Speaker 1: The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place. Sherlock Holmes had been
Speaker 1: bending for a long time over a low power microscope.
Speaker 1: Now he straightened himself up and looked round at me
Speaker 1: in triumph. It is glue, Watson said he unquestionably, it
Speaker 1: is glue. Have a look at these scattered objects in
Speaker 1: the field. I stooped to the eyepiece and focused my vision.
Speaker 1: Those hairs are threads from a tweed coat. The irregular
Speaker 1: gray masses are dust. There are epithelial scales on the left.
Speaker 1: Those brown blobs in the center are undoubtedly glue, well,
Speaker 1: I said, laughing. I am prepared to take your word
Speaker 1: for it. Does anything depend upon it? It is a
Speaker 1: very fine demonstration, he answered. In the Saint Pancra's case,
Speaker 1: you may remember that a cap was found beside the
Speaker 1: dead policeman. The accused man denies that it is his,
Speaker 1: but he is a picture frame maker who habitually handles glue.
Speaker 1: Is it one of your cases? No, My friend Mery
Speaker 1: Vale of the Yard asked me to look into the case.
Speaker 1: Since I ran down that coiner by the zinc and
Speaker 1: copper filings in the seam of his cuff, they have
Speaker 1: begun to realize the importance of the microscope. He looked
Speaker 1: impatiently at his watch. I had a new client calling,
Speaker 1: but he is overdue by the way, Watson, you know
Speaker 1: something of racing, I ought to. I pay for it
Speaker 1: with about half my wound pension. Then I'll make you
Speaker 1: my handy guide to the turf. What about Sir Robert Norbertson?
Speaker 1: Does the name recall anything? Well, I should say so.
Speaker 1: He lives at Shoscombe Old Place, and I know it well,
Speaker 1: for my summer quarters were down there once. Norburton nearly
Speaker 1: came within your province once. How was that? It was
Speaker 1: when he horsewhipped Sam Brewer, the well known Curzon Street
Speaker 1: money lender, our Newmarket heath. He nearly killed the man. Ah,
Speaker 1: he sounds interesting. Does he often indulge in that way? Well?
Speaker 1: He has the name of being a dangerous man. He
Speaker 1: is about the most dare devil rider in England, second
Speaker 1: in the Grand National a few years back. He is
Speaker 1: one of those men who have overshot their true generation.
Speaker 1: He should have been a buck in the days of
Speaker 1: the regency, a boxer, an athlete, a plunger on the turf,
Speaker 1: a lover of fair ladies, and by all account so
Speaker 1: far down Queer Street that he may never find his
Speaker 1: way back again. Capital Watson a thumbnail sketch. Wh I
Speaker 1: seem to know the man? Now? Can you give me
Speaker 1: some idea of Shoscombe Old Place? Only that it is
Speaker 1: in the center of Shoscombe Park, and that the famous
Speaker 1: Shoscombe stud and training quarters are to be found there.
Speaker 1: And a head trainer, said Holmes, is John Mason. You
Speaker 1: need not look surprised at my knowledge, Watson, for this
Speaker 1: is a letter from him which I am unfolding. But
Speaker 1: let us have some more about Shoscombe. I seem to
Speaker 1: have struck a rich vein. There are the Shoscombe Spaniels,
Speaker 1: said I. You hear of them at every dog show,
Speaker 1: the most exclusive breed in England. They are the special
Speaker 1: pride of the lady of Shoscombe Old Place, Sir Robert
Speaker 1: Norberton's wife. I presume Sir Robert has never married, just
Speaker 1: as well, I think, considering his prospects, he lives with
Speaker 1: his widowed sister, Lady Beatrice Folder. You mean that she
Speaker 1: lives with him? No, No, the place belonged to her
Speaker 1: late husband, Sir James Norburton has no claim on it
Speaker 1: at all. It is only a life interest and reverts
Speaker 1: to her husband's brother. Meantime, she draws the rents every year,
Speaker 1: and brother Robert, I suppose, spends the said rents. That
Speaker 1: is about the size of it. He's a devil of
Speaker 1: a fellow and must lead her a most uneasy life.
Speaker 1: Yet I've heard that she is devoted to him. But
Speaker 1: what is amiss at Shoscombe? Ah, that is just what
Speaker 1: I want to know. And here I expect is the
Speaker 1: man who can tell us. The door had opened and
Speaker 1: the page had shown in a tall, clean shaven man
Speaker 1: with the firm, austere expression which is only seen upon
Speaker 1: those who have to control horses or boys. Mister John
Speaker 1: Mason had many of both under his sway, and he
Speaker 1: looked equal to the task. He bowed with cold self possession,
Speaker 1: and seated himself upon the chair to which Holmes had
Speaker 1: waived him. You had my note, mister Holmes, Yes, but
Speaker 1: it explained nothing. It was too delicate a thing for
Speaker 1: me to put the details on paper, and too complicated
Speaker 1: it was only face to face I could do it. Well,
Speaker 1: we are at your disposal. First of all, mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: I think that my employer, Sir Robert has gone mad.
