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About The Sunday Oregonian. (Portland, Ore.) 1881-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 17, 1905)
THE SUNDAY OKEGOIA, PORTICO), SEPTEMBER 17, 1905. 45 The Adventure of the Copper Beeches IM CC-mr-O the man who loves art for its J fe'JSA XO the man -who loves art for lta own sake." remarked Sherlock Holmes, tossing aside the adver tisement sheet of the Dally Telegraph. "K Is frequontly In Its least Important uid lowHau manifestations that the keen est pleasure Ss to be derived. It Is pleas nat to me to observe, Watson, that you have go far grasped this truth that In these Mttte records of our cases which you have been good enough to draw up, and. I am bound to say., occasionally to embefflsa. you have given prominence not to the. many causes celobres and- penaatlooal trials In which I have figured, bat rather to these Incidents which may have fee trivial in themselves, but which have given room for those faculties of deduction and ef logical synthesis which 1 have made my special province." "And yet." said I, smiling. "1 cannot unite hold myself absolved from the charge of sonsatlonallsm which has bean urges: agalpst my records." "You have erred, perhaps," he observed, taking up a glowing cindor with the tongs and lighting with it the long chorry-wood pipe which was wont to replace his clay when he was In a disputatious rather than a meditative mood "you have erred perhaps in attempting to put color and Mfe Sato oach ef your statements, instead of confining yourself to the task of plac ing upon record that sevore roasonlng from caxse to effect which is really the only notable feature about the thing." "It scorns to me that I have done you fall J(4.lce in the matter," I remarked, wKh some coldness, for I was repelled by the egotism which I had more than once observed to be a strong factor In my friend's singular character. "No. It la not selfishness or conceit," fM he. answering, as was his wont, my thoughts rather than my words. "If I claim full Justice for my art, it is be cause it is an impersonal thing a thing beyond myself. Crime Is common. Logic fc rare. Therefore It la upon the logic rather than upon the crime that you should dwelt. You have degraded what ahouh have been a course of lectures Into a MrtOh ef talcs." It was a cold morning of the early Spring, and we sat after breakfast on either side of a cheery (Ire In the old room at Baker street. A thick fog rolled between the lines of dun-colored houees, and the opposing windows loomed like dark, shapeless blurs through the heavy yellow wreaths. Our gas was lit, and shone en the white cloth and glim mer of china and metal, for the table had not fecoa cleared yet. Sherlock Holmes had been .silent all the morning, dipping continuously into the advertisement col umns of a succession of papors, until at hv. having apparently given up his aearch. he had emerged in no very sweet ; reaper to lecture me upon my literary shortcomings. "At the some time." he remarked, after a paor-e. during which he had sat puffing at bis long pipe and gazing down Into the ftr. you can hardly be open to a charge ; of Mavsatioaaliem. for out of tjiese cases j which you have been so kind as to In- ; teres yourself in a fair proportion do , not troat of crime. In its legal sense, at ' all. The small matter In which I endeav ored to help the King of Bohemia, the atogntar experience of Miss Mary Suther land, the problem connected with the man wtth the twisted Up, and the Incident of the nohto bachelor, wore all matters which ure outside the pale of the law. Bat m avoiding the sensational. I fear that yoa may have bordered on . the trivial." "The ond may have been so," I an jwered, "but the methods I hold to have been novel and of interest." Tshew. ray dear fellow, what do the puhnc. the great unobservant public, who couM hardly tell a weaver by his tooth or a com pari tor by his left thumb, care about the liner shades of analysis and de duction! But, Indeed, If you are trivial, I cannot bhvme you, for the days of the great caees are pant. Man. or at least criminal man. lias lost all enterprise and originality. As to my own little practice. H seams to be degenerating Into an agency for recovering lost lead pencils and giving advice to young ladles from boaWttnaschook. I think that I have touched bottom at last, however. This note I had thk morning marks my zero point. I fancy. Read It!" He tossed a crumpled letter across to me. It was a ted from Montague place upon the preceding evening, and ran thus. "oar Mr. Holmes: I am very anxious to ennanlt you as to whother I should or rhaula not accept a situation which has Veen offered to me as governess. I shall can at :M tomorrow. If I do not Incon venience you. Yours faithfully. "VIOLET HUNTER." "Do you knew the young lady?" I Kehea. "Not I." . "It Is MM now." "Yes. and I have ne doubt that is hor ring." "It may turn out to be of more Interest than you think. Yeu remember that the attatr of the bluo oarbuncle, which ap peared to be a mere whim at first, de veloped Into a serious investigation. It may be so In this case also." "WeM. let us hope so. But our doubts wttl very soon be solved, for here, unless I run much mistaken. Is the person In oueotlon. As he spoke the door opened and a young lady onterod the room. She was plainly but neatly dressed, with a bright, quick face, freckled like a plover's egg, and with the brisk manner of a woman who has had her own way to make In the world. "Yeu will excuse my troubling you, I am sure." said she, as my -companion rose to greet her. "but 1 have had a very strange experience, and as I have i no parents