DarqueDante/test2 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 74
"There's the village," said the driver, pointing to a cluster of
roofs some distance to the left; "but if you want to get to the
house, you'll find it shorter to get over this stile, and so by the
foot-path over the fields. There it is, where the lady is walking."

"And the lady, I fancy, is Miss Stoner," observed Holmes, shading his
eyes. "Yes, I think we had better do as you suggest."

We got off, paid our fare, and the trap rattled back on its way to
Leatherhead.

"I thought it as well," said Holmes as we climbed the stile, "that
this fellow should think we had come here as architects, or on some
definite business. It may stop his gossip. Good-afternoon, Miss
Stoner. You see that we have been as good as our word."

Our client of the morning had hurried forward to meet us with a face
which spoke her joy. "I have been waiting so eagerly for you," she
cried, shaking hands with us warmly. "All has turned out splendidly.
Dr. Roylott has gone to town, and it is unlikely that he will be back
before evening."

"We have had the pleasure of making the doctor's acquaintance," said
Holmes, and in a few words he sketched out what had occurred. Miss
Stoner turned white to the lips as she listened.

"Good heavens!" she cried, "he has followed me, then."

"So it appears."

"He is so cunning that I never know when I am safe from him. What
will he say when he returns?"

"He must guard himself, for he may find that there is someone more
cunning than himself upon his track. You must lock yourself up from
him to-night. If he is violent, we shall take you away to your aunt's
at Harrow. Now, we must make the best use of our time, so kindly take
us at once to the rooms which we are to examine."

The building was of grey, lichen-blotched stone, with a high central
portion and two curving wings, like the claws of a crab, thrown out
on each side. In one of these wings the windows were broken and
blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved in, a
picture of ruin. The central portion was in little better repair, but
the right-hand block was comparatively modern, and the blinds in the
windows, with the blue smoke curling up from the chimneys, showed
that this was where the family resided. Some scaffolding had been
erected against the end wall, and the stone-work had been broken
into, but there were no signs of any workmen at the moment of our
visit. Holmes walked slowly up and down the ill-trimmed lawn and
examined with deep attention the outsides of the windows.

"This, I take it, belongs to the room in which you used to sleep, the
centre one to your sister's, and the one next to the main building to
Dr. Roylott's chamber?"

"Exactly so. But I am now sleeping in the middle one."

"Pending the alterations, as I understand. By the way, there does not
seem to be any very pressing need for repairs at that end wall."

"There were none. I believe that it was an excuse to move me from my
room."

"Ah! that is suggestive. Now, on the other side of this narrow wing
runs the corridor from which these three rooms open. There are
windows in it, of course?"

"Yes, but very small ones. Too narrow for anyone to pass through."

"As you both locked your doors at night, your rooms were
unapproachable from that side. Now, would you have the kindness to go
into your room and bar your shutters?"

Miss Stoner did so, and Holmes, after a careful examination through
the open window, endeavoured in every way to force the shutter open,
but without success. There was no slit through which a knife could be
passed to raise the bar. Then with his lens he tested the hinges, but
they were of solid iron, built firmly into the massive masonry.
"Hum!" said he, scratching his chin in some perplexity, "my theory
certainly presents some difficulties. No one could pass these
shutters if they were bolted. Well, we shall see if the inside throws
any light upon the matter."

A small side door led into the whitewashed corridor from which the
three bedrooms opened. Holmes refused to examine the third chamber,
so we passed at once to the second, that in which Miss Stoner was now
sleeping, and in which her sister had met with her fate. It was a
homely little room, with a low ceiling and a gaping fireplace, after
the fashion of old country-houses. A brown chest of drawers stood in
one corner, a narrow white-counterpaned bed in another, and a
dressing-table on the left-hand side of the window. These articles,
with two small wicker-work chairs, made up all the furniture in the
room save for a square of Wilton carpet in the centre. The boards
round and the panelling of the walls were of brown, worm-eaten oak,
so old and discoloured that it may have dated from the original
building of the house. Holmes drew one of the chairs into a corner
and sat silent, while his eyes travelled round and round and up and
down, taking in every detail of the apartment.