Speaker 1: Holmes raised his eyebrows. This is Baker Street, not Harley Street,
Speaker 1: said he. But why should you say so? Well, sir?
Speaker 1: When a man does one queer thing, or two queer things,
Speaker 1: there may be a meaning to it. But when everything
Speaker 1: he does is queer, then you again to wonder. I
Speaker 1: believe Shaskan Prince and the Derby have turned his brain.
Speaker 1: That is a colt. You are running the best in England,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes. I should know if anyone does now, I'll
Speaker 1: be playing with you, for I know you a gentleman
Speaker 1: of honor, and that it won't go beyond the room.
Speaker 1: So Robert has got to win this derby. He's up
Speaker 1: to the neck and it's his last chance. Everything he
Speaker 1: could raise or borrow is on the horse, and a
Speaker 1: fine odds too. You can get forties now, But it
Speaker 1: was nearer the hundred when he began to back him.
Speaker 1: But how is that if the horse is so good?
Speaker 1: The public don't know how good he is, Sir. Robert
Speaker 1: has been too clever for the Taubts. He has the
Speaker 1: Prince's half brother out for spins. You can't tell him apart.
Speaker 1: But there are two lengths in a furlong between them.
Speaker 1: When it comes to a gallop, he thinks of nothing
Speaker 1: but the horse and the race. His whole life is
Speaker 1: on it. He's holding off the jews till then, if
Speaker 1: the Prince fails him, he is done. It seems a
Speaker 1: rather desperate gambol. But where does the madness come in? Well,
Speaker 1: first of all, you have only to look at him.
Speaker 1: I don't believe he sleeps at night. He's down at
Speaker 1: the stables at all hours. His eyes are wild. It
Speaker 1: has all been too much for his nerves. Then there
Speaker 1: is his conduct to Lady Beatrice. Ah, what is that?
Speaker 1: They've always been the best of friends. They had the
Speaker 1: same tastes, the two of them. And she loved the
Speaker 1: horses as much as he did. Every day, at the
Speaker 1: same hour she would drive down to see them. And
Speaker 1: above all, she loved the Prince. He would prick up
Speaker 1: his ears when he heard the wheels on the gravel,
Speaker 1: and he would trot out each morning to the carriage
Speaker 1: to get his lump of sugar. But that's all over now,
Speaker 1: Why well, she seems to have lost all interest in
Speaker 1: the horses. For a week now she has driven past
Speaker 1: the stables with never so much as a good morning.
Speaker 1: You think there has been a quarrel and a bitter, savage,
Speaker 1: spiteful quarrel at that? Why else would he give away
Speaker 1: her pet spaniel that she loved as if he were
Speaker 1: her child? He gave it a few days ago to
Speaker 1: old Barnes. What keeps the green dragon three miles off
Speaker 1: at Crendall? That certainly did seem strange. Of course, with
Speaker 1: her weak heart and dropsy, one couldn't expect that she
Speaker 1: could get about with him. But he spent two hours
Speaker 1: every evening in her room. He might well do what
Speaker 1: he could, for she has been a rare good friend
Speaker 1: to him. But that's all over too. He never goes nearer,
Speaker 1: and she takes it to heart. She is brooding and
Speaker 1: sulky and drinking, mister Halms, drinking like a fish. Did
Speaker 1: she drink before this estrangement? Wow? She took her glass,
Speaker 1: but now it is off and a whole bottle of
Speaker 1: an evening? So Stephen's the butler told me. It's all changed,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, and there is something damned rotten about it.
Speaker 1: But then again, what is master doing down at the
Speaker 1: old church crypt at night? And who is the man
Speaker 1: that meets him there Holmes rubbed his hands. Go on,
Speaker 1: mister Mason, you get more and more interesting. It was
Speaker 1: the butler who saw him go twelve o'clock at night
Speaker 1: and raining hard. So next night I was up at
Speaker 1: the house and sure enough Master was off again. Stevens
Speaker 1: and I went after him. But it was jumpy work,
Speaker 1: for it would have been a bad job if he
Speaker 1: had seen us. He's a terrible man with his fists
Speaker 1: if he gets started, and no respect for persons. So
Speaker 1: we were shy of getting too near, but we marked
Speaker 1: him down all right. It was the haunted crypt that
Speaker 1: he was making for, and there was a man waiting
Speaker 1: for him there. What is this haunted crypt? Well, sir,
Speaker 1: there is an old, ruined chapel in the park. It
Speaker 1: is so old that nobody could fix its date, and
Speaker 1: under it there's a crypt which has a bad name
Speaker 1: among us. It's a dark, damp, lonely place by day,
Speaker 1: but there are few in that county that would have
Speaker 1: the nerve to go near it at night. The Master's
Speaker 1: not afraid. He never feared anything in his life. But
Speaker 1: what is he doing there in the night time? Wait
Speaker 1: a bit, said Holmes. You say there is another man there.
