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ElapticAI-512

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camp and wandered through woods or mountains, so that her education has
come from Nature rather than from the schoolmaster. She is what we call
in England a tomboy, with a strong nature, wild and free, unfettered by
any sort of traditions. She is impetuous—volcanic, I was about to say.
She is swift in making up her mind and fearless in carrying out her
resolutions. On the other hand, I would not have given her the name
which I have the honour to bear —he gave a little stately cough—“had I
not thought her to be at bottom a noble woman. I believe that she is
capable of heroic self-sacrifice and that anything dishonourable would
be repugnant to her.
“Have you her photograph?
“I brought this with me. He opened a locket and showed us the full
face of a very lovely woman. It was not a photograph but an ivory
miniature, and the artist had brought out the full effect of the
lustrous black hair, the large dark eyes, and the exquisite mouth.
Holmes gazed long and earnestly at it. Then he closed the locket and
handed it back to Lord St. Simon.
“The young lady came to London, then, and you renewed your
acquaintance?
“Yes, her father brought her over for this last London season. I met
her several times, became engaged to her, and have now married her.
“She brought, I understand, a considerable dowry?
“A fair dowry. Not more than is usual in my family.
“And this, of course, remains to you, since the marriage is a fait
accompli?
“I really have made no inquiries on the subject.
“Very naturally not. Did you see Miss Doran on the day before the
wedding?
“Yes.
“Was she in good spirits?
“Never better. She kept talking of what we should do in our future
lives.
“Indeed! That is very interesting. And on the morning of the wedding?
“She was as bright as possible—at least until after the ceremony.
“And did you observe any change in her then?
“Well, to tell the truth, I saw then the first signs that I had ever
seen that her temper was just a little sharp. The incident however, was
too trivial to relate and can have no possible bearing upon the case.
“Pray let us have it, for all that.
“Oh, it is childish. She dropped her bouquet as we went towards the
vestry. She was passing the front pew at the time, and it fell over
into the pew. There was a moment’s delay, but the gentleman in the pew
handed it up to her again, and it did not appear to be the worse for
the fall. Yet when I spoke to her of the matter, she answered me
abruptly; and in the carriage, on our way home, she seemed absurdly
agitated over this trifling cause.
“Indeed! You say that there was a gentleman in the pew. Some of the
general public were present, then?
“Oh, yes. It is impossible to exclude them when the church is open.
“This gentleman was not one of your wife’s friends?
“No, no; I call him a gentleman by courtesy, but he was quite a
common-looking person. I hardly noticed his appearance. But really I
think that we are wandering rather far from the point.
“Lady St. Simon, then, returned from the wedding in a less cheerful
frame of mind than she had gone to it. What did she do on re-entering
her father’s house?
“I saw her in conversation with her maid.
“And who is her maid?
“Alice is her name. She is an American and came from California with
her.
“A confidential servant?
“A little too much so. It seemed to me that her mistress allowed her to
take great liberties. Still, of course, in America they look upon these
things in a different way.
“How long did she speak to this Alice?
“Oh, a few minutes. I had something else to think of.
“You did not overhear what they said?
“Lady St. Simon said something about ‘jumping a claim.’ She was