Part 42 (1/2)
”It seehtful a man As I was already in debt to reat convenience, and yet there was so unnatural about the whole transaction which made me wish to know a little more before I quite committed myself
” 'May I ask where you live, sir?' said I
” 'Ha rural place The Copper Beeches, five miles on the far side of Winchester It is thelady, and the dearest old country-house'
” 'And lad to knohat they would be'
” 'One child-one dear little ro cockroaches with a slipper! Sone before you could wink!' He leaned back in his chair and laughed his eyes into his head again
”I was a little startled at the nature of the child's ahter
” 'My sole duties, then,' I asked, 'are to take charge of a single child?'
” 'No, no, not the sole, not the sole,lady,' he cried 'Your duty would be, as I aest, to obey any little coive, provided always that they were such coht with propriety obey You see no difficulty, heh?'
” 'I should be happy to make myself useful'
” 'Quite so In dress now, for example We are faddy people, you know-faddy but kind-hearted If you were asked to wear any dress which we ive you, you would not object to our little whim Heh?'
” 'No,' said I, considerably astonished at his words
” 'Or to sit here, or sit there, that would not be offensive to you?'
” 'Oh, no'
” 'Or to cut your hair quite short before you come to us?'
”I could hardly believe my ears As you may observe, Mr Holmes, my hair is somewhat luxuriant, and of a rather peculiar tint of chestnut It has been considered artistic I could not drea it in this offhand fashi+on
” 'I am afraid that that is quite ierly out of his small eyes, and I could see a shadow pass over his face as I spoke
” 'I am afraid that it is quite essential,' said he 'It is a little fancy of my wife's, and ladies' fancies, you know, madam, ladies' fancies must be consulted And so you won't cut your hair?'
” 'No, sir, I really could not,' I answered firmly
'Ah, very well; then that quite settles the matter It is a pity, because in other respects you would really have done very nicely In that case Miss Stoper, I had best inspect a few eress had sat all this while busy with her papers without a word to either of us, but she glanced at me noith sothat she had lost a handsoh my refusal
” 'Do you desire your name to be kept upon the books?' she asked
” 'If you please, Miss Stoper'
” 'Well, really, it seems rather useless, since you refuse the most excellent offers in this fashi+on,' said she sharply 'You can hardly expect us to exert ourselves to find another such opening for you Good-day to you, Miss Hunter' She struck a gong upon the table, and I was shown out by the page
”Well, Mr Holh in the cupboard, and two or three bills upon the table, I began to askAfter all, if these people had strange fads and expected obedience on the most extraordinary matters, they were at least ready to pay for their eccentricity Very few governesses in England are getting 100 a year Besides, what use wasit short, and perhaps I should be a the number Next day I was inclined to think that I had made a mistake, and by the day after I was sure of it I had alency and inquire whether the place was still open when I received this letter froentleman himself I have it here, and I will read it to you: ”The Copper Beeches, near Winchester ”The Copper Beeches, near Winchester
”DEAR MISS HUNTER:”Miss Stoper has very kindly given me your address, and I write from here to ask you whether you have reconsidered your decision My wife is very anxious that you should come, for she has been ive 30 a quarter, or 120 a year, so as to recompense you for any little inconvenience which our fads , after all My wife is fond of a particular shade of electric blue, and would like you to wear such a dress indoors in the o to the expense of purchasing one, as we have one belonging to hter Alice (now in Philadelphia), which would, I should think, fit you very well Then, as to sitting here or there, or a yourself in any ards your hair, it is no doubt a pity, especially as I could not help re our short interview, but I am afraid that I must remain firm upon this point, and I only hope that the increased salary may recompense you for the loss Your duties, as far as the child is concerned, are very light Now do try to co-cart at Winchester Let me know your train”Yours faithfully,”JEPHRO RUCASTLE
”That is the letter which I have just received, Mr Holht, however, that before taking the final step I should like to submit the whole matter to your consideration”
”Well, Miss Hunter, if your mind is
”But you would not advise me to refuse?”
”I confess that it is not the situation which I should like to see a sister ofof it all, Mr Holmes?”
”Ah, I have no data I cannot tell Perhaps you have yourself formed some opinion?”
”Well, there seems to me to be only one possible solution Mr Rucastle seeood-natured man Is it not possible that his wife is a lunatic, that he desires to keep the matter quiet for fear she should be taken to an asylum, and that he humours her fancies, in every way in order to prevent an outbreak?”
”That is a possible solution-in fact, as matters stand, it is the most probable one But in any case it does not see lady”
”But the money, Mr Holood-too good That is what ive you 120 a year, when they could have their pick for 40? There ht that if I told you the circumstances you would understand afterwards if I wanted your help I should feel so er if I felt that you were at the back ofaith you I assure you that your little proble which has co distinctly novel about some of the features If you should find yourself in doubt or in danger-”
”Danger! What danger do you foresee?”
Holer if we could define it,” said he ”But at any ti h” She rose briskly from her chair with the anxiety all swept froo down to Hampshi+re quite easy in my mind now I shall write to Mr Rucastle at once, sacrifice ht, and start for Winchester to-rateful words to Holht and bustled off upon her way
”At least,” said I as we heard her quick, fir lady who is very well able to take care of herself”
”And she would need to be,” said Holravely ”I am much mistaken if we do not hear fro before ht went by, during which I frequently found , what strange side-alley of human experience this lonely woman had strayed into The unusual salary, the curious conditions, the light duties, all pointed to soh whether a fad or a plot, or whether the man were a philanthropist or a villain, it was quite beyond my powers to determine As to Holmes, I observed that he sat frequently for half an hour on end, with knitted brows and an abstracted air, but he swept the matter aith a wave of his hand when I mentioned it ”Data! data! data!” he cried impatiently ”I can't make bricks without clay” And yet he would alind up bythat no sister of his should ever have accepted such a situation
The telegraht just as I was thinking of turning in and Holht cheed in, when I would leave hiht and find him in the sa He opened the yellow envelope, and then, glancing at the e, threw it across to me
”Just look up the trains in Bradshaw,” said he, and turned back to his cheent one
Please be at the Black Swan Hotel at Winchester at midday tomorrow [it said] Do come! I am at my wit's endHUNTER
”Will you co up
”I should wish to”
”Just look it up, then”
”There is a train at half-past nine,” said I, glancing over my Bradshaw ”It is due at Winchester at 11:30”