or relations of any sort from whom I could Jask advice, I thought that perhaps you would be kind enough to teM me what I should do." "Pray, take a seat. Miss Hunter. I fealt be happy to do anything I can to serve you." I could see that Holmes was favorably Impressed by the manner and speech of his new client. He looked her over In bis searching fashion, and then composed himself, with his lids drooping and his finger-tips togother. to listen to her tory. "I have "been a governess for five years," said she, "In the family of Colo nol Sponee Munro. but -two months ago the Colonel received an appointment at Halifax, in Koa Scotia, and took his children over to America with him, so that I found myself without a situation. I advertised, and I answered advertise ments, but without success. At lost the little money which I had saved began "to run short, and I was at my wits' end as to what I should do. There Is a well-known agency for gov ernesses In the West End called West s. way's, and there 1 used to call about once a week In order to sec whether any thing had turned up which might suit me- Wcstaway was the name of the founder of the business, but it is really managed by Miss Stoper. She sits in her own little office, and the ladles who are seeking employment wait in an ante-room and are then shown in one by one, when sh,e consults her ledgers, and sees wheth er she has anything which would suit them. "Well, when 1 called last week I was shown Into the little office as usual, but I fourid that Miss Stoper was not alone. A -prodigiously stout man with a very smiling face, and a groat heavy chin, which rolled down In fold upon fold over his throat, sat at her elbow with a pair of glasses on bis nose, looking very ear nestly at the ladles who ontered. As I came In ho gave quite a Jump in his chair, and turned quickly to Miss Stoper. " 'That will do. said he; "I could not ask for anything better. Capital! Capital!' He seemed quite enthusiastic, and rubbed his hands together in the most genial fashion. He was such a comfortable looking man that It was quite a pleasure to look at him. " 'You are looking fpr a situation, mlssr he asked. " 'Yes. sir.' " 'As governors T " Yos. sir.' "'And what salary do you askr " I bad 4 a month in my last place with Colonel Spence Munro.' " 'Oh. tut. tut! sweating rank swe"at- ine!' he cried, throwing his fat hands out Into the air like a man who Is In a boil ing passion. 'How could any ono offor so pitiful a sum to a lady with such at tractions and accomplishments?' " 'My accomplishments, sir, may be less than you Imagine.' said I. 'A little Fronch, a little German, music and draw lng " 'Tut. tut!' ho cried. This Is all quite beside the question. The point Is, Have you or have you not the bearing and de portment of a lady7 There It is in a nut shell. If you have -not, you are not fitted for the rearing of a child who may wme day play a considerable part in the his tory of the country. But If you have, why, then, how could any gentleman ask you to condescend to accept anything un der the three figures. Your salary with me, madam, would commence at 100 a vear. -y "You may Imagine. Mr. Holmes; that to J me. destitute as I was, such an offer seemed almost too -good to be true. The gentleman', however, seolng perhaps, the look of Incredulity upon my face, opened a pocketbook and took out a note. i " 'It is also my custom.' said he, smiling ! in the mast pleasant fashion, until his eyes wore Juot two shining silts amid the white creases of his face, 'to advance to my young ladles half their salary before, hand, so that they may meet any little expenses of their Journoy and their warfc- robe.' "It seemed to mo that I had never met so fascinating and so thoughtful a man. As I was already in debt to ray trade men, the advance was a great conven ience, and yet there wag something un-' natural 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 L '-Hampshire. Charming rural place. The Copper Beechos, five miles on the far side of Winchester. It Is the most lovely country, my dear young lady, and the dearest old country house.' " 'And my duties, sir? I should be glad to know what they would be.' " 'One child one dear little romper Just G years old. Oh, If you could see him killing cockroachos with a slipper! Smack! smack! smack! Three gone before you could wink!' He leaned back In his chair and laughed his eycri Into his head again. "I was a little startled at the nature of the child's amusement, but the father's laughter made me think that perhaps he was jeklng. " 'My sole duties, then.' I asked, 'are to take charge of a single child?' " 'No, no, not the sole, not the sole, my dear young lady,' he cried. 'Your duty would be. as I am sure your good sense would suggost. to obey any little com mands my wife might give provided al ways that they were such commands as a lady might with propriety obey. You see no difficulty, hehr " I should be happy to make myself useful.' - " 'Quite . In dress now, for example. We are faddy people, you know faddy but kind-hearted. If you were asked to wear any dross which we might give you, you would not object to our little whim. Hehr " 'No, said I, considerably astonished at his words. " 'Or to pit here, or sit there that would not be offensive to you? vOh, no:' " 'Or to cut your hair quite short before you come to us? "I could hardly believe my cars. As you may observe; Mr. Holmes, my hair Is somewhat luxuriant and of a rather pe culiar tint of chestnut. It has been con sidered artistic. I could not dream of sacrificing It in this off-hand fashion. " 'I am afraid that that is quite impos sible.' said T. He had been watching me cagony out of his small eyes, and I could see a shadow pass over his face as I spoke. . "I am afraid thar It la quite essen tial.' said he. 