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I
stepped
back
,
but
the
fellow
was
on
me
in
an
instant
.
He
caught
me
first
by
the
wrist
and
then
by
the
throat
.
I
opened
my
mouth
to
scream
,
but
he
struck
me
a
savage
blow
with
his
fist
over
the
eye
,
and
felled
me
to
the
ground
.
I
must
have
been
unconscious
for
a
few
minutes
,
for
when
I
came
to
myself
,
I
found
that
they
had
torn
down
the
bell
-
rope
,
and
had
secured
me
tightly
to
the
oaken
chair
which
stands
at
the
head
of
the
dining
-
table
.
I
was
so
firmly
bound
that
I
could
not
move
,
and
a
handkerchief
round
my
mouth
prevented
me
from
uttering
a
sound
.
It
was
at
this
instant
that
my
unfortunate
husband
entered
the
room
.
He
had
evidently
heard
some
suspicious
sounds
,
and
he
came
prepared
for
such
a
scene
as
he
found
.
He
was
dressed
in
nightshirt
and
trousers
,
with
his
favourite
blackthorn
cudgel
in
his
hand
.
He
rushed
at
the
burglars
,
but
another
it
was
an
elderly
man
stooped
,
picked
the
poker
out
of
the
grate
and
struck
him
a
horrible
blow
as
he
passed
.
He
fell
with
a
groan
and
never
moved
again
.
I
fainted
once
more
,
but
again
it
could
only
have
been
for
a
very
few
minutes
during
which
I
was
insensible
.
When
I
opened
my
eyes
I
found
that
they
had
collected
the
silver
from
the
sideboard
,
and
they
had
drawn
a
bottle
of
wine
which
stood
there
.
Each
of
them
had
a
glass
in
his
hand
.
I
have
already
told
you
,
have
I
not
,
that
one
was
elderly
,
with
a
beard
,
and
the
others
young
,
hairless
lads
.
They
might
have
been
a
father
with
his
two
sons
.
They
talked
together
in
whispers
.
Then
they
came
over
and
made
sure
that
I
was
securely
bound
.
Finally
they
withdrew
,
closing
the
window
after
them
.
It
was
quite
a
quarter
of
an
hour
before
I
got
my
mouth
free
.
When
I
did
so
,
my
screams
brought
the
maid
to
my
assistance
.
The
other
servants
were
soon
alarmed
,
and
we
sent
for
the
local
police
,
who
instantly
communicated
with
London
.
That
is
really
all
that
I
can
tell
you
,
gentlemen
,
and
I
trust
that
it
will
not
be
necessary
for
me
to
go
over
so
painful
a
story
again
.
Any
questions
,
Mr
.
Holmes
?
asked
Hopkins
.
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I
will
not
impose
any
further
tax
upon
Lady
Brackenstall
s
patience
and
time
,
said
Holmes
.
Before
I
go
into
the
dining
-
room
,
I
should
like
to
hear
your
experience
.
He
looked
at
the
maid
.
I
saw
the
men
before
ever
they
came
into
the
house
,
said
she
.
As
I
sat
by
my
bedroom
window
I
saw
three
men
in
the
moonlight
down
by
the
lodge
gate
yonder
,
but
I
thought
nothing
of
it
at
the
time
.
It
was
more
than
an
hour
after
that
I
heard
my
mistress
scream
,
and
down
I
ran
,
to
find
her
,
poor
lamb
,
just
as
she
says
,
and
him
on
the
floor
,
with
his
blood
and
brains
over
the
room
.
It
was
enough
to
drive
a
woman
out
of
her
wits
,
tied
there
,
and
her
very
dress
spotted
with
him
,
but
she
never
wanted
courage
,
did
Miss
Mary
Fraser
of
Adelaide
and
Lady
Brackenstall
of
Abbey
Grange
hasn
t
learned
new
ways
.
You
ve
questioned
her
long
enough
,
you
gentlemen
,
and
now
she
is
coming
to
her
own
room
,
just
with
her
old
Theresa
,
to
get
the
rest
that
she
badly
needs
.
With
a
motherly
tenderness
the
gaunt
woman
put
her
arm
round
her
mistress
and
led
her
from
the
room
.
She
has
been
with
her
all
her
life
,
said
Hopkins
.
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Nursed
her
as
a
baby
,
and
came
with
her
to
England
when
they
first
left
Australia
,
eighteen
months
ago
.
Theresa
Wright
is
her
name
,
and
the
kind
of
maid
you
don
t
pick
up
nowadays
.
This
way
,
Mr
.
Holmes
,
if
you
please
!
The
keen
interest
had
passed
out
of
Holmes
s
expressive
face
,
and
I
knew
that
with
the
mystery
all
the
charm
of
the
case
had
departed
.
There
still
remained
an
arrest
to
be
effected
,
but
what
were
these
commonplace
rogues
that
he
should
soil
his
hands
with
them
?
An
abstruse
and
learned
specialist
who
finds
that
he
has
been
called
in
for
a
case
of
measles
would
experience
something
of
the
annoyance
which
I
read
in
my
friend
s
eyes
.
Yet
the
scene
in
the
dining
-
room
of
the
Abbey
Grange
was
sufficiently
strange
to
arrest
his
attention
and
to
recall
his
waning
interest
.
It
was
a
very
large
and
high
chamber
,
with
carved
oak
ceiling
,
oaken
panelling
,
and
a
fine
array
of
deer
s
heads
and
ancient
weapons
around
the
walls
.
At
the
further
end
from
the
door
was
the
high
French
window
of
which
we
had
heard
.
Three
smaller
windows
on
the
right
-
hand
side
filled
the
apartment
with
cold
winter
sunshine
.
On
the
left
was
a
large
,
deep
fireplace
,
with
a
massive
,
overhanging
oak
mantelpiece
.
Beside
the
fireplace
was
a
heavy
oaken
chair
with
arms
and
cross
-
bars
at
the
bottom
.
In
and
out
through
the
open
woodwork
was
woven
a
crimson
cord
,
which
was
secured
at
each
side
to
the
crosspiece
below
.
In
releasing
the
lady
,
the
cord
had
been
slipped
off
her
,
but
the
knots
with
which
it
had
been
secured
still
remained
.