The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes Part 52 (1/2)
”I will do so, and I must be quick, for I have proot his leave to coh he little knew for what purpose”
”Let us have everything in its due order” Hols out towards the fire and composed himself to listen
”In the first place, I may say that I have met, on the whole, with no actual ill-treatment from Mr and Mrs Rucastle It is only fair to them to say that But I cannot understand them, and I am not easy in my mind about them”
”What can you not understand?”
”Their reasons for their conduct But you shall have it all just as it occurred When I ca-cart to the Copper Beeches It is, as he said, beautifully situated, but it is not beautiful in itself, for it is a large square block of a house, ashed, but all stained and streaked with darounds round it, woods on three sides, and on the fourth a field which slopes down to the Southahroad, which curves past about a hundred yards fros to the house, but the woods all round are part of Lord Southerton's preserves A clump of copper beeches iiven its name to the place
”I was driven over by my employer, as as a to his wife and the child
There was no truth, Mr Holmes, in the conjecture which seemed to us to be probable in your rooms at Baker Street Mrs Rucastle is not er than her husband, not more than thirty, I should think, while he can hardly be less than forty-five Froathered that they have been married about seven years, that he was a er, and that his only child by the first as the daughter who has gone to Philadelphia Mr
Rucastle told me in private that the reason why she had left the aversion to her stephter could not have been less than twenty, I can quite iine that her positionwife
”Mrs Rucastle seemed to me to be colourless in mind as well as in feature She impressed me neither favourably nor the reverse
She was a nonentity It was easy to see that she was passionately devoted both to her husband and to her little son Her light grey eyes wandered continually fro it if possible He was kind to her also in his bluff, boisterous fashi+on, and on the whole they seemed to be a happy couple And yet she had some secret sorrow, this woht, with the saddest look upon her face More than once I have surprised her in tears I have thought sohed upon her mind, for I have never met so utterly spoiled and so ill-natured a little creature He is se, with a head which is quite disproportionately large
His whole life appears to be spent in an alternation between savage fits of passion and gloo pain to any creature weaker than himself seems to be his one idea of a the capture of mice, little birds, and insects But I would rather not talk about the creature, Mr Holmes, and, indeed, he has little to do with lad of all details,” remarked my friend, ”whether they seem to you to be relevant or not”
”I shall try not toabout the house, which struck me at once, was the appearance and conduct of the servants There are only two, a h, uncouth rizzled hair and whiskers, and a perpetual smell of drink Twice since I have been with them he has been quite drunk, and yet Mr Rucastle seemed to take no notice of it
His wife is a very tall and strong woman with a sour face, as silent as Mrs Rucastle and much less amiable They are a most unpleasant couple, but fortunately I spend most of my time in the nursery and my own roo
”For two days after my arrival at the Copper Beeches my life was very quiet; on the third, Mrs Rucastle ca to her husband
”'Oh, yes,' said he, turning toin with our whims so far as to cut your hair I assure you that it has not detracted in the tiniest iota from your appearance We shall now see how the electric-blue dress will become you You will find it laid out upon the bed in your rooood as to put it on we should both be extre for me was of a peculiar shade of blue It was of excellent ns of having been worn before It could not have been a better fit if I had been measured for it Both Mr
and Mrs Rucastle expressed a delight at the look of it, which see foralong the entire front of the house, with three long s reaching down to the floor A chair had been placed close to the central ith its back turned towards it In this I was asked to sit, and then Mr Rucastle, walking up and down on the other side of the rooan to tell me a series of the funniest stories that I have ever listened to You cannot ihed until I was quite weary Mrs
Rucastle, however, who has evidently no sense of humour, never so much as smiled, but sat with her hands in her lap, and a sad, anxious look upon her face After an hour or so, Mr Rucastle suddenly remarked that it was tie o to little Edward in the nursery
”Two days later this sah under exactly siain I sat in the , and again I laughed very heartily at the funny stories of which my employer had an immense repertoire, and which he told ini ht not fall upon the page, he begged inning in the heart of a chapter, and then suddenly, in the e ine, Mr Hol of this extraordinary performance could possibly be They were always very careful, I observed, to turn my face away from the , so that I beca on behind my back At first it seemed to be impossible, but I soon devised a ht seized lass in hter, I put my handkerchief up to ement to see all that there was behindAt least that was lance, however, I perceived that there was ain the Southarey suit, who see in hway, and there are usually people there This s which bordered our field and was looking earnestly up I lowered lanced at Mrs Rucastle to find her eyes fixed upon , but I am convinced that she had divined that I had a mirror in my hand and had seen as behind me She rose at once
”'Jephro,' said she, 'there is an impertinent fellow upon the road there who stares up at Miss Hunter'
”'No friend of yours, Miss Hunter?' he asked
”'No, I know no one in these parts'
”'Dear me! How very io away'
”'Surely it would be better to take no notice'
”'No, no, we should have hi here always Kindly turn round and wave him away like that'
”I did as I was told, and at the same instant Mrs Rucastle dren the blind That was a week ago, and froain in the , nor have I worn the blue dress, nor seen the man in the road”