No. 11 The Adventure of Shoscombe Old Place by Arthur Conan Doyle
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the adventure of Shoscombe old place

by Arthur Conan Doyle

Sherlock Holmes had_been bending for_a_long_time over a low- power microscope . now he straightened himself up and looked round at me in triumph .

" it_is glue, Watson," said he ." unquestionably it_is glue . have a look at_these scattered objects in_the field ! "

I stooped to_the eyepiece and focussed for_my vision .

" those hairs are threads from a tweed coat . the irregular gray masses are dust . there_are epithelial scales on_the left . those brown blobs in_the centre are undoubtedly glue ."

" well," I_said, laughing, " I_am prepared to_take your word for_it .Does anything depend upon it ? "

" it_is a very fine demonstration," he answered ." in_the St .Pancras case you_may remember that acap was found beside the dead policeman . the accused man denies that_it_is his . but he_is a picture- frame maker who habitually handles glue ."

" is_it one of your cases ? "

" no; my friend, Merivale, of_the yard, asked me to look into_the case . since I ran down that coiner by_the zinc and copper filings in_the seam of_his cuff they_have begun to realize the importance of_the microscope ." he looked impatiently at his watch ."I had a new client calling, but he_is overdue . by_the_way, Watson, you_know something of racing ? "

"I ought to .I pay for_it with about half my wound pension ."

" then I'll make you my ' handy guide to_the turf .' what about sir Robert Norberton ? Does the name recall anything ? "

" well, i_should say so . he lives at Shoscombe old place, and I_know it well, for_my summer quarters were down there once .Norberton nearly came within your province once ."

" how was_that ? "

" it_was when he horsewhipped Sam brewer, the well- known Curzon street money-lender, on Newmarket heath . he nearly killed the man ."

"Ah, he sounds interesting ! Does he often indulge in_that way ? "

" well, he has_the name of being a dangerous man . he_is about_the most daredevil rider in England -- second in_the grand national a few years back . he_is one of_those men who_have overshot their true generation . he should_have_been a buck in_the days of_the regency -- a boxer, an athlete, a plunger . on_the turf, a lover of fair ladies, and, by all account, so_far down queer street that he_may never find his way back again ."

" capital, Watson ! a thumb- nail sketch .I seem to_know the man . now, can_you_give me some idea of Shoscombe old place ? "

" only that_it_is in_the centre of Shoscombe park, and_that the famous Shoscombe stud and training quarters are to_be found there ."

" and_the head trainer," said Holmes, " is John mason . you_need not look surprised at my knowledge, Watson, for_this is a letter from_him which I_am unfolding . but let_us_have some more about Shoscombe .I seem to_have struck a rich vein ."

" there_are the Shoscombe spaniels," said I ." you hear of_them at every dog show . the most exclusive breed in England . they_are the special pride of_the lady of Shoscombe old place ."

" sir Robert Norberton's wife, I presume ! "

" sir Robert has never married . just as_well, i_think, considering his prospects . he lives with_his widowed sister, lady Beatrice Falder ."

" you mean that she lives with_him ? "

" no, no . the place belonged to her late husband, sir James .Norberton has no claim on_it at all . it_is only a life interest and reverts to her husband's brother . meantime, she draws the rents every year ."

" and brother Robert, I suppose, spends the said rents ? "

" that_is about_the size of it . he_is a devil of a fellow and must lead her a most uneasy life . yet I_have heard that she_is devoted to him . but what_is amiss at Shoscombe ? "

"Ah, that_is just what i_want to_know . and here, I expect, is_the man who_can tell us ."

the door had opened and_the page had shown in a tall, clean-shaven man with_the firm, austere expression which_is only seen upon those who_have to control horses or boys .Mr John mason had many of both under his sway, and he looked equal to_the task . he bowed with cold self- possession and seated himself upon_the chair to_which Holmes had waved him .

" you had my note, Mr Holmes ? "

" yes, but it explained nothing ."

" it_was too delicate a thing for_me to_put the details on paper . and too complicated . it_was only face_to_face I_could do_it ."

" well, we_are at your disposal ."

" first of all, Mr Holmes, i_think that my employer, sir Robert, has gone mad ."

Holmes raised his eyebrows ." this_is baker street, not Harley street," said he ." but why do_you say so ? "

" well, sir, when a man does one queer thing, or two queer things, there_may_be ameaning to_it, but when everything he_does is queer, then you begin to wonder .I believe Shoscombe prince and_the derby have turned his brain ."

" that_is a colt you_are running ? "

" the best in England, Mr Holmes . i_should know, if anyone does . now, I'll be plain with_you, for I_know you_are gentlemen of honour and_that it won't go beyond the room . sir Robert has got to win this derby . he's up_to_the neck, and it's his last chance . everything he_could raise or borrow is on_the horse - and at fine odds, too ! you_can_get forties now, but it_was nearer the hundred when he began to back him ."

" but how is_that if_the horse is so good ? "

" the public don't know how good he_is . sir Robert has_been too clever for_the touts . he has_the prince's half- brother out for spins . you_can't tell 'em apart . but there_are two lengths in a furlong between_them when it comes to a gallop . he thinks of nothing but the horse and_the race . his whole life is on_it . he's holding off the Jews till then . if_the prince fails him he_is done ."

" it seems a rather desperate gamble, but where does the madness come in ? "

" well, first of all, you_have only to look at him .I don't believe he sleeps at night . he_is down at_the stables at all hours . his eyes are wild . it has all been too_much for_his nerves . then there_is his conduct to lady Beatrice ! "

"Ah ! what_is that ? "

" they_have always been the best of friends . they had the same tastes, the two of_them, and she loved the horses as_much as he_did . every day at_the same hour she_would drive down to_see them -- and, above all, she loved the prince . he_would prick up his ears when he heard the wheels on_the gravel, and he_would trot out each_morning to_the carriage to_get his lump of sugar . but that's all over now ."

