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Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes
The Five Orange Pips
Capítulo 5, Página 5
The
young
man
moved
his
chair
closer
and
stretched
his
wet
feet
towards
the
fire.
"My
name
is
John
Openshaw,"
he
began,
"but
my
personal
matters
seem
unrelated
to
this
terrible
business.
It’s
a
family
affair,
so
I
must
start
from
the
beginning
to
explain."
"My
grandfather
had
two
sons—my
uncle
Elias
and
my
father
Joseph.
My
father
ran
a
small
factory
in
Coventry,
which
he
expanded
during
the
bicycle
boom.
He
patented
the
Openshaw
unbreakable
tire,
and
his
business
did
so
well
that
he
could
sell
it
and
retire
comfortably."
"My
uncle
Elias
moved
to
America
as
a
young
man
and
became
a
planter
in
Florida,
reportedly
doing
very
well.
During
the
war,
he
fought
in
Jackson’s
army
and
later
under
Hood,
eventually
becoming
a
colonel.
After
Lee
surrendered,
my
uncle
returned
to
his
plantation,
staying
for
three
or
four
years.
Around
1869
or
1870,
he
came
back
to
Europe,
buying
a
small
estate
in
Sussex
near
Horsham.
He
had
made
a
significant
fortune
in
the
States,
but
left
due
to
his
dislike
of
black
people
and
the
Republican
policy
of
giving
them
the
vote.
He
was
a
peculiar
man,
quick-tempered,
foul-mouthed
when
angry,
and
very
reclusive.
In
all
his
years
at
Horsham,
I
doubt
he
ever
visited
the
town.
He
had
a
garden
and
a
few
fields
around
his
house
for
exercise,
but
often
wouldn’t
leave
his
room
for
weeks.
He
drank
heavily
and
smoked
a
lot,
shunning
society
and
friendships,
even
with
his
own
brother."
"He
didn't
mind
me;
actually,
he
liked
me.
When
he
first
saw
me,
I
was
about
twelve
years
old.
This
happened
in
1878,
after
he
had
been
in
England
for
eight
or
nine
years.
He
asked
my
father
to
let
me
live
with
him,
and
he
was
quite
kind
to
me
in
his
own
way.
When
he
was
sober,
he
enjoyed
playing
backgammon
and
draughts
with
me.
He
also
made
me
his
representative
with
the
servants
and
tradespeople,
so
by
the
time
I
was
sixteen,
I
was
pretty
much
in
charge
of
the
house.
I
had
all
the
keys
and
could
do
as
I
pleased,
as
long
as
I
didn't
disturb
him.
There
was
one
exception:
a
storage
room
in
the
attic
that
was
always
locked,
and
he
never
allowed
anyone,
including
me,
to
enter
it.
Out
of
curiosity,
I
peeked
through
the
keyhole
but
only
saw
a
collection
of
old
trunks
and
bundles,
just
what
you'd
expect
in
such
a
room."
"One
day
in
March
1883,
a
letter
with
a
foreign
stamp
was
on
the
table
in
front
of
the
colonel's
plate.
It
was
unusual
for
him
to
get
letters,
as
he
paid
all
his
bills
in
cash
and
had
no
friends.
'From
India!'
he
said
as
he
picked
it
up.
'Pondicherry
postmark!
What
could
this
be?'
He
opened
it
quickly,
and
five
small
dried
orange
pips
fell
onto
his
plate.
I
started
to
laugh,
but
stopped
when
I
saw
his
face.
His
lip
had
dropped,
his
eyes
were
bulging,
his
skin
was
ashen,
and
he
stared
at
the
envelope
in
his
trembling
hand.
'K.
K.
K.!'
he
shouted,
then
added,
'My
God,
my
God,
my
sins
have
caught
up
with
me!'"
"'What
is
it,
uncle?'
I
asked."
"'Death,'
he
replied,
and
got
up
from
the
table
to
retreat
to
his
room,
leaving
me
filled
with
horror.
I
picked
up
the
envelope
and
saw
the
letters
K
written
three
times
in
red
ink
on
the
inside
flap.
There
was
nothing
else
but
the
five
dried
pips.
What
could
have
caused
his
intense
fear?
I
left
the
breakfast
table,
and
as
I
went
upstairs,
I
met
him
coming
down
with
an
old
rusty
key,
likely
for
the
attic,
in
one
hand
and
a
small
brass
box,
like
a
cashbox,
in
the
other."
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Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes — B2 Inglés | Cuentana