Part III

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Part three of the Adventure of the Copper Beaches by
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. This librevox recording is in the
public domain. Part three. 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 ubtruded itself upon me.

(00:23):
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 assure you that they
were identical? Was it not extraordinary? Puzzled as I would,

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I could make nothing at all of what it meant.
I returned the storage hair to the drawer, and I
said nothing of the matter to the rue Castles, as
I felt I had put myself in the wrong by
opening a drawer which they had locked. I am naturally observant,
as you may have remarked, mister Holmes, and I soon
had a pretty good plan of the whole house in

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my head. There was one wing, however, 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 mister Rucastle coming
out through this door, his keys in his hand, and

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a look on his face which made him a very
different person to the round, jovial man to whom I
was accustomed. His cheeks were red, his brow was all
crinkled with anger, and the veins stood out at his
temples with passion. He locked the door and hurried past
me without a word or a look. This aroused my curiosity,

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so when I went out for a walk in the
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 of which were simply dirty, while the fourth was
shuddered up. They were evidently all deserted. As I strolled
up and down, glancing at them occasionally, mister Rucastle came

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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,

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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 hobbies, said he, I have
made a dark room up there. But dear me, what
an observant young lady we have come upon. Who would
have ever believed it? Who would have ever believed it?

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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, mister Holmes.
From the moment that I understood that there was something
about that suite of rooms which I was not to know,
I was all on fire to go over them. It

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was not mere curiosity, though I have my share of that.
It was more a feeling of duty, a feeling that
some good might come from my penetrating to this place.
They talk of woman's instinct. Perhaps it was woman's instinct
which gave me that feeling. At any rate, it was there,
and I was keenly on the lookout for any chance

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to pass the forbidden door. It was only yesterday that
the chance came. I may tell you that besides mister Rucastle,
both Taller and his wife find something 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

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very drunk. And when I came upstairs there was the
key in the door. I have no doubt it all
that he had left it there. Mister and missus Ruecastle
were both downstairs, and the child who was with them,
so that I had an admirable opportunity. I turned the
key gently in the lock, opened the door, and slipped through.

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There was a little passage in front of me, unpapered
and uncarpeted, which turned at a right angle at the
farther end round this corner, with 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 windows,
and the one and one in the other so thick

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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 pad, locked at one end to a
ring in the wall, and fastened at the other with
stout cors. The door itself was locked as well, and

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the key was not there. This barricaded door corresponded clearly
with the shuttered window outside, and yet I could see
by the glimmer from beneath it that the room was
not in darkness. Evidently there was a skylight which led
in light from above. As I stood in the passage,
gazing at the sinister door and wondering what secret it

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might veil, I suddenly heard the sound of steps within
the room, and saw a shadow pass backward and forward
against the little slit of dim light which shone out
from under the door. A mad, unreasoning terror rose in
me at the sight mister Holmes. My overstrung nerves failed
me suddenly, and I turned and ran ran, as though

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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 mister 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,

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my dear young lady, My dear young lady. You cannot
think how caressing 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

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enough to go into the 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 me keenly. Why what did you think, I asked,
Why do you think that I locked this door? I

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am sure that I do not. No, it is to
keep people out who have no business there. Do you see?
He was still smiling in the most amiable manner. I
am sure if I had known, well, then you know now,
and if you ever put your foot over that threshold
again here In an instant, the smile hardened into a

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grin of rage, and he glared down at me with
the face of a demon. I'll throw you to the mastiff.
I was so terrified that I did not know what
I did. I suppose that I must have rushed past
him into my room. I remember nothing until I found
myself lying on my bed, trembling all over. Then I

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thought of you, mister Holmes. I could not live there
longer without some advice. I was frightened of the house,
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 be well.
Of course, I might have fled from the house, but

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my curiosity was almost as strong as 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 returned, feeling very much easier. A horrible doubt
came into my mind as I approached the door, lest

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the dog might be loose. But I remembered that Toller
had drunk himself into a state of insensibility that evening,
and I knew that he was the only one in
the household who had any influence with the 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 seeing you. I had

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no difficulty in getting leave to come into Winchester this morning,
but I must be back before three o'clock, for mister
and Missus Brewcastle are going on a visit and will
be away all the evening, so that I must look
after the child. Now I have told you all my adventures,
mister Holmes, and I should be very glad if you
could tell me what it all means, and above all

