Part I

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Part one of the Adventure of the Copper Beaches. This
is a LibriVox recording. All librevox recordings are in the
public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit
librevox dot org. Recording by Phil Shenever The Adventure of
the Copper Beaches by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Part one.

(00:26):
To the man who loves art for its own sake,
remarked Sherlock Holmes, crossing aside the advertisement sheet of the
Daily Telegraph. It is frequently in its least important and
lowliest manifestations that the keenest pleasure is to be derived.
It is pleasant to me to observe Watson, that you
have so far grasped this truth, that in these little

(00:49):
records of our cases, which you have been good enough
to draw up, and I am bound to say occasionally
to embellish, you have given prominence not so much to
the many causes, celeb and sensational trials in which I
have figured, but rather to those incidents which may have
been trivial in themselves, but which have given room for

(01:11):
those faculties of deduction and of logical synthesis which I
have made my special province. And yet said I, smiling.
I cannot quite hold myself absolved from the charge of
sensationalism which has been urged against my records. You have erred,
perhaps he observed, taking up a glowing cinder with the

(01:34):
tongs and lighting with it the long cherry 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 life into each
of your statements, instead of confining yourself to the task
of placing upon record that severe reasoning from cause to effect,

(01:56):
which is really the only notable feature about the thing.
It seems to me that I have done you full
justice in the matter, I remarked, with 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 is not selfishness or conceit,

(02:17):
said he answering, as was his wont my thoughts rather
than my words? If I claim full justice for my art,
it is because it is an impersonal thing, a thing
beyond myself. Crime is common, logic is rare. Therefore it
is upon the logic, Rather than upon the crime that

(02:38):
you should dwell, you have degraded what should have been
a course of lectures into a series of tales. It
was a cold morning of the early spring, and we
sat after breakfast on either side of a cheery fire
in the old room at Baker Street. A thick fog
rolled down between the lines of dun colored houses, and

(02:59):
the opposed using windows loomed like dark, shapeless blurs through
the heavy yellow wreaths. Our gas was lit and shown
on the white cloth and glimmer of china and metal.
For the table had not been cleared yet. Sherlock Holmes
had been silent all the morning, dipping continuously into the
advertisement columns of a succession of papers, until at last,

(03:23):
having apparently given up his search, he had emerged in
no very sweet temper to lecture me upon my literary shortcomings.
At the same time, he remarked, after a pause during
which he had sat, puffing at his long pipe and
gazing down into the fire, you can hardly be open
to a charge of sensationalism, for out of these cases

(03:46):
which you have been so kind as to interest yourself
in a fair proportion, do not treat of crime in
its legal sense at all. The small matter in which
I endeavored to help the King of Bohemia, the singular
ex experience of Miss Mary Sutherland, the problem connected with
the man with the twisted lip, and the incident of
the noble bachelor were all matters which are outside the

(04:09):
pale of the law. But in avoiding the sensational, I
fear that you may have bordered on the trivial. The
end may have been so, I answered, but the methods
I hold to have been novel and of interest. Pshaw,
my dear fellow, what do the public, the great unobservant public,

(04:30):
who could hardly tell a weaver by his tooth or
a compositor by his left thumb, care about the finer
shades of analysis and deduction? But indeed, if you are trivial,
I cannot blame you, for the days of the great
cases are past. Man, or at least criminal man, has
lost all enterprise and originality. As to my own little practice,

(04:54):
it seems to be degenerating into an agency for recovering
lost lead pencils and giving advice to young ladies from
boarding schools. I think that I have touched bottom at last. However,
this note I had this morning marks my zero point.
I fancy read it. He tossed a crumpled letter across

(05:15):
to me. It was dated from Montague Place upon the
preceding evening, and ran, thus, dear mister Holmes, I am
very anxious to consult you as to whether I should
or should not accept a situation which has been offered
to me as Governess. I shall call it half past
ten tomorrow if I do not, inconvenience you yours faithfully,

(05:38):
Violet Hunter, do you know the young lady? I asked,
not I It is half past ten now, yes, and
I have no doubt that is her ring. It may
turn out to be of more interest than you think.
You remember that the affair of the blue carbuncle, which

(05:58):
appeared to be a mere win at first, developed into
a serious investigation. It may be so in this case also. Well,
let us hope so. But our doubts will very soon
be solved. For here, unless I am much mistaken, is
the person in question. As he spoke, the door opened
and a young lady entered the room. She was plainly

(06:21):
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. You will excuse my troubling you, I am sure,
said she, as my companion rose to greet her. But
I have had a very strange experience, and as I

(06:42):
have no parents or relations of any sort from whom
I could ask advice, I thought that perhaps you would
be kind enough to tell me what I should do. Pray,
take a seat, miss Hunter. I shall be happy to
do anything that I can to serve you. I could
see that Holmes was favorably impressed by the man anner
and speech of his new client. He looked her over

(07:03):
in his searching fashion, and then composed himself with his
lids drooping in his finger tips together to listen to
her story. I have been a governess for five years,
said she, in the family of Colonel Spence Monroe. But
two months ago the colonel received an appointment at Halifax
in Nova Scotia, and took his children over to America

(07:25):
with him. So that I found myself without a situation.
I advertised, and I answered advertisements, but without success. At last,
the little money which I had saved began to run short,
and I was at my WIT's end as to what
I should do. There is a well known agency for
governesses in the West End called Westaway's, and there I

