had listened spellbound
46:52
Speaker 1: to this extraordinary story. My friend rose now and paced
46:57
Speaker 1: up and down the room, his hands in his pockets,
47:00
Speaker 1: and an expression of the most profound gravity upon his face.
47:04
Speaker 1: Is Toller still drunk, he asked, Yes, I heard his
47:09
Speaker 1: wife tell Missus Rowcastle that she could do nothing with him.
47:13
Speaker 1: That is well, and the Roecastles go out to night. Yes.
47:19
Speaker 1: Is there a cellar with a good strong lock, Yes,
47:22
Speaker 1: the wine cellar. You seem to me to have acted
47:26
Speaker 1: all through this matter like a very brave and sensible girl,
47:28
Speaker 1: Miss Hunter. Do you think that you could perform one
47:31
Speaker 1: more feat? I should not ask it of you if
47:34
Speaker 1: I did not think you quite an exceptional woman. I
47:38
Speaker 1: will try. What is it? We shall be at the
47:41
Speaker 1: Copper Beaches by seven o'clock, my friend and I. The
47:45
Speaker 1: Rooecastles will be gone by that time, and Toller will
47:48
Speaker 1: we hope, be incapable. There only remains missus Toller, who
47:52
Speaker 1: might give the alarm. If you could send her into
47:55
Speaker 1: the cellar on some errand and then turn the key
47:58
Speaker 1: upon her, you would facilitate matters immensely. I will do it. Excellent.
48:05
Speaker 1: We shall then look thoroughly into the affair. Of course,
48:09
Speaker 1: there is only one feasible explanation. You have been brought
48:12
Speaker 1: there to personate someone, and the real person is imprisoned
48:16
Speaker 1: in this chamber. That is obvious as to who this
48:19
Speaker 1: prisoner is I have no doubt that it is the
48:22
Speaker 1: daughter Miss Alice Rucastle, if I remember right, who was
48:26
Speaker 1: said to have gone to America. You were chosen, doubtless,
48:30
Speaker 1: as resembling her in height, figure and the color of
48:33
Speaker 1: her hair. Hers had been cut off, very possibly in
48:37
Speaker 1: some illness through which she has passed, and so of
48:40
Speaker 1: course yours had to be sacrificed. Also by a curious chance,
48:44
Speaker 1: you came upon her tresses. The man in the road
48:48
Speaker 1: was undoubtedly some friend of hers, possibly her fiancee, And
48:52
Speaker 1: no doubt, as you wore the girl's dress and were
48:55
Speaker 1: so like her, he was convinced from your laughter whenever
48:58
Speaker 1: he saw you, and after from your gesture, that Miss
49:02
Speaker 1: Rucastle was perfectly happy, and that she no longer desired
49:05
Speaker 1: his attentions. The dog is let loose at night to
49:08
Speaker 1: prevent him from endeavoring to communicate with her. So much
49:12
Speaker 1: is fairly clear. The most serious point in the case
49:15
Speaker 1: is the disposition of the child. What on earth has
49:19
Speaker 1: that to do with it? I ejaculated, My dear Watson, You,
49:24
Speaker 1: as a medical man, are continually gaining light as to
49:27
Speaker 1: the tendencies of a child by the study of the parents.
49:30
Speaker 1: Don't you see that the converse is equally valid. I
49:34
Speaker 1: have frequently gained my first real insight into the character
49:37
Speaker 1: of parents by studying their children. This child's disposition is
49:42
Speaker 1: abnormally cruel, merely for cruelty's sake, and whether he derives
49:47
Speaker 1: this from his smiling father, as I should suspect, or
49:50
Speaker 1: from his mother, it bodes evil for the poor girl
49:54
Speaker 1: who is in their power. I am sure that you
49:57
Speaker 1: are right, mister Holmes, cried our client. A thousand things
50:01
Speaker 1: come back to me which make me certain that you
50:03
Speaker 1: have hit it. Oh, let us lose not an instant
50:06
Speaker 1: in bringing help to this poor creature. We must be circumspect,
50:11
Speaker 1: for we are dealing with a very cunning man. We
50:14
Speaker 1: can do nothing until seven o'clock. At that hour we
50:17
Speaker 1: shall be with you, and it will not be long
50:19
Speaker 1: before we solved the mystery. We were as good as
50:23
Speaker 1: our word, for it was just seven when we reached
50:26
Speaker 1: the Copper Beaches, having put up our trap at a
50:28
Speaker 1: wayside public house. The group of trees, with their dark
50:32
Speaker 1: leaves shining like burnished metal in the light of the
50:35
Speaker 1: setting sun, were sufficient to mark the house even had
50:38
Speaker 1: Miss Hunter not been standing smiling on the doorstep. Have
50:43
Speaker 1: you managed it, asked Holmes. A loud thudding noise came
50:48
Speaker 1: from somewhere downstairs. That is missus Toller in the cellar,
50:52
Speaker 1: said she. Her husband lies snoring on the kitchen rug.
50:57
Speaker 1: Here are his keys, which are the duplicates of mister ruquatvessels.
