DarqueDante/test2 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 74
game-keeper, lost sight of them. The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded
round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge. A
girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the
lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods
picking flowers. She states that while she was there she saw, at the
border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son,
and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel. She heard Mr.
McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw
the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father. She was so
frightened by their violence that she ran away and told her mother
when she reached home that she had left the two McCarthys quarrelling
near Boscombe Pool, and that she was afraid that they were going to
fight. She had hardly said the words when young Mr. McCarthy came
running up to the lodge to say that he had found his father dead in
the wood, and to ask for the help of the lodge-keeper. He was much
excited, without either his gun or his hat, and his right hand and
sleeve were observed to be stained with fresh blood. On following him
they found the dead body stretched out upon the grass beside the
pool. The head had been beaten in by repeated blows of some heavy and
blunt weapon. The injuries were such as might very well have been
inflicted by the butt-end of his son's gun, which was found lying on
the grass within a few paces of the body. Under these circumstances
the young man was instantly arrested, and a verdict of 'wilful
murder' having been returned at the inquest on Tuesday, he was on
Wednesday brought before the magistrates at Ross, who have referred
the case to the next Assizes. Those are the main facts of the case as
they came out before the coroner and the police-court."

"I could hardly imagine a more damning case," I remarked. "If ever
circumstantial evidence pointed to a criminal it does so here."

"Circumstantial evidence is a very tricky thing," answered Holmes
thoughtfully. "It may seem to point very straight to one thing, but
if you shift your own point of view a little, you may find it
pointing in an equally uncompromising manner to something entirely
different. It must be confessed, however, that the case looks
exceedingly grave against the young man, and it is very possible that
he is indeed the culprit. There are several people in the
neighbourhood, however, and among them Miss Turner, the daughter of
the neighbouring landowner, who believe in his innocence, and who
have retained Lestrade, whom you may recollect in connection with the
Study in Scarlet, to work out the case in his interest. Lestrade,
being rather puzzled, has referred the case to me, and hence it is
that two middle-aged gentlemen are flying westward at fifty miles an
hour instead of quietly digesting their breakfasts at home."

"I am afraid," said I, "that the facts are so obvious that you will
find little credit to be gained out of this case."

"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact," he answered,
laughing. "Besides, we may chance to hit upon some other obvious
facts which may have been by no means obvious to Mr. Lestrade. You
know me too well to think that I am boasting when I say that I shall
either confirm or destroy his theory by means which he is quite
incapable of employing, or even of understanding. To take the first
example to hand, I very clearly perceive that in your bedroom the
window is upon the right-hand side, and yet I question whether Mr.
Lestrade would have noted even so self-evident a thing as that."

"How on earth--"

"My dear fellow, I know you well. I know the military neatness which
characterises you. You shave every morning, and in this season you
shave by the sunlight; but since your shaving is less and less
complete as we get farther back on the left side, until it becomes
positively slovenly as we get round the angle of the jaw, it is
surely very clear that that side is less illuminated than the other.
I could not imagine a man of your habits looking at himself in an
equal light and being satisfied with such a result. I only quote this
as a trivial example of observation and inference. Therein lies my
métier, and it is just possible that it may be of some service in the
investigation which lies before us. There are one or two minor points
which were brought out in the inquest, and which are worth
considering."

"What are they?"

"It appears that his arrest did not take place at once, but after the
return to Hatherley Farm. On the inspector of constabulary informing
him that he was a prisoner, he remarked that he was not surprised to
hear it, and that it was no more than his deserts. This observation
of his had the natural effect of removing any traces of doubt which
might have remained in the minds of the coroner's jury."

"It was a confession," I ejaculated.

"No, for it was followed by a protestation of innocence."

"Coming on the top of such a damning series of events, it was at
least a most suspicious remark."

"On the contrary," said Holmes, "it is the brightest rift which I can
at present see in the clouds. However innocent he might be, he could
not be such an absolute imbecile as not to see that the circumstances
were very black against him. Had he appeared surprised at his own
arrest, or feigned indignation at it, I should have looked upon it as
highly suspicious, because such surprise or anger would not be
natural under the circumstances, and yet might appear to be the best
policy to a scheming man. His frank acceptance of the situation marks
him as either an innocent man, or else as a man of considerable

game-keeper, lost sight of them. The Boscombe Pool is thickly wooded

round, with just a fringe of grass and of reeds round the edge. A

girl of fourteen, Patience Moran, who is the daughter of the

lodge-keeper of the Boscombe Valley estate, was in one of the woods

picking flowers. She states that while she was there she saw, at the

border of the wood and close by the lake, Mr. McCarthy and his son,

and that they appeared to be having a violent quarrel. She heard Mr.