'It is a little fancy of my wife's, and ladles' fancies, you know, madam, ladies' fancies must be consulted. And so you won't cut your hair? "'No. sir; I really could not, I an swered firmly. "Ah. very well; then that quite set tles the matter. It Is a pltj because In other respects you would really have done very nicely, in that case. Miss Stonrr. I had best Inspect a few more of your young laaies. "The manageress had sat all this while busy with her papers, without a word to either of us. but she glanced at me now with -so much annoyance upon her face that I could not help suspecting that she nad lost a handsome commission through my reiusai. " 'Do you desire your name to be kept upon too DooKST she asked. " 'If you please. Miss Stoper. " 'Well, really, it seems rather useless. since you refuse tne most excellent of fers In this fashion. said she, sharply. i.pu can narauy expect ue to exert our selves to find another such opening for you. Good-dsy to you. MIbs Hunter. She struck a gong upon the table, and I was shown out by the page. "Well, Mr. Holmes, when I got back to my lodgings and found little enough in, the cupboard and two or three bills upon the table, I began to ask myself whether I had not done a very foollsb thing. After all, if these people had strange fads and expected obedience ton the most extraordinary matters, they were at least ready to pay for their ec centricity. Very few govmetss in En land ore getting 100 a year. Besides, what use was my hair to me? Many people are Improved by wearing it short. and perhaps I should be among the num ber. Next day I was inclined to think that I had made a mistake, and by the day after was sure of It. I had al most overcome my pride eo far as to go back to the agency and Inquire whether the place was still open, when I re ceived this letter from the gentleman himself. I have It here, and I win read It to you: " THE COPPER BEECHES, near Win chester. 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 ery anxious that you should come, for she" has been much attracted by my description of you. We are willing to give 90 a quarter, or 120 a year, so as to recompense you for any little In convenience which our fads may cause you. They are not very exacting, 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 morn ing. You need not, however, go to the expense of purchasing one. as we have one belonging to my dear daughter Alice (now in Philadelphia), which would, I 'should think, fit you very well. Then, as to sitting here or there, or amusing your solf in any manner indicated, that need causo you no Inconvenience. As regards your hair, it is no doubt a pity, espe cially as I could not help remarking Its beauty during- our short interview, but lam afraid that I must remain firm upon this point, and I only hope that the in creased salary may recompense you for the loss. Your duties, as far as the child Is concerned, are very light. Now, do try to come, and I shall meet you with the dog-cart nt Winchester. Let me know your train. Yours faithfully. " 'JEPHRO RUCASTLE.' "That Is the letter which I have 'Just received, Mr. Holmes, and my mind Is made up that I will accept It. I thought, however, that before taking the final step I should like to submit the whole matter to your consideration." "Well, MUe- Hunter, if your mind Is made you, that settles the question," said Holmes, smiling. "But you would not advise me to re fuse?" "I confess that it 1s not, the situation which I should like to see a sister of mine apply for." t "What Is the meaning of it all, Mr. Holmes?" i "Ah, I have no data. 1 cannot tell. Perhaps you have yourself formed some opinion?" . "Well, there seems to me to be only one possible solution. Mr. Rucastle seemed to be a very kind, good-natured man. Is it not possible that his wife Is a lunatic that he desires to keop the matter quiet for fear she should be taken to an asylum, and that he humors her fancies. In every way In ordor 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 seem to be a nice household for a young lady." "But the money, Mr. Holmes, the money!" - x "Well. yes. of 'course- the pay is good too good. That is what makes me un easy. Why should they give you 120 a year, when they could have their pick for 40? There must be some strong reason behind." "I thought that if I. told you the circum stances you would understand afterward if I wanted your help. I should feel so much stronger If I felt that you were at the back of me." "Oh, you may carry that fcollng away with you. I asaue you that your little problem promises to be the most Inter esting which has come my way for some months. There is something distinctly novel about some of the features. If you should find yourself in doubt or in dan gers " "Danger! What danger do you fore see?" Holmes shook his head gravely. "It would cease to be a danger If we could define it," said he. "But at any time, day or night, a telegram would bring me down to your help." "That Is enough." She rose briskly from her chair with the anxiety all swept from her -face. "I shall go down to Hampshire quite easy in my mind now. I shall write to Mr. Rucastle at once, sacrifice my poor hair tonight and start for Winches ter tomorrow." With a few grateful words to Holmes she bade us both good-night and bustled off upori her way. "At least," said 1, as we heard her quick, firm step descending the stair, "she seems to be a young lady, who is very well able to take caro of herself." "And sho would need to be," said Holmes gravely, "for I am much mis taken If we do not hear from her before many days are past." It was not very long before my friend's prediction was fulfilled. A fortnight went by, during which I frequently found my thought! -turning In her direction and wondering what strange side-alley ot "human experience this lonely woman had strayed Into. The unusual salary, thf . IT WAS MY COIL, OF HAIR. i-. ....... , . . - . curious conditions, the light duties, all pointed to something abnormal, though whether a fad or a plot, or whether the man were a philanthropist or a villain. It was quite beyond my powers to deter mine. 