Sherlock Holmes and the Lyme Regis Trials , livre ebook
126
pages
English
Ebooks
2012
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126
pages
English
Ebooks
2012
Obtenez un accès à la bibliothèque pour le consulter en ligne En savoir plus
Publié par
Date de parution
14 novembre 2012
Nombre de lectures
0
EAN13
9781780923215
Langue
English
1903. Lyme Regis. The Royal Navy comes to town. As do Sherlock Holmes and Doctor Watson. And Mrs Watson.And Lydia. And a ghost. And a dog. And a man with murder on his mind. This, the last of the trilogy of Sherlock Holmes in Lyme Regis pastiches is bright, breezy and fun.
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Contents
Front Matter ..................................................... 3 Tîte Page ..................................................... 3 Pubîser Inormatîon ................................... 4 Dedîcatîon ................................................... 5
he yme Regîs Trîas........................................ 6 Capter One ................................................ 6 Capter Two .............................................. 15 Capter hree............................................. 23 Capter Four.............................................. 28 Capter Fîve .............................................. 41 Capter Sîx ................................................ 48 Capter Seven ............................................ 59 Capter Eîgt............................................. 65 Capter Nîne ............................................. 72 Capter Ten ............................................... 78 Capter Eeven ........................................... 85 Capter Tweve........................................... 91 Capter hîrteen ........................................ 99 Postscrîpt .................................................. 105 he Grosvenor Square Furnîture Van ......... 106
Back Matter .................................................. 123 Acknowedgements .................................... 123 Aso Avaîabe........................................... 124
SHERLOCK HOLMES AND THE LYME REGIS TRIALS
by David Rule
Pubiser Information
Pubîsed în te UK by MX Pubîsîng 335 Prîncess Park Manor, Roya Drîve ondon, N11 3GX www.mxpubîsîng.com
Dîgîta edîtîon converted and dîstrîbuted în 2012 by Andrews UK îmîted www.andrewsuk.com
© Copyrîgt 2012 Davîd RuLe
he rîgt o Davîd RuLe to be îdentîIed as te autor o tîs work as been asserted by îm în accordance wît te Copyrîgt, Desîgns and Patents Act 1998.
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For Lydîa
Capter One
ïn te sprîng o 1903 ï ad every reason to beîeve myse to be as contented as any man coud possîby be. My eeîngs o contentment came rom te bîss o beîng master o one’s own ouseod and ï enjoyed notîng better tan ong evenîngs spent în te company o my dear wîe, Beatrîce. My proessîona îe was equay a source o peasure to me, ï ad taken over a practîce în Queen Anne Street just tweve monts beore and troug te twîn attrîbutes o ard work and dîîgence ï ad managed to buîd up tîs aîîng practîce înto one tat now lourîsed. Beatrîce assîsted me în tîs enterprîse most aby and ï coud ardy wîs or a better epmeet. hîs partîcuar tîme was aso by way o beîng an annîversary or ît was în Aprî o 1902 tat we wed, a u sîx years ater our Irst meetîng în yme Regîs were Mrs Heîder, as se was ten, ran a sma boardîng ouse. ït was a quîet weddîng wît ony a ew cose rîends and amîy members în attendance încudîng Serock Homes; atoug e was no over o marrîage as an înstîtutîon e neverteess ad no objectîons to servîng as my best man on tat joyous occasîon. hîs partîcuar cup o contentment o mîne was about to run over or on te Aprî mornîng o wîc ï wrîte, Beatrîce înormed me tat Eîzabet, er daugter-în-aw, was expectîng a cîd în ate August. Eîzabet was marrîed to Natanîe, Beatrîce’s son; tey ad wed în te sprîng o 1901 în yme Regîs, were tey stî îved. Natanîe was ormery empoyed as a boot-boy at te Roya îon Hote în te town, but now ad setted or te ard, but rewardîng îe o a Iserman and suppemented te încome to be gaîned rom tat empoyment by oferîng îs servîces ocay as a gardener. Hîs moter ad oped e woud take over te boardîng ouse tat se ad run or severa years, but wen e decîned, se presented îm wît a o te proceeds resutîng rom te sae o te busîness, enabîng Natanîe and Eîzabet to begîn teîr îe togeter wît no îmmedîate money worrîes. But ï dîgress; Beatrîce