Speaker 1: It must be one of your own stablemen or someone
Speaker 1: from the house. Surely you have only to spot who
Speaker 1: it is and question him. It is no one I know.
Speaker 1: How can you say that? Because I have seen him,
Speaker 1: mister Halmes. It was on that second night. So Robert
Speaker 1: turned and passed us, Me and Stevens quaking in the
Speaker 1: bushes like two bunny rabbits. But there was a bit
Speaker 1: of moon that night, but we could hear the other
Speaker 1: moving about behind. We were not afraid of him. So
Speaker 1: we up when Sir Robert was gone, and pretended we
Speaker 1: were just having a walk like in the moonlight. And
Speaker 1: so we came right on him as casual and innocent
Speaker 1: as you please. Hello, mate, who may you be? Says I.
Speaker 1: I guess he had not heard us coming. So he
Speaker 1: looked over his shoulder with a face as if he
Speaker 1: had seen the devil coming out of hell. He let
Speaker 1: out her yell, and away he went, as hard as
Speaker 1: he could lick it in the darkness he could run.
Speaker 1: I'll give him that. In a minute he was out
Speaker 1: of sight and hearing. And who he was or what
Speaker 1: he was, we never found. But you saw him clearly
Speaker 1: in the moonlight. Yes, I would swear to his yellow face,
Speaker 1: the mean dark I should say, what could he have
Speaker 1: in common with Sir Robert? Holmes sat for some time,
Speaker 1: lost in thought. Who keeps Lady Beatrice folder company? He asked?
Speaker 1: At last? There is a maid, Carrie Evans. She's been
Speaker 1: with her this five years and is no doubt devoted.
Speaker 1: Mister Mason shuffled uncomfortably. She's devoted enough, he answered at last.
Speaker 1: But I won't say to whom, Ah said Holmes. I
Speaker 1: can't tell tales out of school. I quite understand, mister Mason.
Speaker 1: Of course, the situation is clear enough. From Dr Watson's
Speaker 1: description of Sir Robert, I can realize that no woman
Speaker 1: is safe from him. Don't you think the quarrel between
Speaker 1: brother and sister may lie there? Well? The scandal has
Speaker 1: been pretty clear for a long time, but she may
Speaker 1: not have seen it before. Let us suppose that she
Speaker 1: has suddenly found it out. She wants to get rid
Speaker 1: of the woman. Her brother will not permit it. The invalid,
Speaker 1: with her weak heart and inability to get about, has
Speaker 1: no means of enforcing her will. The hated maid is
Speaker 1: still tied to her. The lady refuses to speak, Sulks
Speaker 1: takes to drink Sir Robert, in his anger, takes her
Speaker 1: pet spaniel away from her. Does not all this hang together? Well? Im,
Speaker 1: I do, so far as it goes, exactly as far
Speaker 1: as it goes. How would all that bear upon the
Speaker 1: visits by night to the old crypt? We can't fit
Speaker 1: that into our plot, no, sir. And there is something
Speaker 1: more that I can't fit in. Why should Sir Robert
Speaker 1: want to dig up a dead body? Holmes sat up abruptly.
Speaker 1: We only found it out yesterday after I had written
Speaker 1: to you. Yesterday, Sir Robert had gone to London. So
Speaker 1: Stephens and I went down to the crypt. It was
Speaker 1: all in order, sir, except that in one corner was
Speaker 1: a bit of a human body. You informed the police,
Speaker 1: I suppose our visitor smiled grimly. Well, sir, I think
Speaker 1: it would hardly interest them. It was just a head
Speaker 1: and a few bones of a mummy. It may have
Speaker 1: been a thousand years old, but it wasn't there before that,
Speaker 1: I'll swear, and so will Stephens. It had been stowed
Speaker 1: away in a corner and covered over with a board,
Speaker 1: but that corner had always been empty before. What did
Speaker 1: you do with it? Wow? We just left it there?
Speaker 1: That was wise. You say Sir Robert was away yesterday.
Speaker 1: As he returned, will you expect him back to day?
Speaker 1: When did Sir Robert give away his sister's dog? It
Speaker 1: was just a week ago to day. The creature was
Speaker 1: howling outside the old well House, and Sir Robert was
Speaker 1: in one of his tantrums that morning. He caught it up,
Speaker 1: and I thought he would have killed it. Then he
Speaker 1: gave it to Sandy Baine, the jockey, and told him
Speaker 1: to take the dog to Old Barnes at the Green Dragon,
Speaker 1: for he never wished to see it again. Holmes sat
Speaker 1: for some time in silent thought. He had lit the
Speaker 1: oldest and foulest of his pipes. I am not clear
Speaker 1: yet what you want me to do in this matter,
Speaker 1: mister Mason, he said, at last, can't you make it
Speaker 1: more definite? Perhaps this will make it more definite, mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: said our visitor. He took a paper from his pocket, and,
Speaker 1: unwrapping it carefully, he exposed a charred fragment of bone.
