DarqueDante/test2 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 74

"Oh, she has turned all the men's heads down in that part. She is the
daintiest thing under a bonnet on this planet. So say the
Serpentine-mews, to a man. She lives quietly, sings at concerts,
drives out at five every day, and returns at seven sharp for dinner.
Seldom goes out at other times, except when she sings. Has only one
male visitor, but a good deal of him. He is dark, handsome, and
dashing, never calls less than once a day, and often twice. He is a
Mr. Godfrey Norton, of the Inner Temple. See the advantages of a
cabman as a confidant. They had driven him home a dozen times from
Serpentine-mews, and knew all about him. When I had listened to all
they had to tell, I began to walk up and down near Briony Lodge once
more, and to think over my plan of campaign.

"This Godfrey Norton was evidently an important factor in the matter.
He was a lawyer. That sounded ominous. What was the relation between
them, and what the object of his repeated visits? Was she his client,
his friend, or his mistress? If the former, she had probably
transferred the photograph to his keeping. If the latter, it was less
likely. On the issue of this question depended whether I should
continue my work at Briony Lodge, or turn my attention to the
gentleman's chambers in the Temple. It was a delicate point, and it
widened the field of my inquiry. I fear that I bore you with these
details, but I have to let you see my little difficulties, if you are
to understand the situation."

"I am following you closely," I answered.

"I was still balancing the matter in my mind when a hansom cab drove
up to Briony Lodge, and a gentleman sprang out. He was a remarkably
handsome man, dark, aquiline, and moustached--evidently the man of
whom I had heard. He appeared to be in a great hurry, shouted to the
cabman to wait, and brushed past the maid who opened the door with
the air of a man who was thoroughly at home.

"He was in the house about half an hour, and I could catch glimpses
of him in the windows of the sitting-room, pacing up and down,
talking excitedly, and waving his arms. Of her I could see nothing.
Presently he emerged, looking even more flurried than before. As he
stepped up to the cab, he pulled a gold watch from his pocket and
looked at it earnestly, 'Drive like the devil,' he shouted, 'first to
Gross & Hankey's in Regent Street, and then to the Church of St.
Monica in the Edgeware Road. Half a guinea if you do it in twenty
minutes!'

"Away they went, and I was just wondering whether I should not do
well to follow them when up the lane came a neat little landau, the
coachman with his coat only half-buttoned, and his tie under his ear,
while all the tags of his harness were sticking out of the buckles.
It hadn't pulled up before she shot out of the hall door and into it.
I only caught a glimpse of her at the moment, but she was a lovely
woman, with a face that a man might die for.

"'The Church of St. Monica, John,' she cried, 'and half a sovereign
if you reach it in twenty minutes.'

"This was quite too good to lose, Watson. I was just balancing
whether I should run for it, or whether I should perch behind her
landau when a cab came through the street. The driver looked twice at
such a shabby fare, but I jumped in before he could object. 'The
Church of St. Monica,' said I, 'and half a sovereign if you reach it
in twenty minutes.' It was twenty-five minutes to twelve, and of
course it was clear enough what was in the wind.

"My cabby drove fast. I don't think I ever drove faster, but the
others were there before us. The cab and the landau with their
steaming horses were in front of the door when I arrived. I paid the
man and hurried into the church. There was not a soul there save the
two whom I had followed and a surpliced clergyman, who seemed to be
expostulating with them. They were all three standing in a knot in
front of the altar. I lounged up the side aisle like any other idler
who has dropped into a church. Suddenly, to my surprise, the three at
the altar faced round to me, and Godfrey Norton came running as hard
as he could towards me.

"'Thank God,' he cried. 'You'll do. Come! Come!'

"'What then?' I asked.

"'Come, man, come, only three minutes, or it won't be legal.'

"I was half-dragged up to the altar, and before I knew where I was I
found myself mumbling responses which were whispered in my ear, and
vouching for things of which I knew nothing, and generally assisting
in the secure tying up of Irene Adler, spinster, to Godfrey Norton,
bachelor. It was all done in an instant, and there was the gentleman
thanking me on the one side and the lady on the other, while the
clergyman beamed on me in front. It was the most preposterous
position in which I ever found myself in my life, and it was the
thought of it that started me laughing just now. It seems that there
had been some informality about their license, that the clergyman
absolutely refused to marry them without a witness of some sort, and
that my lucky appearance saved the bridegroom from having to sally
out into the streets in search of a best man. The bride gave me a
sovereign, and I mean to wear it on my watch-chain in memory of the
occasion."

"This is a very unexpected turn of affairs," said I; "and what then?"