was understandaby overjoyed to receîve te news o approacîng parentood or Natanîe and Eîzabet. “Just tînk,” se saîd, gowîng, “ï am to be a grandmoter.” “And tere cannot be one as beautîu as you în te woe country.” “O, Jon, at my age, reay?” “Your age îs îrreevant, beauty as not done wît you yet, nor ï suspect wî ît ever do so.” “You are too sweet, you reay are. Don’t orget în your rus to compîment me tat you wî be a grandater.” “An onorary one ony o course.” “By no means, Natanîe and Eîzabet wî vîew you as a grandater as îndeed tey soud, you are amîy, Jon. ï ope you are not too busy tat you cannot get away or a ew days or ï woud deary ove to spend some tîme în yme.” “ït wî not be easy, but ï wî see wat ï can do. Dr Revî owes me a avour or two and tîs seems îke an opportune tîme to coect one o tem.” “Peraps, Mr Homes woud îke to joîn us; ï know ow îgy e regards Natanîe.” Homes ad recenty taken te decîsîon to retîre and despîte îs procamatîons rom tîme to tîme about te crîme to be ound în te ‘smîîng countrysîde’ and îs ove o te cîty, e ad decamped to te Sussex downs to îve a îe o soîtude and bee-armîng. Beatrîce was rîgt regardîng ow îgy Homes tougt o Natanîe even to te poînt o Homes makîng a journey to yme or te marrîage o Natanîe and Eîzabet. For Serock Homes, yme aways brougt about mîxed eeîngs; on two prevîous occasîons we ad encountered an evî wîc was at odds wît te beauty o te surroundîngs. A o us, tat îs to say, myse, Homes, Beatrîce, Natanîe and Eîzabet ad been în morta perî rom two adversarîes, one o wom Homes and ï were very amîîar wît and te oter beîng an opponent oter wordy în every possîbe way. hese accounts remaîn unpubîsed and wî do so or te oreseeabe uture as no doubt wî tîs partîcuar narratîve.
“ï wî certaîny drop îm a îne, but ï ave te gravest doubts tat e woud wîs to accompany us, aready ater suc a sort space o tîme e seems competey taken up wît tîs new îe o îs.” “Appea to îs better nature or, unîke some, ï know e as one!” ï duy composed a etter couced în suc terms tat e mîgt Ind appeaîng. Wen prevîousy în yme e ad ormed a cose attacment to te cîdren o my od rîend, Dr Godrey Jacobs and îs wîe Sara. he cîdren, Artur, Cecî and Vîoet were a îtte oder o course now as seven years ad gone by sînce our Irst vîsît to yme în 1896, but ï was sure tey woud be peased to see îm and ï oped Homes woud ee te same way. ïn te meantîme we made our pans; Dr Revî was ony too wîîng to ep me out, beîng assured tat ï woud recîprocate wen e needed to be away rom îs practîce. A week ater sendîng my mîssîve to Homes, ï receîved a repy statîng tat as te îves ad yet to be deîvered and îs pans to wrîte îs voume on ‘he Art o Detectîon’ ad come to a, temporary e oped, standstî, e woud avaî îmse o our company and suppîed us wît a date tat appîy coîncîded wît te dates we ad aready cosen or our journey. He urter added, ‘tat as our destînatîon îs yme peraps ît woud be as we or you, my dear eow, to pack your revover and ï wî brîng my own coîce o weaponry’ Atoug ï was appy tat Serock Homes was to joîn us ï coud not ep, but ee tat tere was more beînd îs decîsîon to come tan a sîmpe oîday. ït was not în Homes’s nature to take trîps purey or peasure, ten agaîn e was now retîred and undoubtedy ad meowed, so peraps tîs was anoter sîgn o cange în tîs most remarkabe o men. ï ad not ad te opportunîty to be o assîstance to Homes very oten în te prevîous two years, our dîferîng proessîona and persona pats ad seen to tat, but tere were occasîons wen ï was o use to îm, even to te poînt o coectîng a buet or my troubes durîng te as yet unpubîsed afaîr o te, ‘hree Garrîdebs’. he paîn ï et rom tîs admîttedy mînor wound was tempered by my observance o Homes’s usuay îdden emotîons în turmoî; ît gave me a rare gîmpse înto te
