DarqueDante/test2 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 74
please, Mr. Holder, we will set off for Streatham together, and
devote an hour to glancing a little more closely into details."

My friend insisted upon my accompanying them in their expedition,
which I was eager enough to do, for my curiosity and sympathy were
deeply stirred by the story to which we had listened. I confess that
the guilt of the banker's son appeared to me to be as obvious as it
did to his unhappy father, but still I had such faith in Holmes'
judgment that I felt that there must be some grounds for hope as long
as he was dissatisfied with the accepted explanation. He hardly spoke
a word the whole way out to the southern suburb, but sat with his
chin upon his breast and his hat drawn over his eyes, sunk in the
deepest thought. Our client appeared to have taken fresh heart at the
little glimpse of hope which had been presented to him, and he even
broke into a desultory chat with me over his business affairs. A
short railway journey and a shorter walk brought us to Fairbank, the
modest residence of the great financier.

Fairbank was a good-sized square house of white stone, standing back
a little from the road. A double carriage-sweep, with a snow-clad
lawn, stretched down in front to two large iron gates which closed
the entrance. On the right side was a small wooden thicket, which led
into a narrow path between two neat hedges stretching from the road
to the kitchen door, and forming the tradesmen's entrance. On the
left ran a lane which led to the stables, and was not itself within
the grounds at all, being a public, though little used, thoroughfare.
Holmes left us standing at the door and walked slowly all round the
house, across the front, down the tradesmen's path, and so round by
the garden behind into the stable lane. So long was he that Mr.
Holder and I went into the dining-room and waited by the fire until
he should return. We were sitting there in silence when the door
opened and a young lady came in. She was rather above the middle
height, slim, with dark hair and eyes, which seemed the darker
against the absolute pallor of her skin. I do not think that I have
ever seen such deadly paleness in a woman's face. Her lips, too, were
bloodless, but her eyes were flushed with crying. As she swept
silently into the room she impressed me with a greater sense of grief
than the banker had done in the morning, and it was the more striking
in her as she was evidently a woman of strong character, with immense
capacity for self-restraint. Disregarding my presence, she went
straight to her uncle and passed her hand over his head with a sweet
womanly caress.

"You have given orders that Arthur should be liberated, have you not,
dad?" she asked.

"No, no, my girl, the matter must be probed to the bottom."

"But I am so sure that he is innocent. You know what woman's
instincts are. I know that he has done no harm and that you will be
sorry for having acted so harshly."

"Why is he silent, then, if he is innocent?"

"Who knows? Perhaps because he was so angry that you should suspect
him."

"How could I help suspecting him, when I actually saw him with the
coronet in his hand?"

"Oh, but he had only picked it up to look at it. Oh, do, do take my
word for it that he is innocent. Let the matter drop and say no more.
It is so dreadful to think of our dear Arthur in a prison!"

"I shall never let it drop until the gems are found--never, Mary!
Your affection for Arthur blinds you as to the awful consequences to
me. Far from hushing the thing up, I have brought a gentleman down
from London to inquire more deeply into it."

"This gentleman?" she asked, facing round to me.

"No, his friend. He wished us to leave him alone. He is round in the
stable lane now."

"The stable lane?" She raised her dark eyebrows. "What can he hope to
find there? Ah! this, I suppose, is he. I trust, sir, that you will
succeed in proving, what I feel sure is the truth, that my cousin
Arthur is innocent of this crime."

"I fully share your opinion, and I trust, with you, that we may prove
it," returned Holmes, going back to the mat to knock the snow from
his shoes. "I believe I have the honour of addressing Miss Mary
Holder. Might I ask you a question or two?"

"Pray do, sir, if it may help to clear this horrible affair up."

"You heard nothing yourself last night?"

"Nothing, until my uncle here began to speak loudly. I heard that,
and I came down."

"You shut up the windows and doors the night before. Did you fasten
all the windows?"

"Yes."

"Were they all fastened this morning?"