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 away with a wave of hla-hand when I mentioned it. "Data! Data! Data!" he cried Impa tiently. "I can't make bricks without clay." And yet he would always wind up by muttering tharno sister of his should ever have accepted such a situation. The telegram which we eventually re ceived came late one night. Just as I was thinking of turning In, and Holmes was settling down to one of those all-night chemical researches which he frequently Indulged in. when I would leave him stooping over a, retort and test-tube at night, and find him In the same position when I came down to breakfast In the morning." He opened the yellow envelope, and then, glancing at the message, threw it 'across to me. "Just look up the trains la Bradshaw," said he. and turned back to his chemical studies. The summons was a brief and urgent one: "Please be at the Black Swan Hotel at Winchester. at mid-day tomorrow," It said. "Do come! I am at my wits' end. "HUNTER," "Will -you come with me?" asked Holmes, glancing up. "I should wish to." "Just look It up, then." "There Is a train at half past nine." said I, glancing ovjr my Brada'haw. "It Is due at Winchester at 11:30." "That will do very nicely. Then per haps I had better postpone my analysis of the acetones, as we .may need to be at our best In the morning." By 1 o'clock the next day we were well upon our way to the old English capital. Holmes had been burled in the morning papers all the way down, but after we had passed the Hampshire border he threw them down and began to admire the scenery- It was an Ideal Spring day, a light blue sky flecked with little fleecy white clouds drifting across from west to east. The sun was shining very brightly, and yet there was an exhilarating nip in the air which set an edge to a man's en ergy. All over the countryalde. away to the rolling hills around Aldershot. the lit tle red and gray roofs of the' farm steadings peeped out from amid the light igreen of the new foliage. "Are they not fresh and beautiful!" I cried with all the enthusiasm of a man fresh from the fogs of Baker street. But Holmes shook his head gravely. "Do you know, Watson." said he. "that it Is one of the curses of a mind with a turn like mine that I roust look at every thing with reference to my own special subject. You look at these scattered houses and you are Impressed by their beauty. I look at them, and the only thought which pomes to me li a feeling of Isolation and Nif the impunity witrr which crime may be committed there." 'Good heavens!" I cried. "Who would associate crime with these dear old home steads?" 'They always fill me with a certain horror. It is my belief. Watson, founded upon my experience, that the lowest and vilest alleys in London do not present a more dreadful record of sin than does the smiling and beautiful countryside." "You horrify me." "But the reason Js very obvious. The pressure of public opinion can do In the town what the law 'cannot accomplish. There Is no lane so vllo that the scream of a tortured child or the thud of a drunkard's blow does not beget sympathy and Indignation among the neighbors, and then the whole machinery of justice is ever .so close that a word of complaint can set it going, and there is but a step between the crime and the dock. But look at these lonely houses, each in its own fields, filled for the most part with poor, ignorant folk who know little pf the law. Think of the deeds of hellish cruelty, tho hidden wickedness which may go on. year in. year out. in such places, and none the wiser. Had this lady who appeals to us for help, gone to live In Winchester I should never have had a fear for her. It is the five miles of country which makes the danger. Stilly It is clear that she Is not personally threatened." "No. It ahe can come to Winchester to meet us she can get away." "Quite so. She has her freedom." "What can be the matter then? -Can yeu suggest no explanation?" "I have devised seven separate expla nations, each of which would cover the facts as far as we know them. But which of these" Is correct can only be determined by the fresh information which we shall no doubt find waiting for us. Well, there is the tower of the ca thedral, and we shall soon learn all that Miss Hunter has to tell." The Black Swan 'Is an inn of repute In tho High Street, at no distance from the station, and there we found the young lady waiting for us. She hag engaged a sitting-room, and our lunch awaited us upon the- table. I am so denghted that you have come," Wane said, earnestly.- '-'It-le so Tery kind of you both; but Indeed. 1 do not know what I should do. Your advice will be altogether Invaluable to me." , "Pray tell us what has happened to you." I will do so. and' I must be quick, fori I have promised Mr. Rucastle to bo back before 3. I . got his leave to come Into town this morning, though he little knew for what purpose." "Let us have everything in Its due order." Holmes thrust his Jong, thin legs out toward tho fire and composed him self to listen. "In the first place, I may say that I have met, on the whole, with no actual ill-treatment from Mr. and -Mrs. Rucastle. It Is only fair to them to say that. But I cannot understand them, and I am not easy In my mind about them." "What can you not understand?" "Their reasons for their conduct. But you shall have It all Just as It occurred. When I came down Mr.. Rucastle met me here and drove me in his dogcart to the Copper Beeches. It Is, as he said, beau tifully situated, but It is not beautiful In Itself, for, It .s a Jorge, square block of a house, whitewashed, but all stained and streaked with "damp and bad weather. There are grounds round It, woods on three sides, and on the fourth a field which slopes down to the Southampton highroad, which curves past about a hundred yards from the front door. This ground In front belongs to the house, but the woods all round aro part of Lord Southerton's preserves. A clump of cop per beeches immediately ln front 6f the hall door has given its name to the place. "I was driven over by my employer, who was as amfablc as ever, and was In troduced by him that evening to his wife and the children. There was no truth, Mr. Holmes, in the conjecture which seemed to us to be .probable In your room3 at Baker street. . Mrs. Rucastle is not mad. I found her to be a silent, pale faced woman, much younger than her husband, not more than thirty, J should think, while he can hardly be less than forty-five. From their conversation I have gathered that they have been mar ried about seven years, that he was a widower, and that his only child by the first wife was the daughtor who has gone to Philadelphia. Mr. Rucastle told mo In private that the reason why she had left them was that she had an unreasoning aversion to her stepmother. As the daugh ter coukl not have been less than twenty, I can quite imagine that hor position must have been uncomfortable with her fath er's young .wife. "Mrs. Rucastle seemed to me to be col orless In mind as well as In feature. She Impressed mo neither favorably nor the reverse. She was a nonentity. It was easy to see that she was passionately de voted both to her husband and to her little son. Her light gray eyes wanacreu continually from ono to the other, noting every little want and forestalling It If -possible. He was kind to her also In his bluff, boisterous fashion, and on the whole they seemed to be a happy couple. And yet she had some secret sorrow, this woman. She would often bo lost In deep thought, with the saddest look upon her face. More than once I have surprised her In tears. I have thought sometimes that it was the disposition of her child . that weighed upon her mind, for I have nm.. mo iilta.lv cmnlU nrtA orv 111- t catured a little creature. Ho Is small for j his age. with a head which Is qulto dls I proportionately large. His whole life ap ! pears. to be spent In an alternation be- tvoitn campf fits nf rvmclnn nnrl clnnmv Intervals of sulking. Giving pain to any creature weaker than himself aeems to be his one Idea of amusement, and he show3 qulto remarkable talent In planning the capture of mice, little birds and Insects. But I would rather not talk about the creature. Mr. Holmes, and. Indeed, ho has little to do with my story." "I am glad of all details, remarked my friend, "whether they seem to you to be relevant or not." "I shall try not to miss anything of Im portance. The one unpleasant thing about the house, which struck me at once, was the appearance and conduct of the serv ants. There are only two, a man and his wife. Troller, for that Is his name, is a rough, uncouth man, with grizzled hair. and whiskers, and a perpetual smell of drink. Twice since I have been with them he has been quite drunk, and yet Mr. Rucastle seemed to take no notico of It, His wife Is a very tall and Btrong woman. with a sour face, as silent as Mrs. Ru castle, and much less amiable. They are a most unpleasant couple, but fortunately I spent most of my time In the nursery and my own room, which are next to each other In one corner of the building. "For two days after my arrival at the Copper Beeches my life was very quiet; on the third. Mrs. Rucastle came down Just after breakfast and whispered some thing to her husband. " 'Oh, yes. said he, turning to me; 'we aro very much obliged to you. Miss Hun ter, for falling in with our whims so far as to cut your hair. I assure you that tt has not detracted In the tiniest lota from your appearance. We shall now see how the electric-blue dress will 'become you. You will find It laid out upon the bed In your room, and If you would be so good as to put It on we should both be extremely obliged.' 'The dress which I found waiting for me was of a peculiar shade of blue. It was of excellent material, a sort of beige, but it bore, unmistakable signs, of having been worn before. It could not have been a better fit If I had been measured for It. Both Mr. and Mrs. Rucaatlo expressed a delight at the looks of it, which seemed quite exaggerated in its vehemence. They were waiting for me in the drawing-room which Is a very large room, stretching along the entire front of the house, with three long windows reaching down to the floor. A chair had been placed close to the central, window, with Its back turned toward It. Ih this I was asked to sit, and then Mr. Rucastle, walking up and down on the other side of tho room, began to tell me a series of the funniest stories that I have ever listened to. You can Imagine how comical he was. and I laughed until I was quite weary. Mrs. Rucastle. however, who has evidently no sense of humor, never so much as smiled, but sat with her bands in her lAp, and a sad. anxious 'look upon her face. After an hour or so. Mr. Rucastle suddenly re marked that It was time to commence the duties of tho day, and,that I might change my dress and go to little Edward in tho nursery. 