" why ? "

" well, she seems to_have lost all interest in_the horses . for a week now she has driven past the stables with never so_much as ' good- morning' ! "

" you_think there_has_been a quarrel ? "

" and a bitter, savage, spitelful quarrel at_that . why else would he give away her pet spaniel that she loved as_if he were her child ? he_gave it a few_days_ago to old Barnes, what keeps the green dragon, three miles off, at Crendall ."

" that certainly did seem strange ."

" of_course, with her weak heart and dropsy one couldn't expect that she_could get about with_him, but he spent two hours every evening in her room . he might well do what he_could, for she has_been a rare good friend to him . but that's all over, too . he never goes near her . and she takes it to heart . she_is brooding and sulky and drinking, Mr Holmes -- drinking like a fish ."

" did she drink before this estrangement ? "

" well, she took her glass, but now it_is often a whole bottle of an evening . so Stephens, the butler, told me . it's all changed, Mr Holmes, and there_is something damned rotten about_it . but then, again, what_is master doing down at_the old church crypt at night ? and who is_the man that meets him there ? "

Holmes rubbed his hands .

" go on, Mr mason . you get more and more interesting ."

" it was_the butler who saw him go .Twelve o'clock at night and raining hard . so next night i_was up at_the house and, sure enough, master was off again .Stephens and I went after him, but it_was jumpy work, for_it would_have_been a bad job if he had seen us . he's a terrible man with_his fists if he gets started, and no respecter of persons . so we were shy of getting too near, but we marked him down all light . it was_the haunted crypt that he_was making for, and there_was a man waiting for him there ."

" what_is this haunted cryp ? "

" well, sir, there_is an old ruined chapel in_the park . it_is so old that nobody could fix its date . and under it there's a crypt which_has a bad name among us . it's a dark, damp, lonely place by day, but there_are few in_that county that_would_have the nerve to_go near it at night . but master's not afraid . he never feared anything in_his life . but what_is he doing there in_the night- time ? "

" wait a bit ! " said Holmes ." you say there_is another man there . it must_be one of your own stablemen, or someone from_the house ! surely you_have only to spot who it_is and question him ? "

" it's no one I_know ."

" how can_you say that ? "

" because I_have_seen him, Mr Holmes . it_was on_that second night . sir Robert turned and passed us -- me and Stephens, quaking in_the bushes like two bunny-rabbits, for there_was a bit of moon that night . but we_could hear the other moving about behind . we were_not afraid of him . so we up when sir Robert was gone and pretended we were just having a walk like in_the moonlight, and so we came right on him as casual and innocent as_you please .'Hullo, mate ! who_may you be ? ' says I .I guess he had_not heard us coming, so he looked over his shoulder with a face as_if he had seen the devil coming out of hell . he let out a yell, and away he went as hard as he_could lick it in_the darkness . he_could run ! -- I'll give him that . in a minute he_was out of sight and hearing, and who he_was, or what he_was, we never found ."

" but you saw him clearly in_the moonlight ? "

" yes, i_would swear to_his yellow face -- a mean dog, i_should say . what could he have in common with sir Robert ? "

Holmes sat for some_time lost in thought .

" who keeps lady Beatrice Falder company ? " he asked at last .

" there_is her maid, Carrie Evans . she has_been with her this five years ."

" and_is, no_doubt, devoted ? "

Mr mason shuffled uncomfortably .

" she's devoted enough," he answered at last ." but I won't say to_whom ."

"Ah ! " said Holmes .

" I_can't tell tales out of school ."

"I quite understand, Mr mason . of_course, the situation is clear enough . from Dr .Watson's description of sir Robert I_can realize_that no woman is safe from_him .Don't you_think the quarrel between brother and sister may lie there ? "

" well, the scandal has_been pretty clear for_a_long_time ."

" but she may not have seen it before . let_us suppose that she has suddenly found it out . she wants to_get rid of_the woman . her brother will not permit it . the invalid, with her weak heart and inability to_get about, has no means of enforcing her will . the hated maid is still tied to her . the lady refuses to_speak, sulks, takes to drink . sir Robert in_his anger takes her pet spaniel away from her . does_not all this hang together ? "

" well, it might do -- so_far as it goes ."

" exactly ! as far as it goes . how would all that bear upon_the visits by night to_the old crypt ? we_can't fit that into our plot ."

" no, sir, and there_is something more that I_can't fit in . why should sir Robert want to dig up a dead body ? "

Holmes sat up abruptly .

" we only found it out yesterday -- after I had written to_you . yesterday sir Robert had gone to London, so Stephens and I went down to_the crypt . it_was all in_order, sir, except that in one corner was a bit of a human body ."

" you informed the police, I suppose ? "

our visitor smiled grimly .

" well, sir, i_think it would hardly interest them . it_was just the head and a few bones of a mummy . it may have_been a thousand years old . but it wasn't there before . that I'll swear, and so will Stephens . it had_been stowed away in a corner and covered over with a board, but that corner had always been empty before ."

" what did you_do with it ? "

" well, we just left it there ."

" that was wise . you say sir Robert was away yesterday . has he returned ? "

" we expect him back to- day ."

" when did sir Robert give away his sister's dog ? "

" it_was just a week ago to- day . the creature was howling outside the old wellhouse, and sir Robert was in one of_his tantrums that morning . he caught it up, and i_thought he_would_have killed it . then he_gave it to sandy Bain, the jockey, and told him to take_the dog

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