DarqueDante/test2 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 74
a man standing in the Southampton Road, a small bearded man in a grey
suit, who seemed to be looking in my direction. The road is an
important highway, and there are usually people there. This man,
however, was leaning against the railings which bordered our field
and was looking earnestly up. I lowered my handkerchief and glanced
at Mrs. Rucastle to find her eyes fixed upon me with a most searching
gaze. She said nothing, but I am convinced that she had divined that
I had a mirror in my hand and had seen what was 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 impertinent! Kindly turn round and motion to him
to go away.'

"'Surely it would be better to take no notice.'

"'No, no, we should have him loitering here always. Kindly turn round
and wave him away like that.'

"I did as I was told, and at the same instant Mrs. Rucastle drew down
the blind. That was a week ago, and from that time I have not sat
again in the window, nor have I worn the blue dress, nor seen the man
in the road."

"Pray continue," said Holmes. "Your narrative promises to be a most
interesting one."

"You will find it rather disconnected, I fear, and there may prove to
be little relation between the different incidents of which I speak.
On the very first day that I was at the Copper Beeches, Mr. Rucastle
took me to a small outhouse which stands near the kitchen door. As we
approached it I heard the sharp rattling of a chain, and the sound as
of a large animal moving about.

"'Look in here!' said Mr. Rucastle, showing me a slit between two
planks. 'Is he not a beauty?'

"I looked through and was conscious of two glowing eyes, and of a
vague figure huddled up in the darkness.

"'Don't be frightened,' said my employer, laughing at the start which
I had given. 'It's only Carlo, my mastiff. I call him mine, but
really old Toller, my groom, is the only man who can do anything with
him. We feed him once a day, and not too much then, so that he is
always as keen as mustard. Toller lets him loose every night, and God
help the trespasser whom he lays his fangs upon. For goodness' sake
don't you ever on any pretext set your foot over the threshold at
night, for it's as much as your life is worth.'

"The warning was no idle one, for two nights later I happened to look
out of my bedroom window about two o'clock in the morning. It was a
beautiful moonlight night, and the lawn in front of the house was
silvered over and almost as bright as day. I was standing, rapt in
the peaceful beauty of the scene, when I was aware that something was
moving under the shadow of the copper beeches. As it emerged into the
moonshine I saw what it was. It was a giant dog, as large as a calf,
tawny tinted, with hanging jowl, black muzzle, and huge projecting
bones. It walked slowly across the lawn and vanished into the shadow
upon the other side. That dreadful sentinel sent a chill to my heart
which I do not think that any burglar could have done.

"And now I have a very strange experience to tell you. I had, as you
know, cut off my hair in London, and I had placed it in a great coil
at the bottom of my trunk. One evening, after the child was in bed, I
began to amuse myself by examining the furniture of my room and by
rearranging my own little things. There was an old chest of drawers
in the room, the two upper ones empty and open, the lower one locked.
I had filled the first two with my linen, and as I had still much to
pack away I was naturally annoyed at not having the use of the third
drawer. It struck me that it might have been fastened by a mere
oversight, so I took out my bunch of keys and tried to open it. The
very first key fitted to perfection, and I drew the drawer open.
There was only one thing in it, but I am sure that you would never
guess what it was. It was my coil of hair.

"I took it up and examined it. It was of the same peculiar tint, and
the same thickness. But then the impossibility of the thing obtruded
itself upon me. How could my hair have been locked in the drawer?
With trembling hands I undid my trunk, turned out the contents, and
drew from the bottom my own hair. I laid the two tresses together,
and I assure you that they were identical. Was it not extraordinary?
Puzzle as I would, I could make nothing at all of what it meant. I
returned the strange hair to the drawer, and I said nothing of the
matter to the Rucastles as I felt that I had put myself in the wrong
by opening a drawer which they had locked.

