The Adventure of the Copper Beeches - 03 - Part III

Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome to Dream Audio Books, your guide through this captivating story.
Relax and let yourself be carried away into a world
where every word resonates with the magic of imagination. Without
further ado, let's dive together into the Adventure of the
Copper Beaches by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, Part three. I

(00:21):
took it up and examined it. It was of the
same peculiar tent and the same thickness. But then the
impossibility of the thing uptruded itself upon me. How could
my hair have been locked? And the drawer? With trembling hands,
I ungid my trunk, turned out the contents, and drew
from the bottom my own hair. I laid the two

(00:44):
tresses together, and I assure you that they were identical.
Was it not extraordinary puzzle? If I would, I could
make nothing at all of what it meant. I returned
the story chair to the drawer, and I said nothing
of the matter to the room castles, as I felt
I had put myself in the wrong by opening a
drawer which they had locked. I am naturally observant, as

(01:07):
you may have remarked, mister Holmes, and I soon had
a pretty good plan of the whole house in 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

(01:29):
ascended the stair, I met mister Rucastle coming out through
this door, his keys in his hand, and 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.

Speaker 2 (01:50):
He locked the door and hurried past me without a
word or a look. This aroused my curiosity, 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 shuttered up.

(02:13):
They were evidently all deserted. As I strolled up and down,
glancing at them, occasionally, mister Rucastle 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

(02:35):
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 hobbies, said he, I have
made a dark room up there. But dear me, what

(02:57):
an observant young lady we have come upon. Who would
have ever believed it? Who would have ever 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, mister Holmes,
from the moment that I understood that there was something

(03:19):
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 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

(03:40):
which gave me that feeling. At any rate, it was there,
and I was keenly on the lookout for any chance
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

(04:02):
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 doubted all that
he had left it there. Mister and missus Ruecastle were
both downstairs, and the child who was with them, so

(04:23):
that I had an admirable opportunity. I turned the key
gently in the lock, opened the door, and slipped through.
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

(04:46):
led into an empty room, dusty and cheerless, with two windows,
and the one and one in the other so thick
with dirt that the evening lights 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

(05:08):
stout cord. The door itself was locked as well, and
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 let
in light from above. As I stood in the passage,

(05:31):
gazing at the sinister door and wondering what secret it
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

(05:54):
me suddenly, and I turned and ran ran, as 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 mister Rucastle, who was
waiting outside, so said he, smiling. It was you, then,
I thought that it must be when I saw the

(06:16):
door open. Oh I am so frightened, I panted, 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

(06:40):
keenly on my guard against him. I was foolish 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,

(07:04):
Why do you think that I locked this door? I
am sure that I do not know. 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

(07:25):
again here in an instant, the smile hardened into a
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

(07:48):
myself lying on my bed, trembling all over. Then I
thought of you, mister Holmes. I could not live there
longer without some advice. I was frightened of the hut,
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.

(08:11):
Of course, I might have fled from the house, But
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

(08:33):
came into my mind as I approached the door, lest
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

(08:54):
my joy at the thought of seeing you. I had
no difficulty in getting leaved come into Winchester this morning.
But I must be back before three o'clock, for mister
and Missus Rowcastle 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

(09:17):
could tell me what it all means, and above all
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,

(09:41):
I heard his wife tell Missus Rowcastle that she could
do nothing with him. That is well, and the rooc
Castles go out tonight. 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, a
very brave and sensible girl, Miss Hunter, do you think

(10:03):
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 rue Castles will be gone
by that time, and taller will we hope, be incapable.

(10:26):
There only remains missrus 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

(10:48):
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 there 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, doubtless as resembling

(11:11):
her in height, 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,

(11:34):
as you wore the 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

(11:56):
most serious 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

(12:16):
that the converse is equally valid. I have frequently gained
my first 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.

(12:39):
It bodes evil for the poor girl who was in
their power. I 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

(13:00):
dealing with a very cunning man. We can do nothing
until seven o'clock. 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

(13:23):
of trees, with their dark leaves shining like burnished metal
in the 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, thunny noise came from somewhere downstairs. That is

(13:44):
missus Toller in the cellar, said she. Her husband lies
snoring on 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
we shall soon see the end of this black business.
We passed up the stair, unlocked the door, followed on

(14:07):
down the passage, and found ourselves in front of the
barricade which 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.

(14:28):
I trust that we are not too late, said he.
I think 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.

(14:49):
It was empty. There was no furniture save a little
pallet bed, a small table, and a basket full of linen.
The skylight above 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

(15:13):
how through the skylight, we shall soon see how he
managed it. He swung himself up onto 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

(15:34):
there when the rooe castles went away. He has come
back and done it. I tell you that he is
a clever and dangerous man. I should not be very
much surprised if this were he who stop, I hear
now upon the stair. I think, Watson, that it would
be as well for you to have your pistol ready.

(15:56):
The words were hardly out of his mouth before a
man appeared at the door of the room, 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, but Sherlock Holmes sprang forward and confronted him.
You villain, said he where's your daughter? The fat man

(16:17):
cast his eyes round and then up at the open skylight.
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.

(16:38):
I have my revolver, said I better close the front door,
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

(17:00):
shaking limbs came staggering out at a side door. My god,
he cried, someone has loosed the dog. It has not
been fed for two days.

Speaker 1 (17:11):
Quick, quick, it'll be too late.

Speaker 2 (17:14):
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 muscle buried in rue Castle's throat
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

(17:37):
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
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

(17:59):
a tall, gaunt woman entered the room. Missus Tuller cried,
Miss Hunter. Yes, miss mister Rucastle let me out when
he came back, before he went up to you. Ah, miss,
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.

(18:23):
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,
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

(18:47):
now if I could have got out of the cellar.
If there's police court business over this, you'll remember that
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 and had no

(19:09):
say in anything. But it never really became bad for
her until after she met mister Fowler at a friend's house.
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.

(19:32):
He knew he was safe with her. But when there
was a chance of a husband coming forward who had
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

(19:55):
she got brain fever, and for six weeks was at
death's door. Then she got better at last. I'll 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

(20:18):
good enough to tell us makes the matter fairly clear,
and that I can deduce all that remains. Mister Rucastle,
then I presume took to this system of imprisonment, yes, sir,
and brought Miss Hunter 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,

(20:43):
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 Taller, serenely, and in this way he managed

(21:06):
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

(21:26):
country surgeon and missrus Roothcastle. So I think wasson that
we had best escort Miss Hunter back to Winchester, as
it seems to me that our locals 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

(21:49):
a broken man, kept alive solely through the care of
his devoted wife. They still live with their old servants,
who probably know so much of Roucastle's past life he
finds it difficult to part from them. Mister Fowler and
Miss Roucastle were married by a special license in Southampton
the day after their flight, and he is now the

(22:11):
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. Into Part three, end of The

(22:36):
Adventures of the Copper Beaches by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle