Find and read aloud the sentences which describe

1) the house of Mr. Holder;

2) what Holmes asked Mr. Holder to do with the coronet;

3) what Holmes did at home.

4. Answer the questions:

1) What did Dr. Watson think about this case with the coronet?

2) How did Mr. Holder's house look like?

3) Who came into the dining room when they were sitting by the fire?

4) What did Mary ask her uncle about?

5) With what words did Mary turn to Holmes?

6) What did Holmes ask about the maid Lucy Parr?

7) Where did Holmes go after he had examined the sill with his magnifying glass?

8) Could Mr. Holder break off the corner of the coronet?

9) Did Mr. Holder hear any noise in the night? What kind of noise was it?

10) What was Mary's opinion on the matter?

11) Where did Holmes go to continue his work?

12) Could Holmes tell Mr. Holder where the stones were?

13) Where and when did Holmes ask the banker to come?

14) How was Holmes dressed when he came into the dining-room? Where did he go?

5. Agree or disagree with the following statements:

1) The case seemed quite clear to Dr. Watson.

2) Mary was not sure that Arthur was innocent.

3) Mary always closed the windows and the doors in the house herself.

4) Mary said that she had seen the man with whom their maid Lucy Parr had spoken.

5) The banker wasn't shocked when Holmes asked him to break the corner of the coronet off.

6) Dr. Watson saw that Holmes hadn't come to any conclusion yet.

6. Discuss the following:

1) Mr. Holder said that any other theories about the case were quite useless. Why did he think so?

2) Why do you think Holmes asked to break ano­ther corner of the coronet? Was it easy for him to do that?

7. Act the dialogues:

a) between Mr. Holder and Mary;

b) between Holmes and Mary;

c) between Holmes and Mr. Holder in the study.

8. Tell what Sherlock Holmes did in the banker's house.

Chapter 4

My friend returned an hour later. He was hold­ing an old boot in his hand and I could see that he was in high spirits¹.

"I've come in for a minute," he said, "just to change my clothes² and to tell you that I shall prob­ably come back late. I visited our friend, Mr. Hold­er, though I did not call at the house. It is a very interesting problem, Watson. But I must not lose time, sitting here."

I could see that Holmes was very pleased with something, for his eyes were bright and his face was not so pale as usual. A minute later I heard the slam of the hall door behind him³.

I waited for my friend until midnight, and then went to bed. I was not surprised, because it often happened that Holmes did not return home for se­veral days. I don't know at what hour he came in, but when I entered the dining-room for breakfast next morning, I found Holmes already at the table with a cup of coffee in one hand, and a newspaper in the other.

"I'm sorry I began⁴ without you, Watson," he said, "but our friend, the banker, will come here very soon."

"Have you solved the problem, Holmes?" I cried.

He had no time to answer, for at that moment we beard the bell.

"Here he is⁵," said Holmes.

It was indeed Mr. Holder. But he looked quite old that morning. His face was very pale and even his hair seemed whiter.

"I do not know why I am so severely tried⁶”, he began.

"Only two days ago I was a happy man. I had a son and a niece who was a daughter to me. Now I am lonely and dishonoured. My niece Mary has left my house. In the morning she was not in her room and I found a note there, addressed to me: 'My dear uncle, — I feel that I have brought trouble upon you⁷. With this thought I cannot be happy again in your house and must leave you. Do not try to find me. Your Mary.' Oh, Mr. Holmes, I feel that I am going mad ⁸."

"The end of your troubles is very near, Mr. Hol­der," Holmes answered. "If you want to get back the beryls you must pay three thousand pounds for them. Do you think it is too much?"

"No, no, I am ready to pay much more. But what does this mean?"

Holmes did not answer the banker's question.

"Three thousand is quite enough," he said qui­etly. "Sign this cheque, please. Here is a pen." The banker signed the cheque without a word. Holmes rose and took out of his desk a little triangular piece of gold with three beryls in it.

"I'm saved! I'm saved!" the old man cried and wan­ted to take the beryls, but Holmes stopped him.

"Mr. Holder," he said coldly, "you must first go and apologize to your son⁹, for he is a noble youth."

"Do you mean¹⁰ that Arthur is innocent?"

"Itold you so yesterday, and I repeat it today."

"Then I shall go to him at once and tell him the good news!"

"He knows it already. I had an interview with him last night and told him all myself, he added only a few details."

"Do you know anything about my Mary?" cried the banker.

"Well," said Holmes, "first of all I must tell you that your niece Mary and Sir George have fled to­gether."

"My Mary? Impossible!"

"I am very sorry, but it is so. This man is a scoun­drel and neither your son nor your niece knew his true character. The young lady believed all his words and loved him."

"It cannot be true, it cannot be true," the banker repeated.

"Shall I tell you¹¹ what happened in your house that night?" Holmes asked. "Your niece thought that you had gone to bed, so she came down and talked to Sir George through the window which looks on to the stable lane.

I saw his footmarks on the snow. She told him about the coronet, and he gave her some instruc­tions. When she saw that you were coming down­stairs, she closed the window and began to speak about the maid, Lucy. Your son, Arthur, went to bed after his talk with you. But he could not sleep, be­cause he was thinking about his debts. Suddenly he heard that somebody was moving in the corri­dor. He rose and, looking out, saw his cousin Mary. To his surprise she went into your study.