Speaker 1: Holmes examined it with interest. Where did you get it?
Speaker 1: There is a central heating furnace in the cellar under
Speaker 1: Lady Beatrice's room. It's been off for some time, but
Speaker 1: Sir Robert complained of cold and had it on again.
Speaker 1: Harvey runs it. He's one of my lads. This very
Speaker 1: morning he came to me with this, which he found
Speaker 1: raking out the cinders. He didn't like the look of it,
Speaker 1: nor do I said Holmes, what do you make of it? Watson?
Speaker 1: It was burned to a black cinder, but there could
Speaker 1: be no question as to its anatomical significance. It's the
Speaker 1: upper condile of a human, Femur said, I exactly. Holmes
Speaker 1: had become very serious. When does the lad tend to
Speaker 1: the furnace? He makes it up every evening and then
Speaker 1: leaves it. Then anyone could visit it during the night, Yes, sir,
Speaker 1: can you enter it from outside? There is one door
Speaker 1: from outside. There is another which leads up by a
Speaker 1: stair to the passage in which Lady Beatrice's room is situated.
Speaker 1: These are deep waters, mister Mason, deep and rather dirty.
Speaker 1: You say that Sir Robert was not at home last night, No, sir,
Speaker 1: then whoever was burning bones? It was not? He asked, true, sir,
Speaker 1: What is the name of that inn you spoke of?
Speaker 1: The Green Dragon? Is there good fishing in that part
Speaker 1: of Berkshire. The honest trainer showed very clearly upon his
Speaker 1: face that he was convinced that yet another lunatic had
Speaker 1: come into his harassed life. Well, sir, I've heard they're
Speaker 1: a trait in the mill stream and pike in the
Speaker 1: Hall Lake. That's good enough. Watson and I are famous fishermen,
Speaker 1: are we not. Watson, you may address us in future
Speaker 1: at the Green Dragon. We should reach it tonight. I
Speaker 1: need not say that we don't want to see you,
Speaker 1: mister Mason, but a note will reach us, and no
Speaker 1: doubt I could find you if I want you. When
Speaker 1: we have gone a little farther into the matter, I
Speaker 1: will let you have a considered opinion. Thus it was
Speaker 1: that on a bright May evening, Holmes and I found
Speaker 1: ourselves alone in a first class carriage and bound for
Speaker 1: the little halt on demand station of Shoscombe. The wrack
Speaker 1: above us was covered with a formidable litter of rods,
Speaker 1: reels and baskets. On reaching our destination, a short drive
Speaker 1: took us to an old fashioned tavern, where a sporting host,
Speaker 1: Josiah Barnes, entered eagerly into our plans for the extirpation
Speaker 1: of the fish of the neighborhood. What about the Hall
Speaker 1: Lake and the chance of a pike, said Holmes, the
Speaker 1: face of the innkeeper clouded. That wouldn't do, sir. You
Speaker 1: might chance to find yourself in the lake before you
Speaker 1: were through. How's that? Then? It's Sir Robert. Sir, he's
Speaker 1: terrible jealous of touts. If you two strangers were as
Speaker 1: near his training quarters as that, it'd be after you.
Speaker 1: Sure as fate. He ain't taking no chances, sir, robat
Speaker 1: ain't I've heard he has a horse entered for the Derby, Yes,
Speaker 1: and a good colt too. He carries all our money
Speaker 1: for the race, and all Sir Roberts into the bargain.
Speaker 1: By the way he looked at us with thoughtful eyes, Bose,
Speaker 1: you ain't on the turf yourselves, No, indeed, just two
Speaker 1: weary Londoners who badly need some good baksha air. Well
Speaker 1: you're in the right place for that. There's a deal
Speaker 1: of it lying about. But mind what I've told you
Speaker 1: about Sir Robert. He's the sort that strikes first and
Speaker 1: speaks afterwards. Keep clear of the park, surely, mister Barnes,
Speaker 1: we certainly shall. By the way, that was a most
Speaker 1: beautiful spaniel that was whining in the hall, I should
Speaker 1: say it was that was the real Shoskum breed. There
Speaker 1: ain't a better in England. I am a dog fancier myself,
Speaker 1: said Holmes. Now, if it is a fair question, what
Speaker 1: would a prize dog like that cost more than I
Speaker 1: could pay her? It was Sir Robert himself who gave
Speaker 1: me this one. That's why I have to keep it
Speaker 1: on a lead. It would be after the hall in
Speaker 1: a jiffy if I gave it its head. We are
Speaker 1: getting some cards in our hand, Watson, said Holmes, when
Speaker 1: the landlord had left us. It's not an easy one
Speaker 1: to play, but we may see our way in a
Speaker 1: day or two. By the way, Sir Robert is still
Speaker 1: in London, I hear we might perhaps enter the sacred
Speaker 1: domain to night without fear of bodily assault. There are
Speaker 1: one or two points on which I should like reassurance.