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what I should do. Holmes and I had listened to
spell Bound to the extraordinary story. My friend rose now
and paced up and down the room, his hands in
his pockets and an expression of the most profound gravity
upon his face. Is Toller still drunk? He asked? Yes,

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I heard his wife tell Missus Roothcastle that she could
do nothing with him. That is well, and the Rooecastles
go out to night. Yes. Is there a cellar with
a good strong luck, Yes, the wine cellar. You seem
to me to have acted all through this matter like
a very brave and sensible girl. Miss Hunter. Do you

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think that you could perform one more feat? I should
not ask it of you if I did not think
you a quite exceptional woman. I will try. What is it?
We shall be at the Copper beaches by seven o'clock,
my friend and I. The Roue castles will be gone
by that time, and taller will we hope, be incapable.

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There only remains missus 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 matters immensely. I will do it, excellent. We shall
then look thoroughly into the affair. Of course, there is

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only one feasible explanation. You have been brought there to
personate someone, and the real person is imprisoned in this chamber.
That is obvious as to who this prisoner is. I
have no doubt that it is the daughter Miss Alice Rouecastle.
If I remember right who was said to have gone
to America. You were chosen, doubtless as resembling her in height,

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figure and the collar 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 fiancee, and no doubt, as you wore the

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girl's dress and were so like her, he was convinced,
from your laughter whenever he saw you, and afterwards 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

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point in the case is the disposition of the child.
What on earth has that to do with it? I ejaculated,
my dear Watson. You as a medical man, or continually
gaining light as to the tendencies of a child by
the study of the parents. Don't you see that the
converse is equally valid. I have frequently gained my first

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real insight into the character of parents by studying their children.
This child's disposition is abnormally cruel, mainly 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 was in their power. I

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am sure you are right, mister Holmes, cried our client.
A thousand things come back to me which make me
certain that you have hit it. Oh, let us lose
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 seven o'clock.

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At that hour we shall be with you, and it
will not be long before we solve the mystery. We
were as good as our word, for it was just
seven when we reached the Copper Beaches, having put up
our trap at a wayside public house. The group of trees,
with their dark leaves shining like burnished metal in the

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light of the setting 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,
thunning noise came from somewhere downstairs. That is missus Toller
in the cellar, said she. Her husband lies snoring on

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the kitchen rug. Here are his keys, which are the
duplicates of mister Rucastle's. You have done well, indeed, cried
Holmes with enthusiasm. Now lead the way and we shall
soon see the end of this black business. We passed
up the stair unlocked the door, followed on down the
passage and found ourselves in front of the barricade which

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Miss Hunter had described. Holmes cut the cord and removed
the transverse bore. Then he tried the various keys in
the lock, but without success. No sound came from within,
and at the silence, Holmes's face clouded over. I trust
that we are not too late, said he. I think,

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miss Hunter, that we had better go in without you. Now, Watson,
put your shoulder to it, and we shall see whether
we cannot make our way in. It was an old,
rickety door, and gave it once before our united strength.
Together we rushed into the room. It was empty. There

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was no furniture save a little pallet bed, a small table,
and a basket full of linen. The skylight above was open,
and the prisoner gone. There has been some villainy here,
said Holmes. This beauty has guessed Miss Hunter's intentions and
has carried his victim off. But how through the skylight

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We shall soon see how he managed it. He swung
himself up on to the roof. Ah, yes, he cried,
here's the end of a long light letter against the eaves.
That is how he did it. But it is impossible,
said miss Hunter. The latter was not there when the
Rooe castles went away. He has come back and done it.

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I tell you that he is a clever and dangerous man.
I should not be very much surprised if this were
he whose stop I hear now upon the stair. I think, Watson,
that it would be as well for you to have
your pistol ready. The words were hardly out of his
mouth before a man appeared at the door of the room,

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a very fat and burly man with a heavy stick
in his hand. Miss Hunter screamed and shrunk against the wall.
At the sight of him, Holmes sprang forward and confronted him.
You villain, said he where's your daughter? The fat man
cast his eyes round and then up at the open skylight.