"A moment later she came out of the room with the coronet in her hands. She went downstairs, ope­ned the window in the hall and gave the coronet to someone. Then she closed the window and hurried back to her room. Arthur rushed down, opened the window and sprang out into the snow barefoot. He saw Sir George and ran after him. There was a struggle between them. Your son was pulling at one side¹² of the coronet, and his enemy at the other. Arthur struck Sir George and cut him over the eye¹³. Then suddenly a corner of the coronet broke off and Arthur rushed back with the remaining part in his hands. He was trying to straighten it when you appeared before him. You insulted your son, but he could not tell you the truth because, he loved your niece and he knew how dear she was to you."

"Now I understand why she fainted when she saw the coronet!" exclaimed the banker. "And my poor boy asked me to let him go out for some minutes, because he hoped to find the missing corner at the scene of the battle¹⁴!"

"When I came to the house," Holmes continued, "I at once went round it. I hoped to see some traces in the snow. At the back door a woman had stood and talked to a man with a wooden leg. I know that by the imprint¹⁵ on the snow. In the stable lane I could read a very long story. There was a double line of tracks belonging to a booted man and to a man who was barefoot. I could see that the booted man had stood near the hall window for a very long time. Then I went to the other end of the lane and soon found the scene of the struggle, for there were a few drops of blood on the snow. When I was in the house, I examined the sill of the hall window and saw that the man who was barefoot had passed out there.

"Then I understood everything. A man had wait­ed outside the window, someone had brought him the coronet. Your son had seen it, he had run after the thief, had struggled with him. He had returned with the coronet, but the thief had the missing piece. Now, who had given him the coronet? It could only have been¹⁶ your niece or your maid. As your son refused to give you any explanation, it was clear that he was screening somebody. Who could it be?

"I remembered that you had seen your niece at that window before you went to bed. You told me that she had fainted when she saw the coronet again. It was not hard to guess that Arthur was screening Mary, for he loved her. But who was the thief? You said that you had few friends and that only Sir George came to your house. I had heard of him be­fore and knew that he was not to be trusted¹⁷. So I was sure that it was he who had stolen the stones.

"Sir George felt safe¹⁸," for he knew that Arthur loved the young girl. Well, I dressed as a loafer, went to Sir George's house, spoke to his servant, and learned that his master had hurt his head the night before. Then, for some shillings I bought from that servant a pair of shoes which belonged to Sir George. With the shoes I went to your house, Mr. Holder, and saw that they fitted the tracks¹⁹ near the window and on the lane."

"Indeed, I saw a loafer in the lane last night," the banker exclaimed.

"But you did not recognize me," smiled Holmes. "Then I went to Sir George and told him the whole story in detail. He was furious²⁰ and rushed at me but I was quicker than he and pointed my pistol at him before he had time to strike me. Then I made him tell me what he had done with the beryls. He

confessed that he had sold them for three thousand pounds, and told me the address of the man who had bought them. I think that immediately after that he persuaded your niece to leave her house, and they both fled from danger and dishonour. Well, the end of the story is clear. I got the beryls and then I went to see your son and told him all. The police have re­leased him and he must be at home now."

"You have saved my honour, sir," said the bank­er, rising. "I cannot find words to thank you. And now I must go to my boy and beg his pardon for the wrong I have done him²¹."

"Come, Watson, " said my friend, turning to me when our client had gone. "Our task is over and we may take a nice walk, if you don't mind²²."

Notes

¹ in high spirits — - в прекрасном настроении

² I've come in... just to change my clothes — я забежал... только переодеться

³ I heard the slam of the hall door behind him — я услышал, как за ним захлопнулась входная дверь

⁴ I’т sorry I began — извините, что я начал завтра­кать

⁵ here he is — вот и он

⁶ why I am so severely tried — за что я подвергаюсь таким жестоким испытаниям

⁷ I have brought trouble upon you — я принесла вам горе

⁸ I am going mad — я схожу с ума

⁹ you must first go and apologize to your son — вы должны сначала пойти извиниться перед своим сыном

¹⁰ Do you mean...? — Вы хотите сказать...?

¹¹ Shall I tell you...? — Рассказать вам...?

¹² at one side — за один край

¹³ cut him over the eye — рассек ему бровь

¹⁴ at the scene of the battle — там, где произошла битва

¹⁵ I knew that by the imprint — я понял это по отпе­чатку

¹⁶ it could only have been — это могли быть только

¹⁷ he was not to be trusted — ему нельзя доверять

¹⁸ felt safe — чувствовал себя в безопасности

¹⁹ fitted the tracks — совпадают со следом

²⁰ he was furious — он пришел в ярость

²¹ for the wrong I have done for him — за обиду, которую я ему нанес

²² if you don't mind — если вы ничего не имеете против

EXERCISES

1. Find in the text English equivalents of the follo­wing words and expressions:

не терять времени; решить проблему; принести горе; извиниться перед кем-л.; увидеть чьи-л. сле­ды; дать некоторые инструкции; оскорбить кого-л.; упасть в обморок; воскликнуть; отказываться да­вать какие-л. объяснения; было нетрудно догадать­ся; чувствовать себя в опасности; узнать кого-л.; освободить кого-л.; спасти чью-л. честь

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