"I am naturally observant, as you may have remarked, Mr. Holmes, and
I soon had a pretty good plan of the whole house in my head. There
was one wing, however, which appeared not to be inhabited at all. A
door which faced that which led into the quarters of the Tollers
opened into this suite, but it was invariably locked. One day,
however, as I ascended the stair, I met Mr. Rucastle coming out
through this door, his keys in his hand, and a look on his face which
made him a very different person to the round, jovial man to whom I

a man standing in the Southampton Road, a small bearded man in a grey

suit, who seemed to be looking in my direction. The road is an

important highway, and there are usually people there. This man,

however, was leaning against the railings which bordered our field

and was looking earnestly up. I lowered my handkerchief and glanced

at Mrs. Rucastle to find her eyes fixed upon me with a most searching

gaze. She said nothing, but I am convinced that she had divined that

I had a mirror in my hand and had seen what was 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 impertinent! Kindly turn round and motion to him

to go away.'

"'Surely it would be better to take no notice.'

"'No, no, we should have him loitering here always. Kindly turn round

and wave him away like that.'

"I did as I was told, and at the same instant Mrs. Rucastle drew down

the blind. That was a week ago, and from that time I have not sat

again in the window, nor have I worn the blue dress, nor seen the man

in the road."

"Pray continue," said Holmes. "Your narrative promises to be a most

interesting one."

"You will find it rather disconnected, I fear, and there may prove to

be little relation between the different incidents of which I speak.

On the very first day that I was at the Copper Beeches, Mr. Rucastle

took me to a small outhouse which stands near the kitchen door. As we

approached it I heard the sharp rattling of a chain, and the sound as

of a large animal moving about.

"'Look in here!' said Mr. Rucastle, showing me a slit between two

planks. 'Is he not a beauty?'

"I looked through and was conscious of two glowing eyes, and of a

vague figure huddled up in the darkness.

"'Don't be frightened,' said my employer, laughing at the start which

I had given. 'It's only Carlo, my mastiff. I call him mine, but

really old Toller, my groom, is the only man who can do anything with

him. We feed him once a day, and not too much then, so that he is

always as keen as mustard. Toller lets him loose every night, and God

help the trespasser whom he lays his fangs upon. For goodness' sake

don't you ever on any pretext set your foot over the threshold at

night, for it's as much as your life is worth.'

"The warning was no idle one, for two nights later I happened to look

out of my bedroom window about two o'clock in the morning. It was a

beautiful moonlight night, and the lawn in front of the house was

silvered over and almost as bright as day. I was standing, rapt in

the peaceful beauty of the scene, when I was aware that something was

moving under the shadow of the copper beeches. As it emerged into the

moonshine I saw what it was. It was a giant dog, as large as a calf,

tawny tinted, with hanging jowl, black muzzle, and huge projecting

bones. It walked slowly across the lawn and vanished into the shadow

upon the other side. That dreadful sentinel sent a chill to my heart

which I do not think that any burglar could have done.

"And now I have a very strange experience to tell you. I had, as you

know, cut off my hair in London, and I had placed it in a great coil

at the bottom of my trunk. One evening, after the child was in bed, I

began to amuse myself by examining the furniture of my room and by

rearranging my own little things. There was an old chest of drawers

in the room, the two upper ones empty and open, the lower one locked.

I had filled the first two with my linen, and as I had still much to

pack away I was naturally annoyed at not having the use of the third

drawer. It struck me that it might have been fastened by a mere

oversight, so I took out my bunch of keys and tried to open it. The

very first key fitted to perfection, and I drew the drawer open.

There was only one thing in it, but I am sure that you would never

guess what it was. It was my coil of hair.

"I took it up and examined it. It was of the same peculiar tint, and

the same thickness. But then the impossibility of the thing obtruded

itself upon me. How could my hair have been locked in the drawer?

With trembling hands I undid my trunk, turned out the contents, and

drew from the bottom my own hair. I laid the two tresses together,

and I assure you that they were identical. Was it not extraordinary?

Puzzle as I would, I could make nothing at all of what it meant. I

returned the strange hair to the drawer, and I said nothing of the

matter to the Rucastles as I felt that I had put myself in the wrong

by opening a drawer which they had locked.

"I am naturally observant, as you may have remarked, Mr. Holmes, and

I soon had a pretty good plan of the whole house in my head. There

was one wing, however, which appeared not to be inhabited at all. A

door which faced that which led into the quarters of the Tollers

opened into this suite, but it was invariably locked. One day,

however, as I ascended the stair, I met Mr. Rucastle coming out

through this door, his keys in his hand, and a look on his face which

made him a very different person to the round, jovial man to whom I