The Sign of the Four

Arthur Conan Doyle

62 

Elektronická kniha: Arthur Conan Doyle – The Sign of the Four (jazyk: Angličtina)

Katalogové číslo: doyle29 Kategorie:

Popis

E-kniha Arthur Conan Doyle: The Sign of the Four

Anotace

O autorovi

Arthur Conan Doyle

[22.5.1859-7.7.1930] Sir Arthur Conan Doyle se narodil 22. května 1859 v Edinburghu; zemřel 7. července 1930. Život ohraničený těmito dvěma daty naplnil vrchovatě nejen tvůrčí prací spisovatele, ale i rozsáhlou občanskou aktivitou, která mu ve své době přinesla mezinárodní proslulost a inspirovala Francouze k tomu, že pro něho vymysleli přezdívku ,dobrý obr‘. Navštěvoval stonyhurstskou školu; medicínu studoval na edinburské universitě a...

Arthur Conan Doyle: životopis, dílo, citáty

Další informace

Autor

Jazyk

Žánr

, ,

Název originálu
Formát

ePub, MOBI, PDF

Recenze

Zatím zde nejsou žádné recenze.

Buďte první, kdo ohodnotí „The Sign of the Four“

Vaše e-mailová adresa nebude zveřejněna. Vyžadované informace jsou označeny *

Chapter II
The Statement of the Case

Miss Morstan entered the room with a firm step and an outward composure of manner. She was a blonde young lady, small, dainty, well gloved, and dressed in the most perfect taste. There was, however, a plainness and simplicity about her costume which bore with it a suggestion of limited means. The dress was a sombre grayish beige, untrimmed and unbraided, and she wore a small turban of the same dull hue, relieved only by a suspicion of white feather in the side. Her face had neither regularity of feature nor beauty of complexion, but her expression was sweet and amiable, and her large blue eyes were singularly spiritual and sympathetic. In an experience of women which extends over many nations and three separate continents, I have never looked upon a face which gave a clearer promise of a refined and sensitive nature. I could not but observe that as she took the seat which Sherlock Holmes placed for her, her lip trembled, her hand quivered, and she showed every sign of intense inward agitation.

“I have come to you, Mr. Holmes,” she said, “because you once enabled my employer, Mrs. Cecil Forrester, to unravel a little domestic complication. She was much impressed by your kindness and skill.”

“Mrs. Cecil Forrester,” he repeated thoughtfully. “I believe that I was of some slight service to her. The case, however, as I remember it, was a very simple one.”

“She did not think so. But at least you cannot say the same of mine. I can hardly imagine anything more strange, more utterly inexplicable, than the situation in which I find myself.”

Holmes rubbed his hands, and his eyes glistened. He leaned forward in his chair with an expression of extraordinary concentration upon his clear-cut, hawklike features. “State your case,” said he, in brisk, business tones.

I felt that my position was an embarrassing one. “You will, I am sure, excuse me,” I said, rising from my chair.

To my surprise, the young lady held up her gloved hand to detain me. “If your friend,” she said, “would be good enough to stop, he might be of inestimable service to me.”

I relapsed into my chair.

“Briefly,” she continued, “the facts are these. My father was an officer in an Indian regiment who sent me home when I was quite a child. My mother was dead, and I had no relative in England. I was placed, however, in a comfortable boarding establishment at Edinburgh, and there I remained until I was seventeen years of age. In the year 1878 my father, who was senior captain of his regiment, obtained twelve months’ leave and came home. He telegraphed to me from London that he had arrived all safe, and directed me to come down at once, giving the Langham Hotel as his address. His message, as I remember, was full of kindness and love. On reaching London I drove to the Langham, and was informed that Captain Morstan was staying there, but that he had gone out the night before and had not yet returned. I waited all day without news of him. That nigh…