51:01
Speaker 1: You have done well, indeed, cried Holmes, with enthusiasm. Now
51:05
Speaker 1: lead the way, and we shall soon see the end
51:07
Speaker 1: of this black business. We passed up the stair, unlocked
51:13
Speaker 1: the door, followed on down a passage, and found ourselves
51:16
Speaker 1: in front of the barricade which miss Hunter had described.
51:20
Speaker 1: Holmes cut the cord and removed the transverse bar. Then
51:24
Speaker 1: he tried the various keys in the lock, but without success.
51:29
Speaker 1: No sound came from within, and at the silence, Holmes's
51:32
Speaker 1: face clouded over. I trust that we are not too late,
51:36
Speaker 1: said he. I think, miss Hunter, that we had better
51:40
Speaker 1: go in without you. Now, Watson, put your shoulder to it,
51:43
Speaker 1: and we shall see whether we cannot make our way in.
51:47
Speaker 1: It was an old, rickety door, and gave it once
51:49
Speaker 1: before our united strength. Together we rushed into the room.
51:54
Speaker 1: It was empty. There was no furniture save a little
51:58
Speaker 1: pallet bed, a small and a basketful of linen. The
52:03
Speaker 1: skylight above was open, and the prisoner gone. There has
52:07
Speaker 1: been some villainy here, said Holmes. This beauty has guessed
52:11
Speaker 1: Miss Hunter's intentions and has carried his victim off. But
52:15
Speaker 1: how through the skylight We shall soon see how he
52:19
Speaker 1: managed it. He swung himself up on to the roof. Ah, yes,
52:24
Speaker 1: he cried, here's the end of a long light ladder
52:27
Speaker 1: against the eaves. That is how he did it. But
52:31
Speaker 1: it is impossible, said miss Hunter. The ladder was not
52:35
Speaker 1: there when the rooe castles went away. He has come
52:39
Speaker 1: back and done it. I tell you that he is
52:41
Speaker 1: a clever and dangerous man. I should not be very
52:45
Speaker 1: much surprised if this were he whose step I hear
52:47
Speaker 1: now upon the stair. I think, Watson, that it would
52:50
Speaker 1: be as well for you to have your pistol ready.
52:54
Speaker 1: The words were hardly out of his mouth before a
52:56
Speaker 1: man appeared at the door of the room, a very
52:59
Speaker 1: fat and burly man with a heavy stick in his hand.
53:04
Speaker 1: Miss Hunter screamed and shrunk against the wall at the
53:07
Speaker 1: sight of him, But Sherlock Holms sprang forward and confronted him.
53:11
Speaker 1: You villain, said he, where's your daughter. The fat man
53:16
Speaker 1: cast his eyes round and then up at the open skylight.
53:21
Speaker 1: It is for me to ask you that, he shrieked,
53:23
Speaker 1: You thieves, spies and thieves. I have caught you, have
53:27
Speaker 1: I You are in my power. I'll serve you. He
53:31
Speaker 1: turned and clattered down the stairs as hard as he
53:33
Speaker 1: could go. He's gone for the dog, cried miss Hunter.
53:39
Speaker 1: I have my revolver, said I better close the front door,
53:44
Speaker 1: cried Holmes, and we all rushed down the stairs together.
53:48
Speaker 1: We had hardly reached the hall when we heard the
53:50
Speaker 1: baying of a hound, and then a scream of agony,
53:53
Speaker 1: with a horrible, worrying sound, which it was dreadful to
53:56
Speaker 1: listen to. An elderly man with a red face and
53:59
Speaker 1: shame king limbs came staggering out at a side door.
54:03
Speaker 1: My god, he cried, some one has loosed the dog.
54:07
Speaker 1: It's not been fed for two days. Quick, quick, or
54:10
Speaker 1: it'll be too late. Holmes and I rushed out and
54:14
Speaker 1: round the angle of the house, with Taller hurrying behind us.
54:18
Speaker 1: There was the huge, famished brute, its black muzzle buried
54:22
Speaker 1: in Roughcastle's throat, while he writhed and screamed upon the ground,
54:27
Speaker 1: Running up I blew its brains out, and it fell over,
54:29
Speaker 1: with its keen white teeth still meeting in the great
54:32
Speaker 1: creases of his neck. With much labor, we separated them
54:36
Speaker 1: and carried him, living but horribly mangled, into the house.
54:41
Speaker 1: We laid him upon the drawing room sofa, and, having
54:44
Speaker 1: dispatched the sobered taller to bear the news to his wife,
54:47
Speaker 1: I did what I could to relieve his pain. We
54:51
Speaker 1: were all assembled round him when the door opened and
54:54
Speaker 1: a tall, gaunt woman entered the room. Missus Toller cried,
54:59
Speaker 1: miss Hunter. Yes, miss mister Rucastle let me out when
55:03
Speaker 1: he came back before he went up to you. Ah, miss,
55:07
Speaker 1: it is a pity you didn't let me know what
55:09
Speaker 1: you were planning for I would have told you that
55:11
Speaker 1: your pains were wasted, ah, said Holmes, looking keenly at her.