"Yes."

please, Mr. Holder, we will set off for Streatham together, and

devote an hour to glancing a little more closely into details."

My friend insisted upon my accompanying them in their expedition,

which I was eager enough to do, for my curiosity and sympathy were

deeply stirred by the story to which we had listened. I confess that

the guilt of the banker's son appeared to me to be as obvious as it

did to his unhappy father, but still I had such faith in Holmes'

judgment that I felt that there must be some grounds for hope as long

as he was dissatisfied with the accepted explanation. He hardly spoke

a word the whole way out to the southern suburb, but sat with his

chin upon his breast and his hat drawn over his eyes, sunk in the

deepest thought. Our client appeared to have taken fresh heart at the

little glimpse of hope which had been presented to him, and he even

broke into a desultory chat with me over his business affairs. A

short railway journey and a shorter walk brought us to Fairbank, the

modest residence of the great financier.

Fairbank was a good-sized square house of white stone, standing back

a little from the road. A double carriage-sweep, with a snow-clad

lawn, stretched down in front to two large iron gates which closed

the entrance. On the right side was a small wooden thicket, which led

into a narrow path between two neat hedges stretching from the road

to the kitchen door, and forming the tradesmen's entrance. On the

left ran a lane which led to the stables, and was not itself within

the grounds at all, being a public, though little used, thoroughfare.

Holmes left us standing at the door and walked slowly all round the

house, across the front, down the tradesmen's path, and so round by

the garden behind into the stable lane. So long was he that Mr.

Holder and I went into the dining-room and waited by the fire until

he should return. We were sitting there in silence when the door

opened and a young lady came in. She was rather above the middle

height, slim, with dark hair and eyes, which seemed the darker

against the absolute pallor of her skin. I do not think that I have

ever seen such deadly paleness in a woman's face. Her lips, too, were

bloodless, but her eyes were flushed with crying. As she swept

silently into the room she impressed me with a greater sense of grief

than the banker had done in the morning, and it was the more striking

in her as she was evidently a woman of strong character, with immense

capacity for self-restraint. Disregarding my presence, she went

straight to her uncle and passed her hand over his head with a sweet

womanly caress.

"You have given orders that Arthur should be liberated, have you not,

dad?" she asked.

"No, no, my girl, the matter must be probed to the bottom."

"But I am so sure that he is innocent. You know what woman's

instincts are. I know that he has done no harm and that you will be

sorry for having acted so harshly."

"Why is he silent, then, if he is innocent?"

"Who knows? Perhaps because he was so angry that you should suspect

him."

"How could I help suspecting him, when I actually saw him with the

coronet in his hand?"

"Oh, but he had only picked it up to look at it. Oh, do, do take my

word for it that he is innocent. Let the matter drop and say no more.

It is so dreadful to think of our dear Arthur in a prison!"

"I shall never let it drop until the gems are found--never, Mary!

Your affection for Arthur blinds you as to the awful consequences to

me. Far from hushing the thing up, I have brought a gentleman down

from London to inquire more deeply into it."

"This gentleman?" she asked, facing round to me.

"No, his friend. He wished us to leave him alone. He is round in the

stable lane now."

"The stable lane?" She raised her dark eyebrows. "What can he hope to

find there? Ah! this, I suppose, is he. I trust, sir, that you will

succeed in proving, what I feel sure is the truth, that my cousin

Arthur is innocent of this crime."

"I fully share your opinion, and I trust, with you, that we may prove

it," returned Holmes, going back to the mat to knock the snow from

his shoes. "I believe I have the honour of addressing Miss Mary

Holder. Might I ask you a question or two?"

"Pray do, sir, if it may help to clear this horrible affair up."

"You heard nothing yourself last night?"

"Nothing, until my uncle here began to speak loudly. I heard that,

and I came down."

"You shut up the windows and doors the night before. Did you fasten

all the windows?"

"Yes."

"Were they all fastened this morning?"

"Yes."