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Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes
The Boscombe Valley Mystery
Capítulo 4, Página 26
"That's
fine,"
said
the
old
man.
"It's
uncertain
if
I'll
live
to
the
Assizes,
so
it
doesn't
matter
much
to
me,
but
I
want
to
spare
Alice
the
shock.
Now
I'll
explain
everything;
it's
been
a
long
time
coming,
but
it
won't
take
long
to
tell."
"You
didn't
know
this
dead
man,
McCarthy.
He
was
a
devil
in
human
form.
I
tell
you
that.
God
keep
you
away
from
a
man
like
him.
His
grip
has
been
on
me
for
twenty
years,
and
he's
ruined
my
life.
I'll
start
by
explaining
how
he
came
to
have
power
over
me."
"It
was
in
the
early
'60s
at
the
gold
diggings.
I
was
young
then,
hot-headed
and
reckless,
ready
to
try
anything;
I
fell
in
with
bad
company,
started
drinking,
had
no
luck
with
my
claim,
took
to
the
bush,
and
in
short
became
what
you'd
call
a
highway
robber
here.
There
were
six
of
us,
and
we
lived
a
wild,
free
life,
robbing
a
station
now
and
then,
or
stopping
wagons
on
the
road
to
the
diggings.
Black
Jack
of
Ballarat
was
the
name
I
used,
and
our
group
is
still
remembered
in
the
colony
as
the
Ballarat
Gang."
"One
day,
a
gold
convoy
traveled
from
Ballarat
to
Melbourne,
and
we
ambushed
it.
There
were
six
troopers
and
six
of
us,
so
it
was
a
tight
fight,
but
we
shot
four
of
them
in
the
first
volley.
Unfortunately,
three
of
our
men
died
before
we
got
the
loot.
I
held
my
pistol
to
the
head
of
the
wagon
driver,
who
was
this
man
McCarthy.
I
regret
not
shooting
him
then,
but
I
spared
him,
even
though
I
saw
his
sly
eyes
memorizing
my
face.
We
escaped
with
the
gold,
became
rich,
and
moved
to
England
without
arousing
suspicion.
There,
I
separated
from
my
old
friends
and
decided
to
live
a
quiet,
respectable
life.
I
bought
this
estate,
which
happened
to
be
for
sale,
and
tried
to
do
some
good
with
my
money
to
make
up
for
how
I
earned
it.
I
married,
and
though
my
wife
died
young,
she
left
me
my
dear
little
Alice.
Even
as
a
baby,
her
tiny
hand
seemed
to
guide
me
onto
the
right
path
like
nothing
else
ever
had.
In
short,
I
turned
over
a
new
leaf
and
did
my
best
to
make
amends
for
the
past.
Everything
was
going
well
until
McCarthy
showed
up."
"I
had
gone
to
town
for
an
investment
and
saw
him
on
Regent
Street,
barely
dressed
and
with
worn-out
shoes."
"'Here
we
are,
Jack,'
he
said,
touching
my
arm.
'We'll
be
like
family
to
you.
There
are
two
of
us,
me
and
my
son,
and
you
can
take
care
of
us.
If
you
don't—well,
England
is
a
law-abiding
country,
and
there's
always
a
policeman
nearby.'"
"Well,
they
came
to
the
west
country,
and
I
couldn't
get
rid
of
them.
They've
lived
rent-free
on
my
best
land
ever
since.
There
was
no
rest
for
me,
no
peace,
no
forgetting;
wherever
I
turned,
there
was
his
cunning,
grinning
face
beside
me.
It
got
worse
as
Alice
grew
up
because
he
realized
I
feared
her
finding
out
about
my
past
more
than
the
police.
Whatever
he
wanted,
he
got,
whether
it
was
land,
money,
or
houses,
until
he
asked
for
something
I
couldn't
give.
He
asked
for
Alice."
"His
son
and
my
daughter
had
grown
up,
and
since
I
was
known
to
be
in
poor
health,
he
thought
it
was
clever
for
his
son
to
inherit
everything.
But
I
was
firm.
I
wouldn't
mix
his
cursed
blood
with
mine,
not
that
I
disliked
the
boy,
but
his
father's
blood
was
in
him,
and
that
was
enough.
I
stood
my
ground.
McCarthy
threatened,
but
I
dared
him
to
do
his
worst.
We
were
to
meet
at
the
pool
halfway
between
our
houses
to
discuss
it."
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Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes — B2 Inglés | Cuentana