55:16
Speaker 1: It is clear that missus Toller knows more about this
55:18
Speaker 1: matter than any one else. Yes, sir, I do, and
55:23
Speaker 1: I am ready enough to tell what I know. Then pray,
55:27
Speaker 1: sit down and let us hear it, for there are
55:29
Speaker 1: several points on which I must confess that I am
55:31
Speaker 1: still in the dark. I will soon make it clear
55:35
Speaker 1: to you, said she, And I'd have done so before.
55:38
Speaker 1: Now if I could have got out from the cellar.
55:40
Speaker 1: If there's police court business over this, you'll remember that
55:43
Speaker 1: I was the one that stood your friend, and that
55:46
Speaker 1: I was miss Alice's friend too. She was never happy
55:50
Speaker 1: at home. Miss Alice wasn't from the time that her
55:52
Speaker 1: father married again. She was slighted like and had no
55:56
Speaker 1: say in anything. But it never really became bad for
55:59
Speaker 1: her until after she met mister Fowler at a friend's house.
56:04
Speaker 1: As well as I could learn, miss Alice had rights
56:06
Speaker 1: of her own by will, but she was so quiet
56:09
Speaker 1: and patient she was that she never said a word
56:11
Speaker 1: about them, but just left everything in mister Rucastle's hands.
56:16
Speaker 1: He knew he was safe with her. But when there
56:19
Speaker 1: was a chance of a husband coming forward who would
56:21
Speaker 1: ask for all that the law would give him, then
56:24
Speaker 1: her father thought it time to put a stop on it.
56:27
Speaker 1: He wanted her to sign a paper so that whether
56:29
Speaker 1: she married or not, he could use her money. When
56:33
Speaker 1: she wouldn't do it, he kept on worrying her until
56:35
Speaker 1: she got brain fever, and for six weeks was at
56:38
Speaker 1: death's door. Then she got better at last, all worn
56:42
Speaker 1: to a shadow and with her beautiful hair cut off.
56:46
Speaker 1: But that didn't make no change in her, young man,
56:48
Speaker 1: and he stuck to her as true as man could be, Ah,
56:53
Speaker 1: said Holmes. I think that what you have been good
56:55
Speaker 1: enough to tell us makes the matter fairly clear, and
56:58
Speaker 1: that I can deduce all that remained. Mister Rucastle, then
57:03
Speaker 1: I presume, took to this system of imprisonment, yes, sir,
57:08
Speaker 1: and brought miss Hunter down from London, in order to
57:10
Speaker 1: get rid of the disagreeable persistence of mister Fowler. That
57:14
Speaker 1: was it, sir. But mister Fowler, being a persevering man,
57:19
Speaker 1: as a good sea man should be blockaded the house,
57:23
Speaker 1: and having met you, succeeded by certain arguments, metallic or
57:27
Speaker 1: otherwise in convincing you that your interests were the same
57:30
Speaker 1: as his. Mister Fowler was a very kind, spoken, free
57:35
Speaker 1: handed gentleman, said Missus Toller serenely, and in this way
57:40
Speaker 1: he managed that your good man should have no want
57:43
Speaker 1: of drink, and that a latter should be ready at
57:45
Speaker 1: the moment when your master had gone out. You have it, sir,
57:49
Speaker 1: just as it happened. I am sure we owe you
57:53
Speaker 1: an apology, Missus Toller, said Holmes, for you have certainly
57:56
Speaker 1: cleared up everything which puzzled us, and here comes the
58:00
Speaker 1: country surgeon and missus Roucastle. So I think Watson that
58:03
Speaker 1: we had best escort Miss Hunter back to Winchester, as
58:07
Speaker 1: it seems to me that our locust standy now is
58:09
Speaker 1: rather a questionable one. And thus was solved the mystery
58:14
Speaker 1: of the sinister house with the copper beaches in front
58:16
Speaker 1: of the door. Mister Rucastle survived, but was always a
58:20
Speaker 1: broken man, kept alive solely through the care of his
58:23
Speaker 1: devoted wife. They still live with their old servants, who
58:28
Speaker 1: probably know so much of Rowcastle's past life that he
58:30
Speaker 1: finds it difficult to part from them. Mister Fowler and
58:34
Speaker 1: Miss Rucastle were married by special license in Southampton the
58:38
Speaker 1: day after their flight, and he is now the holder
58:41
Speaker 1: of a government appointment in the island of Mauritius. As
58:46
Speaker 1: to Miss Violet Hunter, my friend Holmes, rather to my disappointment,
58:50
Speaker 1: manifested no further interest in her when once she had
58:53
Speaker 1: ceased to be the center of one of his problems.
58:56
Speaker 1: And she is now the head of a private school
58:58
Speaker 1: at Walsall, where I believe that she has met with
59:02
Speaker 1: considerable success. End of the adventure of the Copper Beaches.
59:09
Speaker 1: This concludes The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes by Sir Arthur
59:13
Speaker 1: Conan Doyle