The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Part 11 (1/2)
A flush stole over Miss Sutherland's face, and she picked nervously at the fringe of her jacket ”I asfitters' ball,” she said ”They used to send father tickets when he was alive, and then afterwards they remembered us, and sent theo He never did wish us to go anywhere He would get quite mad if I wanted so much as to join a Sunday-school treat But this tiht had he to prevent? He said the folk were not fit for us to knohen all father's friends were to be there And he said that I had nothing fit to wear, when I had my purple plush that I had never soelse would do, he went off to France upon the business of the firm, but ent, mother and I, with Mr Hardy, who used to be our foreel”
”I suppose,” said Holmes, ”that when Mr Windibank caone to the ball”
”Oh, well, he was very good about it He laughed, I reed his shoulders, and said there was no use denying anything to a woasfitters' ball you el”
”Yes, sir I ot home all safe, and after that we met him--that is to say, Mr Holmes, I ain, and Mr Hosel could not come to the house any more”
”No?”
”Well, you know father didn't like anything of the sort He wouldn't have any visitors if he could help it, and he used to say that a woman should be happy in her own family circle But then, as I used to say to in with, and I had not got el? Did heoff to France again in a week, and Hosmer wrote and said that it would be safer and better not to see each other until he had gone We could write in the meantime, and he used to write every day I took the letters in in the , so there was no need for father to know”
”Were you engaged to the gentleed after the first walk that we took Hosel--was a cashi+er in an office in Leadenhall Street--and--”
”What office?”
”That's the worst of it, Mr Holmes, I don't know”
”Where did he live, then?”
”He slept on the premises”
”And you don't know his address?”
”No--except that it was Leadenhall Street”
”Where did you address your letters, then?”
”To the Leadenhall Street Post Office, to be left till called for He said that if they were sent to the office he would be chaffed by all the other clerks about having letters from a lady, so I offered to typewrite them, like he did his, but he wouldn't have that, for he said that when I wrote them they seemed to come from me, but when they were typewritten he always felt that the machine had come between us That will just show you how fond he was of s that he would think of”
”It wasbeen an axios are infinitely the s about Mr Hosel?”
”He was a very shythan in the daylight, for he said that he hated to be conspicuous Very retiring and gentleentle He'd had the quinsy and swollen glands when he was young, he told , whispering fashi+on of speech He was alell dressed, very neat and plain, but his eyes eak, just as lare”
”Well, and what happened when Mr Windibank, your stepfather, returned to France?”
”Mr Hosain and proposed that we should marry before father came back He was in dreadful earnest and made me swear, with my hands on the Testament, that whatever happened I would always be true to hiht to n of his passion
Mother was all in his favour from the first and was even fonder of hi within the week, I began to ask about father; but they both said never to mind about father, but just to tell hiht with him I didn't quite like that, Mr Holmes It seemed funny that I should ask his leave, as he was only a few years older thanon the sly, so I wrote to father at Bordeaux, where the company has its French offices, but the letter ca”