'Two days later this same performance was gone through under exactly similar circumstances. Again I changed my dress, again I sat In the window, and again I laughed very heartily at the funny stories of which my employer had an Immense repertoire, and which ho told inimitably. Then he . handed me a yellow-backed novel, and, moving my chair a little side ways, that my own shadow might not fall upon the page, he begged me to read aloud to him. X read for about ten min utes, beginning in the heart of a chapter, and then suddenly, In the middle of a sentence, he ordered me to cease and to change my dress. . "You can easily Imagine, Mr. Holmes, how curious I became as to what the meaning of this extraordinary perform ance could posslbly"be. They weoo al ways very careful, I observed, to turn 'my face away from the window, so that I became consumed with the desire to see what was going on behind my back. At first it seemed to be impossible, but I soon devised a means.' M band-mirror fiau oeco. oru&cu, ou u uappy yiougni seized me. and I concealed a piece of the glass In" my handkerchief. On the next occasion, in tne miost ot my laughter, I put the handkerchief up to my eyes, and was able with a little management to sea all that there was behind me. I con fess thit I waatdlsatmolnted. There was nothing. At least,- tha"l was my first im pression. At the second glance, however. I perceived that there was a man standing- In tho Southampton Road, a small bearded man. In a gray suit, who seemed to bo looking in my direction. The road. Is an Important highway, and thero arc usually people thero. This man, however, was leaning against the railings which bordered our field, and was looking earn estly up. I lowered my handkerchief and glanced at MrsjRucastle. tofind her eyes fixed upon me with a most searching gaze. She said nothing, but I am con vinced that she had divined -that I had a mirror In my hand, and had seen what was behind me. She rose at once. "Jephro,' said she, 'thera is an Imperti nent ' fellow upon the road there who stares up at Miss Hunterr . " No friend of yours, Mfsg Hunter? he asked. . " 'No; I know no one Inthese part?. "'Dear me! How very impertinent. Kindly turn round and-motion to him to go away.' " 'Surely, It would be better to take no notice.' . " 'No. no. we should have,, him loitering here always. Kindly turjL round, and wave him away, like that. " "I did as I was told, and at the same Instant Mrs. Rucastle drew down the blind. That was a week ago, and from that time I have not 3at again in the window, nor have I worn the blue dress, nor seen the man In the road." "Pray continue." said Holmes. "Your narrative promlees to be a moat interest ing one." "You will find it rather disconnected, I fear, and there may prove," to be little relation between the different Incidents of which I speak. On the very first day that I was at the Copper 'Beeches. Mr Rucastle took me to a small outhouse which stands near the kitchen door. As wo approached It I heard the sharp rat tling of a chain, and the sound as of a large animal moving about. " 'Look In here;' said Mr. Rucastle, showing mo a slit between two planks. I-j be not a beauty? "I looked through and was conscious of two glowing eyes, and ot a vague fig ure huddled up In the darkness. " 'Don't be frightened, . said my em ployer, laughing at the start which I had given. 'It's only Carlo, my mastiff. I call him mine, but really old Toller, my groom, la the only man who can do any thing with him. We feed him once a day, and not too much, then, so that ho Is always as keen ao mustard. Toller lets him loose every night, and-God help the trespasser whom he lays his fangs upon. For goodness sake don't you ever on any pretext set your foot over the threshold at night, for it Is as much as your life Is worth.' "The warning was no Idle one, for two nights later I happened to look out of my bedroom window abqut 2 o'clock In the morning. It was a beautiful moon light night, and the lawn in front of the house was slivered over and almost as bright as day. I was standing, wrapt In the peaceful beauty of the scene, when I was aware that something was moving under tho shadow of the copper beeches. As it emerged Into the moonshine, I saw what It was. It was a giant dog, as large as a calf, tawny tinted, with hanging jowl, black muzzle and huge projecting bones. It walked slowly across the lawn and vanished into the shadow upon the other side. That dreadful silent sentinel sent a chill to my heart which I do not think that any burglar could have done. "And now I have a very strange expe rience, to tell you. I had. as you know, cut off my hair In London, and I had placed It In a great coll at the bottom of my trunk. One evening, after the child was In bed, I began to amuse myself by examlnlng tho furniture of my room and by rearranging my own little things. There was an old chest of drawers In the room, tho two upper ones empty and open, the lower one locked. I had filled tho first two with my linen, and. as I had stilt much to pack away, I was naturally annoyed at not having the use of the third drawer. It struck me that it might have been fastened by a mere oversight so I tjfiok out my bunch of keys and tried to open It. The very first key fitted to perfection, and I drew the drawer open. There was only one thing In it, but I am sure that you would never guess what it was. It was my coll of hair. "I took It up and examined It. It was of the same peculiar tint, and the same thickness. But