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Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes
The Adventure of the Engineer's Thumb
Capítulo 9, Página 11
"I've
heard
that."
"A
while
back,
I
bought
a
small
property,
very
close
to
Reading,
about
ten
miles
away.
I
was
lucky
to
discover
a
deposit
of
fuller’s-earth
in
one
of
my
fields.
But
after
checking
it
out,
I
found
that
it
was
a
small
deposit,
connecting
two
much
larger
ones
on
either
side,
both
belonging
to
my
neighbors.
These
neighbors
had
no
idea
their
land
was
as
valuable
as
a
gold
mine.
Naturally,
I
wanted
to
buy
their
land
before
they
realized
what
they
had,
but
I
didn’t
have
the
money.
I
shared
the
secret
with
a
few
friends,
and
they
suggested
we
quietly
work
our
little
deposit
to
earn
enough
to
buy
the
neighboring
fields.
We've
been
doing
this
for
some
time,
and
to
help
with
our
work,
we
set
up
a
hydraulic
press.
This
press
has
broken
down,
and
we
need
your
advice
on
it.
We
keep
our
secret
very
carefully,
and
if
anyone
found
out
that
we
had
hydraulic
engineers
visiting,
it
would
raise
questions.
If
the
truth
came
out,
we’d
lose
our
chance
to
buy
the
fields
and
complete
our
plans.
That’s
why
I
made
you
promise
not
to
tell
anyone
you’re
going
to
Eyford
tonight.
Do
you
understand?"
"I
understand,"
I
replied.
"The
only
thing
I
don’t
get
is
how
a
hydraulic
press
helps
with
extracting
fuller’s-earth,
which
I
thought
was
dug
out
like
gravel."
"Ah!"
he
said
casually,
"we
have
our
own
method.
We
compress
the
earth
into
bricks
to
move
them
without
revealing
their
nature.
But
that’s
just
a
detail.
I’ve
shared
everything
with
you
now,
Mr.
Hatherley,
and
shown
my
trust."
He
stood
up
as
he
spoke.
"I’ll
expect
you
at
Eyford
at
11."
"I’ll
definitely
be
there."
"And
not
a
word
to
anyone."
He
gave
me
a
long,
questioning
look,
then
shook
my
hand
with
a
cold,
damp
grip
and
hurried
out
of
the
room.
"When
I
thought
it
over
calmly,
I
was
quite
surprised,
as
you
might
imagine,
by
this
sudden
job
assigned
to
me.
On
one
hand,
I
was
pleased
because
the
fee
was
at
least
ten
times
what
I
would
have
asked
for
my
services,
and
it
might
lead
to
more
work.
On
the
other
hand,
my
client’s
face
and
manner
left
a
bad
impression,
and
I
doubted
his
explanation
of
the
fuller’s-earth
justified
my
midnight
visit
and
his
insistence
on
secrecy.
However,
I
dismissed
my
fears,
had
a
good
supper,
went
to
Paddington,
and
set
off,
keeping
my
promise
to
stay
silent."
"At
Reading,
I
had
to
change
both
my
carriage
and
my
station.
I
managed
to
catch
the
last
train
to
Eyford,
arriving
at
the
small,
dimly
lit
station
after
eleven.
I
was
the
only
passenger
to
get
off,
and
there
was
no
one
on
the
platform
except
a
sleepy
porter
with
a
lantern.
As
I
exited
through
the
gate,
I
found
my
morning
acquaintance
waiting
in
the
shadows.
Without
a
word,
he
grabbed
my
arm
and
rushed
me
into
a
carriage
with
an
open
door.
He
closed
the
windows
on
both
sides,
tapped
on
the
wood,
and
off
we
went
as
fast
as
the
horse
could
manage."
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Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes — B2 Inglés | Cuentana