(07:48):
used to call about once a week in order to
see whether anything had turned up which might suit me.
West Away 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 ladies who are
seeking employment wait in an ante room and are then
shown in one by one when she consults her ledgers

(08:10):
and sees whether she has anything which would suit them well.
When I called last week, I was shown into the
little office as usual, but I found that Miss Stopper
was not alone. A prodigiously stout man with a very
smiling face and a great heavy chin which rolled down
in fold upon fold over his throat, sat at her

(08:33):
elbow with a pair of glasses on his nose, looking
very earnestly at the ladies who entered. As I came in,
he gave quite a jump in his chair and turned
quickly to Miss Stopper. God 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

(08:55):
genial fashion. He was such a comfortable looking man that
it was quite a pleasure to look at him. You
are looking for a situation, miss, he asked, Yes, sir,
as governess, Yes, sir, And what salary do you ask?
I had four pounds a month in my last place

(09:16):
with Colonel Spence Monroe. Oh tot tot, sweating rank sweating,
he cried, throwing his fat hands out into the air,
like a man who is in a barleying passion. How
could anyone offer so pitiful a sum to a lady
with such attractions and accomplishments. My accomplishments, sir, may be

(09:36):
less than you imagine, said I. A little French, a
little German, music and drawing. Tot tot, he cried. That
is all quite beside the question. The point is, have
you or have you not the bearing and department of
a lady? There it is in a nutshell. If you
have not, you are not fitted for the rearing of

(09:58):
a child who may some day play a considerable part
in the history of the country. But if you have,
why then how could any gentleman ask you to condescend
to accept anything under three figures? Your salary with me
madame would commence at one hundred pounds a year. You
may imagine, mister Holmes, that to me, destitute as I was,

(10:20):
such an offer seemed almost too good to be true.
The gentleman, however, seeing perhaps the look of incredulity upon
my face, opened a pocket book and took out a note.
It is also my custom, said he, smiling in the
most pleasant fashion, until his eyes were just two little
shining slits amid the white creases of his face. To

(10:43):
advance to my young ladies half their salary beforehand, so
that they may meet any little expenses of their journey
and their wardrobe. It seemed to me that I had
never met so fascinating and so thoughtful a man, as
I was already in debt to my tradesman. The advance
was a great convenience, and yet there was something unnatural

(11:05):
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. Hampshire, charming rural place,
the Copper Beeches, 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,

(11:29):
I should be glad to know what they would be.
One child, one dear little romper, just six years old. Oh,
if you could see him killing cockroaches with a slipper
smack smacksmack three gone 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

(11:51):
of the child's amusement, but the father's laughter made me
think that perhaps he was joking My sole duties. Then
I asked to take charge of a single child. No, no,
not the soul, not the soul, My dear young lady,
he cried, Your duty would be as I am sure
your good sense would suggest to obey any little commands

(12:14):
my wife might give, provided always that they were such
commands as a lady might with propriety obey. You see
no difficulty, eh, I should be happy to make myself useful.
Quite so in dress now, for example. We are fatty people,
you know, fatty but kind hearted. If you were asked

(12:35):
to wear any dress which we might give you, you
would not object to our little whim, eh 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 sharp before you come

(12:56):
to us. I could hardly believe my ears. As you
may observe, mister Holmes, my hair is somewhat luxuriant and
of a rather peculiar tint of chestnut. It has been
considered artistic. I could not dream of sacrificing it in
this offhand fashion. I am afraid that that is quite impossible,

(13:18):
said I. He had been watching me eagerly 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, Madame,
ladies fancies must be consulted, And so you won't cut

(13:40):
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, Missus Stoper, I had
best inspect a few more of your young ladies. The
metags had sat all this while busy with her papers,

(14:03):
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 had lost
a handsome commission through 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

(14:23):
since you refused the most excellent offers in this fashion,
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, mister Holmes.
When I got back to my lodgings and found little

(14:46):
enough in the cupboard and two or three bills upon
the table, I began to ask myself whether I had
not done a very foolish thing. After 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 one

(15:07):
hundred pounds a year. Besides, what use was my hair
to me? Many people were improved by wearing its short,
And perhaps I should be among 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 almost overcome my pride so far as to

(15:28):
go back to the agency and inquire whether the place
was still open. When I received this letter from the
gentleman himself. I have it here and I will read
it to you the Copper Beaches near Winchester, Dear miss Hunter.
Missus Stoper has very kindly given me your address, and
I write from here to ask you whether you have

(15:50):
reconsidered your decision. My wife is very anxious that you
should come, for she has been much attracted by my
description of you, willing to give you thirty pounds a quarter,
or one hundred and twenty pounds a year, so as
to recompense you for any little inconvenience which our fads
may cause you. They are not very exacting. After all.

(16:13):
My wife is fond of a particular shade of electric blue,
and would like you to wear such a dress indoors
in the morning. 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

(16:33):
here or there, or amusing yourself in any manner, indicated
that knee cause you no inconvenience. As regards your hair,
it is no doubt a pity, especially as I could
not help remarking its beauty during 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

(16:55):
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 a dog cart
at Winchester. Let me know your train yours faithfully, jeffro
Rucastle end of Part one