then the Impossibility of the thing obtruded Itself upon me. How could my hair have been locked In the drawer? With trembling hands I undid my trunk, turned out the contents, and drew from the bottom my own hair. I laid the two tresses together, and I as sure you that they were Identical. Was It not extraordinary? Puzzle as I would. I could make nothing at all of what It meant. I returned the strango hair to tne drawer, and I said nothing of the matter to the Rucastles, as I felf. that I had put myself In the wrong by opening a drawer which they had locked. "I am naturally observant, as you may have remarked. Mr. Holmes, and I soon had a pretty good plan of the whole house In my head. There was one wlngi how evec. which appeared not to be Inhabited at all. A door which faced that which led Into the quarters of the Tollers opened Into this suite, but It was Invariably locked. One day. however, as I ascended the stair, I met Mr. Rucastle coming out through thla door, his keys In his hand, and a look on his face which made him a very different person tothe round. Jov ial man to whom I was accustomed. His cheeks were red, his brow was all crink led with anger, and the veins stood out at his temples wl passion. He locked the door and hurrl-d past me without a word or a Jook. 'This aroused my curiosity; so when I went out for a walk In tho grounds with my charge I strolled round to the side from which I could see the windows of this part of the house. There were four of them In a row. three ot which were simply dirty, while the fourth was shut tered up. They were evidently all de serted". As I strolled up and down, glan cing at them occasionally, Mr. Rueastle came out to me, looking as merry and Jovial as ever. " 'Ah!' said he, 'you must not think me rude If I passed you without a word, my dear young lady. I was preoccupied with business matters.' , "I assured him that I was not offended. By the way,' said I, 'you seem to have quite a suite of spare rooms up there, and one of them has the shutters up.' "He looked surprised, and, as It seemed to me. a little startled at my remark. " 'Photography Is one of my hobbles, said h6. 1 have made my dark room up there. But, dear me! what an ob servant young lady we have come upon. Who would have believed It? Who would ever have believed It?' He spoke In a Jesting tone, but there was no Jest in his eyes as he looked at me. I read suspicion there and annoyance, but no Jest. "Well, Mr. Holmes, from the moment that I understood that there was some thing about that suite of rooms which I was not to know. I was all on fire to go over them. It was not mere curiosity, though I have my share of that. It was more a feellmr of duty a feeling that some good might come from my pene trating to this place. They talk of woman's Instinct, perhaps it wag woman's instinct which gave me that feeling. At any rate, it was there, and I was keenly on the look out for any chance to pass the forbidden door.' "It was only yesterday that the chance came. I may tell you that, besides Mr. Rucastle, both Toller and his wife find somelhlng to do In these deserted rooms, and I once saw him carrying a large black linen bag with him through the door. Recently he has been drinking hard and yesterday evening he was very drunk; and, when I came upstairs, there was the key in the door. I have no doubt at all that ho had left it there. Mr. and Mrs. Rucastle were both downstairs, and the child was with them, so that I had an admirable, opportunity. I turned the key gently in the lock, opened the door and. slipped through. j "There was a little pasaage in front ofj me, unpapered! and 'uncarpeted. which turned at a right angle at the farther end. Round this corner were three doors In a line, the. first and third of which were open. They each led Into an empty room, dusty and cheerless, with two win dows in the one and one in -the other, so thick with dirt that the evening light glimmered' dimly through them. The center door was closed, and across the ' outside of- it- had been fastened one of the broad bars of an Iron bed, padlocked at one end to a ring in the wall, and fastened at tho other with stout cord. The door Itself was locked "as well, and the key was not there. This barricaded door corresponded clearly with the shut tered window outside, and yet I could see by the glimmer from beneath It that the room, was not In darkness. Evidently there wo3 a skylight which let in light from above. As I stood In the passage gazing at the sinister door, and wonder ing what secret Jt might veil, I suddenly heard the sound of. steps within the room, and saw a shadow pass, backward and forward against the little silt of dim light which shone out from under the door. A mad. unreasoning terror ross up Inme at the sight. Mr. Holmes. My overstrung nerves failed me. suddenly, and I turned and ran ran no though some dreadful hand were behind me clutching at the skirt of my dress. I rushed down the passage, through the door, and straight into the arms of Mr. Rucastle, who was waiting outside., " 'So,' said he, smiling, 'it was you, then. I thought that it must be when I saw the door open. " 'Oh, I am so frightened!' I panted. " 'My dear young lady! my dear young lady! you cannot think how carenslng and soothing his manner was 'and what has frightened you, my dear young lady?' "But his voice was Just a little too coaxing. He overdid It. I was keenly on my guard against him. " 'I was foolish enough to go Into tho empty wing.' I answered. 