Speaker 1: Have you any theory homes only this, Watson, that something
Speaker 1: happened a week or so ago which has cut deep
Speaker 1: into the life of the Shoscombe household. What is that something?
Speaker 1: We can only guess at it from its effects. They
Speaker 1: seem to be of a curiously mixed character. But that
Speaker 1: should surely help us. It is only the colorless, uneventful
Speaker 1: case which is hopeless. Let us consider our data. The
Speaker 1: brother no longer visits the beloved, invalid sister. He gives
Speaker 1: away her favorite dog, her dog Watson. Does that suggest
Speaker 1: nothing to you? Nothing but the brother's spite? Well it
Speaker 1: might be so, or well there is an alternative. Now
Speaker 1: to continue our review of the situation from the time
Speaker 1: that the quarrel, if there is a quarrel began. The
Speaker 1: lady keeps her room, alters her habits, is not seen
Speaker 1: save when she drives out with her maid, refuses to
Speaker 1: stop at the stables to greet her favorite horse, and
Speaker 1: apparently takes to drink that covers the case. Does it
Speaker 1: not save for the business in the crypt? That is
Speaker 1: another line of thought? There are two, and I beg
Speaker 1: you will not tangle them. Line A, which concerns Lady Beatrice,
Speaker 1: has a vaguely sinister flavor, has it not? I can
Speaker 1: make nothing of it. Well, now let us take up
Speaker 1: line B, which concerns Sir Robert. He is mad keen
Speaker 1: upon winning the derby. He is in the hands of
Speaker 1: the Jews and may at any moment be sold up
Speaker 1: and his racing stables seized by his creditors. He is
Speaker 1: a daring and desperate man. He derives his income from
Speaker 1: his sister. His sister's maid is his willing tool. So
Speaker 1: far we seem to be on fairly safe ground, do
Speaker 1: we not, But the crypt ah yes, the crypt let
Speaker 1: us suppose, Watson, it is merely a scandalous supposition, a
Speaker 1: hypothesis put forward for argument's sake, that Sir Robert has
Speaker 1: done away with his sister. My dear Holmes, it is
Speaker 1: out of the question, very possibly, Watson. Sir Robert is
Speaker 1: a man of an honorable stock. But you do occasionally
Speaker 1: find a carrion crow among the eagles. Let us, for
Speaker 1: a moment argue upon this supposition. He could not fly
Speaker 1: the country until he had realized his fortune, and that
Speaker 1: fortune could only be realized by bringing off this coup
Speaker 1: with Shoscombe Prince. Therefore, he has still to stand his ground.
Speaker 1: To do this, he would have to dispose of the
Speaker 1: body of his victim, and he would also have to
Speaker 1: find a substitute who would impersonate her, with the maid
Speaker 1: as his confidante. That would not be impossible. The woman's
Speaker 1: body might be conveyed to the crypt, which is a
Speaker 1: place so seldom visited, and it might be secretly destroyed
Speaker 1: at night in the furnace, leaving behind it such evidence
Speaker 1: as we have already seen. What say you to that Watson, Well,
Speaker 1: it is all possible if you grant the original monstrous supposition.
Speaker 1: I think that there is a small experiment which we
Speaker 1: may try to morrow Watson, in order to throw some
Speaker 1: light on the matter. Meanwhile, if we mean to keep
Speaker 1: up our characters, I suggest that we have our host
Speaker 1: in for a glass of his own wine and hold
Speaker 1: some high converse upon eels and dace, which seems to
Speaker 1: be the straight road to his affections. We may chance
Speaker 1: to come upon some useful local gossip in the process.
Speaker 1: In the morning, Holmes discovered that we had come without
Speaker 1: our spoon bait for jack, which absolved us from fishing
Speaker 1: for the day. About eleven o'clock we started for a walk,
Speaker 1: and he obtained leave to take the black spaniel with us.
Speaker 1: This is the place, said he, as we came to
Speaker 1: two high park gates with heraldic griffins towering above them.
Speaker 1: About midday, mister Barnes informs me the old lady takes
Speaker 1: a drive, and the carriage must slow down while the
Speaker 1: gates are opened when it comes through, and before it
Speaker 1: gathers speed. I want you, Watson, to stop the coachman
Speaker 1: with some question. Never mind me. I shall stand behind
Speaker 1: this holly bush and see what I can see. It
Speaker 1: was not a long vigil. Within a quarter of an
Speaker 1: hour we saw the big open yellow barouche coming down
Speaker 1: the long avenue with two splendid, high stepping gray carriage
Speaker 1: horses in the shafts. Holmes crouched behind his bush with
Speaker 1: the dog. I stood unconcernedly swinging a cane in the roadway.