eart o te man. As wît oter cases o tîs perîod, ï was Indîng ît împossîbe to aford te tîme necessary în edîtîng my accounts or pubîcatîon so at te moment tey remaîn roug drats or te most part, waîtîng a tîme wen my busy scedue wî aow me te tîme to put down în prînt once more, te remarkabe expoîts o Serock Homes. he ast tîme tat ï ad spent any apprecîabe amount o tîme wît Homes ad been în te ate summer o 1901 wen we ound ourseves în Scarboroug embroîed în a mystery wîc atoug seemîngy sîmpe at te outset turned înto sometîng darker and more compex. ïn te mîdst o te case ï înduged myse at te Scarboroug Crîcket Festîva and ad te peasure o meetîng and takîng at some engt to one o my sportîng eroes, Wîred Rodes. ït was aso satîsyîng to see yet anoter cange în Homes, or we ad encountered two carmîng and înteîgent a-sîsters wo ad set temseves up as consutîng detectîves. Durîng te course o our învestîgatîon Homes, wo ad înîtîay poured scorn on teîr eforts, came to vaue teîr abîîtîes. ït may we ave been a grudgîng respect suc was te man’s nature, but respect ît was. Mîss Pooe and Mîss Capman dîd very we to receîve tîs respect and a measure o approbatîon, or very ew dîd so, ï coud testîy to tat o so readîy! he arrangement we ad put în pace was or Homes to come to us în Queen Anne Street on te day beore we traveed so we coud get an eary start togeter. Homes ad a surprîse or us wen e arrîved. Beatrîce was în an îndecîsîve rame o mînd a day as to wat se soud eed our guest, or, wît Homes, ît was somewat o a guessîng game as to te state o îs appetîte, not to mentîon te tîme o îs arrîva wîc was aways în doubt. Her concerns were taken away rom er upon Homes’s appearance at te door, or e înormed us tat e ad reserved a tabe or us at Frascatî’s în Oxord Street. Sînce openîng ît ad become te tak o te town on account o îts opuence and spendour. Fortunatey, te cuîsîne was prepared to an equay îg standard.
“hîs îs spendîd, Homes,” ï saîd, as ï ooked around at te most magnîIcent surroundîngs. “ï mîgt even add tat ît rîvas Scarboroug’s Grand Hote.” Ater we ad setted down înto our seats on te bacony, ï coud quîte understand tat te settîng woud appear as beautîu as a pantomîme transormatîon-scene to te eyes o any one not basé by our modernnî admîrarîhere was god and sîver ondon. everywere. he pîars wîc supported te bacony and rom tat, sprang up agaîn to te roo, were gît and ad sîver anges at teîr capîtas. here were gît raîs to te bacony, wîc ran, as în a cîrcus, around te great octagona buîdîng; te acoves tat stretced back seemed to be a god, mîrrors and eectrîc îgt. Wat was not god or sînîng gass was eîter îgt buf or deîcate grey and eectrîc gobes în prousîon, pams, bronze statuettes, and a great dome o green gass and gîdîng a went to make a gorgeous settîng. he waîters în back, eac wît a sîver number în îs button-oe, overed around te tabes; somewere beow a strîng band, wîc dîd not în any way împede conversatîon, payed. Serock Homes rubbed îs ands genty and smîed genîay, observîng te grandeur on sow wîe ï tod te îgt-bearded manager tat wat ï requîred was te ordînary tabe-d’ôte dînner and pîcked out aCâteau Margauxrom te ong îsts o carets. “Mycrot recommended a vîsît; ît seems e was rater taken wît ît.” “Mycrot?” ï querîed, “But surey Mycrot goes nowere out o îs own eterna trîange?” “Come now, Watson, you know very we tat even my broter strays occasîonay rom te set pattern o îs îe. He as dîned ere wît eads o government departments and îndeed te ead o te government îtse.” “We, îs recommendatîon îs exceent,” ï commented as ï attacked myEscaope de barbue Caucatwît a certaîn amount o gusto. Bot Homes and Beatrîce were eastîng on a superb ookîng Fîets mîgnon Vîctorîa, but sowy, as bot tey and ï antîcîpated te