'But It Is so lonely and eerie In this dim light that I was frightened and ran out again. Oh, it is so dreadfully still In there!' " 'Only that?' said he, looking at mo keenly. " 'Why, what did you think?' I asked. " 'Why do you think that I lock this door? " 'I am sure that I do not know.' " 'It Is to keep out people who have no business there. Do you see?" He was still smiling Jn the most amiable man ner. " 'I am sure If I had known " 'Well. then, you know now. And IC you ever put your foot over that threshold again' here In an Instant the smile hard ened Into a grin of rage and he glared down at mo with the face of a demon 'I'll throw you to tiie mastiff.' "I wa3 so terrified that I do not know what I did. I supposb that I" must have rushed paat him Into my room. I re member nothing until Ivfound myself ly ing on my bed trembling all over. Then I thought of you, Mr. Holmes. I could not live there longer without some ad vice. I was frightened of the houae. of the man. of the woman, of the servants, even of the child. They were all horrible to me. If I could only bring you down all would bo well. Of course. I might have fled from the house, but my cur ioalty was almost as strong ns my fears. My mind was soon made up. I would send you a wire. I put on my hat and cloak, went down to the office, which Is about half a mile from the house, and then re- 9 turned, feeling very much easier. A hor rible doubt came into my mind as I ap proached the door lest the dog might be loose, but I remembered that Toller had drunk himself Into a stato of insensibility that evening, and I knew that he was the only one In the household who had any Influence with tho savage creature, or who would venture to set him free. I slipped In in safety, and lay awake half the night in my joy at the thought of see ing you. I had no difficulty in getting leave to come Into Winchester this morn ing, but I must bo back before 3 o'clock, for Mr. and Mrs. Rucastle are going on a visit and will be away all evening, so that I must look after the child. Now I have told you all my adventures. Mr. Holmes, and I should be very glad If you could tell mo what It all mean3, and, above all, what I should do." Holmes and I had listened spellbound to this' extraordinary story. My friend rose now and paced up and down the room, his hands In his pockets and an ex pression of the most profound gravity upon his face. "Is Toller still drunk?" he asked "Yes. I heard his wife tell Mrs. Ru castle that she could do nothing with him." "That Is well. And the Rucastles go out tonight?" "Yes." "Is there a cellar with a good strong lock?" "Yes, the wine-cellar." "You seem to have acted all through this matter like a very brave and sensible girl. Miss Hunter. Do you think that you could perform ono more feat? I should not ask It of you if I did not think youv a quite exceptional woman." "I will try. What Is it?" "We shall be at the Copper Beeches by 7 o'clock, my friend and I. The Rucastles will be gone by that time, and Toller will, we hope, be Incapable. There only -remains Mrs. Toller, who might give the alarm. If you could send her Into the cellar on some errand, and then turn the key upon her. you would facilitate mat ters Immensely." "I will do It." "Excellent! We shall then look thor oughly Into the affair. Of course, there Is only one feasible explanation. You have been brought there to personate some one. and the real person Is Impris oned in this chamber. That Is obvious. As to who this prisoner Is. I have no doubt that It is the daughter, "Miss Alice Rucastle, if I remember right, who was said to have gone to "America. You were chosen, doubtlesn. ns resembling her In height, figure and the color of your hair. Hers had been cut off, very possibly In some Illness through which she had passed, and so, of course, yours had to be sacrificed also. By a curious chance you came upon her tresses. The man In the road was, undoubtedly some friend of hers possibly her fiance and no doubt, as you wore the girl's dress and -was so like her. he was convinced from your laughter, whenever he saw you, and afterward from your gesture, that Miss Rucastle was perfectly happy and that she no longer desired his attentions. The dog is let loose at night to prevent him from endeavoring to communicate with her. So much is fairly clear. The most serious point in the caae Is the deposi tion of tho child." "What on earth has that to do with it?" I ejaculated. "My dear Watson, you as a medical man are continually gaining light as to the tendencies of a child by the study of the parents. Don't you see that the con verse Is equally valid. I have frequently gained my first real Insight Into the char acter of parents by studying their chil dren. This child's disposition Is abnor mally cruel, merely for cruelty's sake, and whether he derives this from his smiling father, as I should suspect, or from his mother, it bodes evil for the poor girl who Is in their power." "I am sure that you are right, Mr. Holmes," cried our client. "A thousand things come back to me which make mo 'certain that you hit It. Oh, let us loss not an instant in bringing help to this poor creature." "We must be circumspect, for we are dealing with a very cunning man. We, can do nothing until" T o'clock. At that hour we shall bo with you. and It will not bo long before we solve' the mys tery." Wo were as good as our word, for it was Just 7 o'clock when we reached the Copper Beeches, having put up our trap at a wayside public-house. The group of trees, with their dark leaves shining like burnished metal In the light of the set ting sun, were sufficient to mark the house even had Miss Hunter not been standing smiling on the doorstep. "Have you managed It?' asked Holmes. A loud thudding noise came from some where downstairs. 'That Is Mrs. Toller Concluded o ?ag 4S.).