Speaker 1: A keeper ran out and the gates swung open. The
Speaker 1: carriage had slowed to a war and I was able
Speaker 1: to get a good look at the occupants. A highly
Speaker 1: colored young woman with flaxen hair and impudent eyes sat
Speaker 1: on the left. At her right was an elderly person
Speaker 1: with rounded back and a huddle of shawls about her
Speaker 1: face and shoulders, which proclaimed the invalid. When the horses
Speaker 1: reached the high road, I held up my hand with
Speaker 1: an authoritative gesture, and as the coachman pulled up, I
Speaker 1: inquired if Sir Robert was at shoscum old place. At
Speaker 1: the same moment, Homes stepped out and released the spaniel
Speaker 1: with a joyous cry. It dashed forward to the carriage
Speaker 1: and sprang upon the step. Then in a moment, its
Speaker 1: eager greeting changed to furious rage, and it snapped at
Speaker 1: the black skirt above it. Drive on, drive On, shrieked
Speaker 1: a harsh voice the coach and lashed the horses, and
Speaker 1: we were left standing in the roadway. Well, Watson, that's done, it,
Speaker 1: said Holmes, as he fastened the lead to the neck
Speaker 1: of the excited spaniel. He thought it was his mistress,
Speaker 1: and he found it was a stranger. Dogs don't make mistakes,
Speaker 1: but it was the voice of a man. I cried exactly.
Speaker 1: We have added one card to our hand, Watson, but
Speaker 1: it needs careful playing. All the same, my companion seemed
Speaker 1: to have no further plans for the day, and we
Speaker 1: did actually use our fishing tackle in the mill stream,
Speaker 1: with the result that we had a dish of trout
Speaker 1: for our supper. It was only after that meal that
Speaker 1: Holmes showed signs of renewed activity. Once more, we found
Speaker 1: ourselves upon the same road as in the morning, which
Speaker 1: led us to the park gates at all dark figure
Speaker 1: was awaiting us there, who proved to be our London acquaintance,
Speaker 1: mister John Mason, the trainer. Good evening gentlemen, said he
Speaker 1: I got your note, mister Holmes. Sir Robert has not
Speaker 1: returned yet, but I hear that he is expected tonight.
Speaker 1: How far is this crypt from the house, asked Holmes.
Speaker 1: A good quarter of a mile. Then I think we
Speaker 1: can disregard him altogether. I can't afford to do that,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes. The moment he arrives, he will want to
Speaker 1: see me to get the last news of shascumbe Prince.
Speaker 1: I see. In that case, we must work without you.
Speaker 1: Mister Mason. You can show us the crypt and then
Speaker 1: leave us. It was pitch dark and without a moon,
Speaker 1: but Mason led us over the grasslands until a dark
Speaker 1: mass loomed up in front of us, which proved to
Speaker 1: be the ancient chapel. We entered the broken gap which
Speaker 1: was once the porch, and our guide, stumbling among heaps
Speaker 1: of loose masonry, picked his way to the corner of
Speaker 1: the building, where a steep stair led down into the crypt.
Speaker 1: Striking a match, he illuminated the melancholy place, dismal and evil, smelling,
Speaker 1: with ancient crumbling walls of rough hewn stone, and piles
Speaker 1: of coffins, some of lead and some of stone, extending
Speaker 1: upon one side right up to the arched and groined roof,
Speaker 1: which lost itself in the shadows above our heads. Homes
Speaker 1: had lit his lantern, which shot a tiny tunnel of
Speaker 1: vivid yellow light upon the mournful scene. Its rays were
Speaker 1: reflected back from the coffin plates, many of them adorned
Speaker 1: with the griffin and coronet of this old family, which
Speaker 1: carried its honors even to the gate of death. You
Speaker 1: spoke of some bones, mister Mason, Could you show them
Speaker 1: before you go? They are here in this corner. The
Speaker 1: trainer strode across, and then stood in silent surprise as
Speaker 1: our light was turned upon the place. They are gone,
Speaker 1: said he, so I expected, said Holmes, chuckling. I fancy
Speaker 1: the ashes of them might even now be found in
Speaker 1: that oven, which had already consumed a part. But why
Speaker 1: in the world would any one want to burn the
Speaker 1: bones of a man who has been dead a thousand years?
Speaker 1: Asked John Mason. That is what we are here to
Speaker 1: find out, said Holmes. It may mean a long search,
Speaker 1: and we need not detain you. I fancy that we
Speaker 1: shall get our solution before morning. When John Mason had
Speaker 1: left us homes set to work making a very careful
Speaker 1: examination of the graves, ranging from an ancient one which
Speaker 1: appeared to be Saxon in the center, through a long
Speaker 1: line of Norman Hugoes and Odo's, until we reached the
Speaker 1: Sir William and Dennis folder of the eighteenth century. It
Speaker 1: was an hour or more before Holmes came to a
Speaker 1: leaden coffin standing on end before the entrance to the vault.