"Well, I found my plans very seriously menaced. It looked as if the

"Oh, she has turned all the men's heads down in that part. She is the

daintiest thing under a bonnet on this planet. So say the

Serpentine-mews, to a man. She lives quietly, sings at concerts,

drives out at five every day, and returns at seven sharp for dinner.

Seldom goes out at other times, except when she sings. Has only one

male visitor, but a good deal of him. He is dark, handsome, and

dashing, never calls less than once a day, and often twice. He is a

Mr. Godfrey Norton, of the Inner Temple. See the advantages of a

cabman as a confidant. They had driven him home a dozen times from

Serpentine-mews, and knew all about him. When I had listened to all

they had to tell, I began to walk up and down near Briony Lodge once

more, and to think over my plan of campaign.

"This Godfrey Norton was evidently an important factor in the matter.

He was a lawyer. That sounded ominous. What was the relation between

them, and what the object of his repeated visits? Was she his client,

his friend, or his mistress? If the former, she had probably

transferred the photograph to his keeping. If the latter, it was less

likely. On the issue of this question depended whether I should

continue my work at Briony Lodge, or turn my attention to the

gentleman's chambers in the Temple. It was a delicate point, and it

widened the field of my inquiry. I fear that I bore you with these

details, but I have to let you see my little difficulties, if you are

to understand the situation."

"I am following you closely," I answered.

"I was still balancing the matter in my mind when a hansom cab drove

up to Briony Lodge, and a gentleman sprang out. He was a remarkably

handsome man, dark, aquiline, and moustached--evidently the man of

whom I had heard. He appeared to be in a great hurry, shouted to the

cabman to wait, and brushed past the maid who opened the door with

the air of a man who was thoroughly at home.

"He was in the house about half an hour, and I could catch glimpses

of him in the windows of the sitting-room, pacing up and down,

talking excitedly, and waving his arms. Of her I could see nothing.

Presently he emerged, looking even more flurried than before. As he

stepped up to the cab, he pulled a gold watch from his pocket and

looked at it earnestly, 'Drive like the devil,' he shouted, 'first to

Gross & Hankey's in Regent Street, and then to the Church of St.

Monica in the Edgeware Road. Half a guinea if you do it in twenty

minutes!'

"Away they went, and I was just wondering whether I should not do

well to follow them when up the lane came a neat little landau, the

coachman with his coat only half-buttoned, and his tie under his ear,

while all the tags of his harness were sticking out of the buckles.

It hadn't pulled up before she shot out of the hall door and into it.

I only caught a glimpse of her at the moment, but she was a lovely

woman, with a face that a man might die for.

"'The Church of St. Monica, John,' she cried, 'and half a sovereign

if you reach it in twenty minutes.'

"This was quite too good to lose, Watson. I was just balancing

whether I should run for it, or whether I should perch behind her

landau when a cab came through the street. The driver looked twice at

such a shabby fare, but I jumped in before he could object. 'The

Church of St. Monica,' said I, 'and half a sovereign if you reach it

in twenty minutes.' It was twenty-five minutes to twelve, and of

course it was clear enough what was in the wind.

"My cabby drove fast. I don't think I ever drove faster, but the

others were there before us. The cab and the landau with their

steaming horses were in front of the door when I arrived. I paid the

man and hurried into the church. There was not a soul there save the

two whom I had followed and a surpliced clergyman, who seemed to be

expostulating with them. They were all three standing in a knot in

front of the altar. I lounged up the side aisle like any other idler

who has dropped into a church. Suddenly, to my surprise, the three at

the altar faced round to me, and Godfrey Norton came running as hard

as he could towards me.

"'Thank God,' he cried. 'You'll do. Come! Come!'

"'What then?' I asked.

"'Come, man, come, only three minutes, or it won't be legal.'

"I was half-dragged up to the altar, and before I knew where I was I

found myself mumbling responses which were whispered in my ear, and

vouching for things of which I knew nothing, and generally assisting

in the secure tying up of Irene Adler, spinster, to Godfrey Norton,

bachelor. It was all done in an instant, and there was the gentleman

thanking me on the one side and the lady on the other, while the

clergyman beamed on me in front. It was the most preposterous

position in which I ever found myself in my life, and it was the

thought of it that started me laughing just now. It seems that there

had been some informality about their license, that the clergyman

absolutely refused to marry them without a witness of some sort, and

that my lucky appearance saved the bridegroom from having to sally

out into the streets in search of a best man. The bride gave me a

sovereign, and I mean to wear it on my watch-chain in memory of the

occasion."

"This is a very unexpected turn of affairs," said I; "and what then?"

"Well, I found my plans very seriously menaced. It looked as if the