"There's the village," said the driver, pointing to a cluster of

roofs some distance to the left; "but if you want to get to the

house, you'll find it shorter to get over this stile, and so by the

foot-path over the fields. There it is, where the lady is walking."

"And the lady, I fancy, is Miss Stoner," observed Holmes, shading his

eyes. "Yes, I think we had better do as you suggest."

We got off, paid our fare, and the trap rattled back on its way to

Leatherhead.

"I thought it as well," said Holmes as we climbed the stile, "that

this fellow should think we had come here as architects, or on some

definite business. It may stop his gossip. Good-afternoon, Miss

Stoner. You see that we have been as good as our word."

Our client of the morning had hurried forward to meet us with a face

which spoke her joy. "I have been waiting so eagerly for you," she

cried, shaking hands with us warmly. "All has turned out splendidly.

Dr. Roylott has gone to town, and it is unlikely that he will be back

before evening."

"We have had the pleasure of making the doctor's acquaintance," said

Holmes, and in a few words he sketched out what had occurred. Miss

Stoner turned white to the lips as she listened.

"Good heavens!" she cried, "he has followed me, then."

"So it appears."

"He is so cunning that I never know when I am safe from him. What

will he say when he returns?"

"He must guard himself, for he may find that there is someone more

cunning than himself upon his track. You must lock yourself up from

him to-night. If he is violent, we shall take you away to your aunt's

at Harrow. Now, we must make the best use of our time, so kindly take

us at once to the rooms which we are to examine."

The building was of grey, lichen-blotched stone, with a high central

portion and two curving wings, like the claws of a crab, thrown out

on each side. In one of these wings the windows were broken and

blocked with wooden boards, while the roof was partly caved in, a

picture of ruin. The central portion was in little better repair, but

the right-hand block was comparatively modern, and the blinds in the

windows, with the blue smoke curling up from the chimneys, showed

that this was where the family resided. Some scaffolding had been

erected against the end wall, and the stone-work had been broken

into, but there were no signs of any workmen at the moment of our

visit. Holmes walked slowly up and down the ill-trimmed lawn and

examined with deep attention the outsides of the windows.

"This, I take it, belongs to the room in which you used to sleep, the

centre one to your sister's, and the one next to the main building to

Dr. Roylott's chamber?"

"Exactly so. But I am now sleeping in the middle one."

"Pending the alterations, as I understand. By the way, there does not

seem to be any very pressing need for repairs at that end wall."

"There were none. I believe that it was an excuse to move me from my

room."

"Ah! that is suggestive. Now, on the other side of this narrow wing

runs the corridor from which these three rooms open. There are

windows in it, of course?"

"Yes, but very small ones. Too narrow for anyone to pass through."

"As you both locked your doors at night, your rooms were

unapproachable from that side. Now, would you have the kindness to go

into your room and bar your shutters?"

Miss Stoner did so, and Holmes, after a careful examination through

the open window, endeavoured in every way to force the shutter open,

but without success. There was no slit through which a knife could be

passed to raise the bar. Then with his lens he tested the hinges, but

they were of solid iron, built firmly into the massive masonry.

"Hum!" said he, scratching his chin in some perplexity, "my theory

certainly presents some difficulties. No one could pass these

shutters if they were bolted. Well, we shall see if the inside throws

any light upon the matter."

A small side door led into the whitewashed corridor from which the

three bedrooms opened. Holmes refused to examine the third chamber,

so we passed at once to the second, that in which Miss Stoner was now

sleeping, and in which her sister had met with her fate. It was a

homely little room, with a low ceiling and a gaping fireplace, after

the fashion of old country-houses. A brown chest of drawers stood in

one corner, a narrow white-counterpaned bed in another, and a

dressing-table on the left-hand side of the window. These articles,

with two small wicker-work chairs, made up all the furniture in the

room save for a square of Wilton carpet in the centre. The boards

round and the panelling of the walls were of brown, worm-eaten oak,

so old and discoloured that it may have dated from the original

building of the house. Holmes drew one of the chairs into a corner

and sat silent, while his eyes travelled round and round and up and

down, taking in every detail of the apartment.