Speaker 1: I heard his little cry of satisfaction, and was aware
Speaker 1: from his hurried but purposeful movements that he had reached
Speaker 1: a goal with his lens. He was eagerly examining the
Speaker 1: edges of the heavy lid. Then he drew from his
Speaker 1: pocket a short jemmy, a box opener, which he thrust
Speaker 1: into a chink, levering back the whole front, which seemed
Speaker 1: to be secured by only a couple of clamps. There
Speaker 1: was a rending tearing sound as it gave way, but
Speaker 1: it had hardly hinged back and partly revealed the contents
Speaker 1: before we had an unforeseen interruption. Someone was walking in
Speaker 1: the chapel above. It was the firm, rapid step of
Speaker 1: one who came with a definite purpose and knew well
Speaker 1: the ground upon which he walked. A light streamed down
Speaker 1: the stairs, and an instant later the man who bore
Speaker 1: it was framed in the gothic archway. He was a
Speaker 1: terrible figure, huge in stature and fierce in manner. The
Speaker 1: large stable lantern which he held in front of him,
Speaker 1: shone upward upon a strong, heavily mustached face and angry
Speaker 1: eyes which glared round him into every recess of the vault,
Speaker 1: finally fixing themselves with a deadly stare upon my companion
Speaker 1: and myself. Who the devil are you? He thundered, and
Speaker 1: what are you doing upon my property? Then, as Holmes
Speaker 1: returned no answer, he took a couple of steps forward
Speaker 1: and raised a heavy stick, which he carried. Do you
Speaker 1: hear me? He cried? Who are you? What are you
Speaker 1: doing here? His cudgel quivered in the air, But instead
Speaker 1: of shrinking, Holmes advanced to meet him. I also have
Speaker 1: a question to ask you, sir Robert, He said, in
Speaker 1: his sternest tone, Who is this and what is it doing? Here,
Speaker 1: he turned and tore open the coffin lid. Behind him,
Speaker 1: In the glare of the lantern, I saw a body
Speaker 1: swathed in a sheet from head to foot, with dreadful
Speaker 1: witch like features, all nose and chin projecting at one end,
Speaker 1: the dim glazed eyes staring from a discolored and crumbling face.
Speaker 1: The baronet had staggered back with a cry and supported
Speaker 1: himself against a stone sarcophagus. How came you to know
Speaker 1: of this? He cried, and then, with some return of
Speaker 1: his truculent manner, What business is it of yours? My
Speaker 1: name is Sherlock Holmes, said my companion. Possibly it is
Speaker 1: familiar to you. In any case, my business is that
Speaker 1: of every other good citizen, to uphold the law. It
Speaker 1: seems to me that you have much to answer for.
Speaker 1: Sir Robert glared for a moment, but Holmes's quiet voice
Speaker 1: and cool, assured manner had their effect. For God, mister Holmes,
Speaker 1: it's all right, said he. Appearances are against me. I'll admit,
Speaker 1: but I could act no otherwise. I should be happy
Speaker 1: to think so. But I fear your explanations must be
Speaker 1: before the police. Sir Robert shrugged his broad shoulders well,
Speaker 1: if it must be, it must come up to the house,
Speaker 1: and you can judge for yourself how the matter stands.
Speaker 1: A quarter of an hour later we found ourselves in
Speaker 1: what I judge from the lines of polished barrels behind
Speaker 1: glass covers to be the gun room of the old house.
Speaker 1: It was comfortably furnished, and here Sir Robert left us
Speaker 1: for a few moments. When he returned, he had two
Speaker 1: companions with him, the one the florid young woman whom
Speaker 1: we had seen in the carriage, the other a small,
Speaker 1: rat faced man with a disagreeably furtive manner. These two
Speaker 1: wore an appearance of utter bewilderment, which showed that the
Speaker 1: Baronet had not yet had time to explain to them
Speaker 1: the turn events had taken. There, said Sir Robert, with
Speaker 1: a wave of his hand, are mister and Missus Norlett.
Speaker 1: Missus Norlett, under her maiden name of Evans, has for
Speaker 1: some years been my sister's confidential maid. I have brought
Speaker 1: them here because I feel that my best course is
Speaker 1: to explain the true position to you, and they are
Speaker 1: the two people upon earth who can substantiate what I say.
Speaker 1: Is this necessary, Sir Robert, have you thought what you
Speaker 1: were doing, cried the woman. As to me, I entirely
Speaker 1: disclaim all responsibility, said her husband. Sir Robert gave him
Speaker 1: a glance of contempt. I will take all responsibility, said he. Now,
Speaker 1: mister Holmes, listen to a plain statement of the fact.
Speaker 1: You have clearly gone pretty deeply into my affairs, or
Speaker 1: I should not have found you you where I did. Therefore,
Speaker 1: you know already in all probability that I am running
Speaker 1: a dark horse for the Derby, and that everything depends
Speaker 1: upon my success. If I win, all is easy. If
Speaker 1: I lose, well, I dare not think of that. I
Speaker 1: understand the position, said Holmes. I am dependent upon my sister,
Speaker 1: Lady Beatrice, for everything, but it is well known that
Speaker 1: her interest in the estate is for her own life.