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It is for me to ask you that, he shrieked.
You thieves, spies and thieves. I have caught you, have
I You are in my power. I'll serve you. He
turned and clattered down the stairs as hard as he
could go. He's gone for the dog, cried Miss Hunter.
I have my revolver, said I better close the front door,

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cried Holmes, and we all rushed down the stairs together.
We had hardly reached the hall when we heard the
baying of a hound, and then a scream of agony,
with a horrible, worrying sound, which it was dreadful to
listen to. An elderly man with a red face and
shaking limbs came staggering out at a side door. My god,

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he cried, someone has loosed the dog. It has not
been fed for two days. Quick, quick, it'll be too late.
Holmes and I rushed out and round the angle of
the house, with Taller hurrying behind us. There was the huge,
famished brute, its black muzzle buried in rue Castle's throat

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while he writhed and screamed upon the ground. Running up,
I blew its brains out, and it fell over, with
its keen white teeth still meeting in the great creases
of the neck. With much labor, we separated them and
carried him, living but horribly mangled, into the house. We
laid him upon the drawing room sofa, and having dispatched

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the sobered Taller to bear the news to his wife,
I did what I could to relieve his pain. We
were all assembled around him when the door opened, and
a tall, gaunt woman entered the room. Missus Taller cried,
miss Hunter. Yes, miss mister rue Castle let me out
when he came before he went up to you. Ah, miss,

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it is a pity you didn't let me know what
you were planning for I would have told you that
your pains were wasted, ha, said Holmes, looking keenly at her.
It is clear that missus Tuller knows more about this
matter than anyone else. Yes, sir, I do, and I
am ready enough to tell what I know. Then pray,

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sit down and let us hear it, for there are
several points on which I must confess that I am
still in the dark. I will soon make it clear
to you, said she, and i'd have done so before
now if I could have got out of the cellar.
If there's police court business over this, you'll remember that

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I was the one that stood your friend, and that
I was miss Alice's friend too. She was never happy
at home. Miss Alice wasn't from the time that her
father married again. She was slightly like it, had no
sen saying anything, but it never really became bad for
her until after she met mister Fowler at a friend's house.

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As well as I could learn miss Alice had rights
of her own by will, but she was so quiet
and patient she was that she never said a word
about them, but just left everything in mister Rucastle's hands.
He knew he was safe with her. But when there
was a chance of a husband coming forward who had

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asked for all that the law would give him, then
her father thought it time to put a stop on it.
He wanted her to sign a paper so that whether
she married or not, he could use her money. When
she wouldn't do it, he kept on worrying her until
she got brain fever, and for six weeks was at

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death's door. Then she got better at last, all worn
to her shadow and with her beautiful hair cut off.
But that didn't make no change in her young man,
and he stuck to her as true as man could be.
Ah said Holmes. I think that what you have been
good enough to tell us makes the matter fairly clear,

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and that I can deduce all that remains. Mister Rucastle,
then I presume took to this system of imprisonment, yes, sir,
and brought miss Hutter down from London in order to
get rid of the disagreeable persistence of mister Fowler. That
was it, sir, But mister Fowler, being a persevering man,

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as a good seaman should be blockaded the house, and
having met you, succeeded by certain arguments, metallic or otherwise
in convincing you that your interests were the same as his.
Mister Fowler was a very kind spoken, free handed gentleman,
said missus Tuller, serenely, And in this way he managed

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that your good man should have no want of drink,
and that a ladder should be ready at the moment
when your master had gone out. You have it, sir,
just as it happened. I am sure we owe you
an apology, missrus Toller, said Holmes, for you have certainly
cleared up everything which puzzled us. And here comes the

(21:17):
country surgeon and missrus Roothcastle. So I think, Watson, that
we had best escort Miss Hunter back to Winchester, as
it seems to me that our locus stundee now is
rather a questionable one. And thus we solve the mystery
of a sinister house with the copper beaches in front
of the door. Mister Rucastle survived, but he was always

(21:40):
a broken man, kept alive solely through the care of
his devoted wife. They still live with their old servants,
who probably knows so much of Roucastle's past life that
he finds it difficult to part from them. Mister Fowler
and Miss Rucastle were married by a special license in
Southampton the day after their flight, and he is now

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the holder of a government appointment in the island of Mauritius.
As to miss violent Hunter, my friend Holmes, rather to
my disappointment, manifested no further interest in her, when once
she had ceased to be the center of one of
his problems. And she is now the head of a
private school at Walsall, where I believe that she has
met with considerable success. End of Part three, End of

(22:26):
the Adventures of the Copper Beaches by Sir Arthur Conan
Doyle