McCarthy the elder using very strong language to his son, and she saw

the latter raise up his hand as if to strike his father. She was so

frightened by their violence that she ran away and told her mother

when she reached home that she had left the two McCarthys quarrelling

near Boscombe Pool, and that she was afraid that they were going to

fight. She had hardly said the words when young Mr. McCarthy came

running up to the lodge to say that he had found his father dead in

the wood, and to ask for the help of the lodge-keeper. He was much

excited, without either his gun or his hat, and his right hand and

sleeve were observed to be stained with fresh blood. On following him

they found the dead body stretched out upon the grass beside the

pool. The head had been beaten in by repeated blows of some heavy and

blunt weapon. The injuries were such as might very well have been

inflicted by the butt-end of his son's gun, which was found lying on

the grass within a few paces of the body. Under these circumstances

the young man was instantly arrested, and a verdict of 'wilful

murder' having been returned at the inquest on Tuesday, he was on

Wednesday brought before the magistrates at Ross, who have referred

the case to the next Assizes. Those are the main facts of the case as

they came out before the coroner and the police-court."

"I could hardly imagine a more damning case," I remarked. "If ever

circumstantial evidence pointed to a criminal it does so here."

"Circumstantial evidence is a very tricky thing," answered Holmes

thoughtfully. "It may seem to point very straight to one thing, but

if you shift your own point of view a little, you may find it

pointing in an equally uncompromising manner to something entirely

different. It must be confessed, however, that the case looks

exceedingly grave against the young man, and it is very possible that

he is indeed the culprit. There are several people in the

neighbourhood, however, and among them Miss Turner, the daughter of

the neighbouring landowner, who believe in his innocence, and who

have retained Lestrade, whom you may recollect in connection with the

Study in Scarlet, to work out the case in his interest. Lestrade,

being rather puzzled, has referred the case to me, and hence it is

that two middle-aged gentlemen are flying westward at fifty miles an

hour instead of quietly digesting their breakfasts at home."

"I am afraid," said I, "that the facts are so obvious that you will

find little credit to be gained out of this case."

"There is nothing more deceptive than an obvious fact," he answered,

laughing. "Besides, we may chance to hit upon some other obvious

facts which may have been by no means obvious to Mr. Lestrade. You

know me too well to think that I am boasting when I say that I shall

either confirm or destroy his theory by means which he is quite

incapable of employing, or even of understanding. To take the first

example to hand, I very clearly perceive that in your bedroom the

window is upon the right-hand side, and yet I question whether Mr.

Lestrade would have noted even so self-evident a thing as that."

"How on earth--"

"My dear fellow, I know you well. I know the military neatness which

characterises you. You shave every morning, and in this season you

shave by the sunlight; but since your shaving is less and less

complete as we get farther back on the left side, until it becomes

positively slovenly as we get round the angle of the jaw, it is

surely very clear that that side is less illuminated than the other.

I could not imagine a man of your habits looking at himself in an

equal light and being satisfied with such a result. I only quote this

as a trivial example of observation and inference. Therein lies my

métier, and it is just possible that it may be of some service in the

investigation which lies before us. There are one or two minor points

which were brought out in the inquest, and which are worth

considering."

"What are they?"

"It appears that his arrest did not take place at once, but after the

return to Hatherley Farm. On the inspector of constabulary informing

him that he was a prisoner, he remarked that he was not surprised to

hear it, and that it was no more than his deserts. This observation

of his had the natural effect of removing any traces of doubt which

might have remained in the minds of the coroner's jury."

"It was a confession," I ejaculated.

"No, for it was followed by a protestation of innocence."

"Coming on the top of such a damning series of events, it was at

least a most suspicious remark."

"On the contrary," said Holmes, "it is the brightest rift which I can

at present see in the clouds. However innocent he might be, he could

not be such an absolute imbecile as not to see that the circumstances

were very black against him. Had he appeared surprised at his own

arrest, or feigned indignation at it, I should have looked upon it as

highly suspicious, because such surprise or anger would not be

natural under the circumstances, and yet might appear to be the best

policy to a scheming man. His frank acceptance of the situation marks

him as either an innocent man, or else as a man of considerable