Speaker 1: Only for myself, I am deeply in the hands of
Speaker 1: the Jews. I've always known that if my sister were
Speaker 1: to die, my creditors would be onto my estate like
Speaker 1: a flock of vultures. Everything would be seized, my stables,
Speaker 1: my horses, everything. Well, mister Holmes, my sister did die
Speaker 1: just a week ago, and you told no one what
Speaker 1: could I do? Absolute ruin faced me. If I could
Speaker 1: stave things off for three weeks, all would be well.
Speaker 1: Her maid's husband, this man here is an actor. It
Speaker 1: came into our heads. It came into my head that
Speaker 1: he could, for that short period personate my sister. It
Speaker 1: was but a case of appearing daily in the carriage,
Speaker 1: for no one need enter her room save the maid.
Speaker 1: It was not difficult to arrange. My sister died of
Speaker 1: the dropsy which had long afflicted her. That will be
Speaker 1: for a coroner to decide. Her doctor would certify that
Speaker 1: for months her symptoms have threatened such an end. Well,
Speaker 1: what did you do? The body could not remain there
Speaker 1: on the first night, Norlett and I carried it out
Speaker 1: to the old well house, which is now never used.
Speaker 1: We were followed, however, by her pet spaniel, which yapped
Speaker 1: continually at the door. So I felt some safer place
Speaker 1: was needed. I got rid of the spaniel and we
Speaker 1: carried the body to the crypt of the church. There
Speaker 1: was no indignity or irreverence. Mister Holmes. I do not
Speaker 1: feel that I have wronged the dead. Your conduct seems
Speaker 1: to me inexcusable. Sir Robert the Baronet shook his head impatiently.
Speaker 1: It is easy to preach, said he. Perhaps you would
Speaker 1: have felt differently if you had been in my position.
Speaker 1: One cannot see all one's hopes and all one's plans
Speaker 1: shattered at the last moment, and make no effort to
Speaker 1: save them. It seemed to me that it would be
Speaker 1: no unworthy resting place if we put her for the
Speaker 1: time in one of the coffins of her husband's ancestors,
Speaker 1: lying in what is still consecrated ground. We opened such
Speaker 1: a coffin, removed the contents, and placed her as you
Speaker 1: have seen her. As to the old relics which we
Speaker 1: took out, we could not leave them on the floor
Speaker 1: of the crypt. Gnaw it and I removed them, and
Speaker 1: he descended at night and burned them in the central furnace.
Speaker 1: There is my story, mister Holmes, though how you forced
Speaker 1: my hand so that I have to tell it is
Speaker 1: more than I can say. Homes sat for some time
Speaker 1: lost in thought. There is one floor in your narrative,
Speaker 1: Sir Robert, he said, at last, your bets on the race,
Speaker 1: and therefore your hopes for the future would hold good.
Speaker 1: Even if your creditors seized your estate. The horse would
Speaker 1: be part of the estate. What did they care for
Speaker 1: my bets. As likely as not they would not run
Speaker 1: him at all. My chief creditor is unhappily my most
Speaker 1: bitter enemy, a rascally fellow, Sam Brewer, whom I was
Speaker 1: once compelled to horsewhip on Newmarket Heath. Do you suppose
Speaker 1: that he would try to save me? Well, Sir Robert,
Speaker 1: said Holmes, rising, This matter must of course be referred
Speaker 1: to the police. It was my duty to bring the
Speaker 1: facts to light, and there I must leave it. As
Speaker 1: to the morality or decency of your conduct, it is
Speaker 1: not for me to express an opinion. It is nearly midnight, Watson,
Speaker 1: and I think we may make our way back to
Speaker 1: our humble abode. It is generally known now that this
Speaker 1: singular episode ended upon a happier note than Sir Robert's
Speaker 1: actions deserved. Shoscombe PRIs did win the derby, the sporting
Speaker 1: owner did net eighty thousand pounds in bets, and the
Speaker 1: creditors did hold their hand until the race was over,
Speaker 1: when they were paid in full, and enough was left
Speaker 1: to re establish Sir Robert in a fair position in life.
Speaker 1: Both police and coroner took a lenient view of the transaction,
Speaker 1: and beyond a mild censure for the delay in registering
Speaker 1: the lady's decease. The lucky owner got away scathless from
Speaker 1: this strange incident, in a career which has now outlived
Speaker 1: its shadows and promises to end in an honored old age.
Speaker 1: That is the end of the Adventure of Shoscombe Old
Speaker 1: Place by Arthur Conan Doyle, read by Greg Wagland for
Speaker 1: Magpie Audio twenty twenty three. Thank you very much for listening,
Speaker 1: and have a very happy New Year.