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Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes
The Adventure of the Speckled Band
Capítulo 8, Página 4
“When
Dr.
Roylott
was
in
India
he
married
my
mother,
Mrs.
Stoner,
the
young
widow
of
Major-General
Stoner,
of
the
Bengal
Artillery.
My
sister
Julia
and
I
were
twins,
and
we
were
only
two
years
old
at
the
time
of
my
mother’s
re-marriage.
She
had
a
considerable
sum
of
money—not
less
than
£
1000
a
year—and
this
she
bequeathed
to
Dr.
Roylott
entirely
while
we
resided
with
him,
with
a
provision
that
a
certain
annual
sum
should
be
allowed
to
each
of
us
in
the
event
of
our
marriage.
Shortly
after
our
return
to
England
my
mother
died—she
was
killed
eight
years
ago
in
a
railway
accident
near
Crewe.
Dr.
Roylott
then
abandoned
his
attempts
to
establish
himself
in
practice
in
London
and
took
us
to
live
with
him
in
the
old
ancestral
house
at
Stoke
Moran.
The
money
which
my
mother
had
left
was
enough
for
all
our
wants,
and
there
seemed
to
be
no
obstacle
to
our
happiness.”
“But
a
terrible
change
came
over
our
stepfather
about
this
time.
Instead
of
making
friends
and
exchanging
visits
with
our
neighbours,
who
had
at
first
been
overjoyed
to
see
a
Roylott
of
Stoke
Moran
back
in
the
old
family
seat,
he
shut
himself
up
in
his
house
and
seldom
came
out
save
to
indulge
in
ferocious
quarrels
with
whoever
might
cross
his
path.
Violence
of
temper
approaching
to
mania
has
been
hereditary
in
the
men
of
the
family,
and
in
my
stepfather’s
case
it
had,
I
believe,
been
intensified
by
his
long
residence
in
the
tropics.
A
series
of
disgraceful
brawls
took
place,
two
of
which
ended
in
the
police-court,
until
at
last
he
became
the
terror
of
the
village,
and
the
folks
would
fly
at
his
approach,
for
he
is
a
man
of
immense
strength,
and
absolutely
uncontrollable
in
his
anger.”
“Last
week
he
hurled
the
local
blacksmith
over
a
parapet
into
a
stream,
and
it
was
only
by
paying
over
all
the
money
which
I
could
gather
together
that
I
was
able
to
avert
another
public
exposure.
He
had
no
friends
at
all
save
the
wandering
gipsies,
and
he
would
give
these
vagabonds
leave
to
encamp
upon
the
few
acres
of
bramble-covered
land
which
represent
the
family
estate,
and
would
accept
in
return
the
hospitality
of
their
tents,
wandering
away
with
them
sometimes
for
weeks
on
end.
He
has
a
passion
also
for
Indian
animals,
which
are
sent
over
to
him
by
a
correspondent,
and
he
has
at
this
moment
a
cheetah
and
a
baboon,
which
wander
freely
over
his
grounds
and
are
feared
by
the
villagers
almost
as
much
as
their
master.”
“You
can
imagine
from
what
I
say
that
my
poor
sister
Julia
and
I
had
no
great
pleasure
in
our
lives.
No
servant
would
stay
with
us,
and
for
a
long
time
we
did
all
the
work
of
the
house.
She
was
but
thirty
at
the
time
of
her
death,
and
yet
her
hair
had
already
begun
to
whiten,
even
as
mine
has.”
“Your
sister
is
dead,
then?”
“She
died
just
two
years
ago,
and
it
is
of
her
death
that
I
wish
to
speak
to
you.
You
can
understand
that,
living
the
life
which
I
have
described,
we
were
little
likely
to
see
anyone
of
our
own
age
and
position.
We
had,
however,
an
aunt,
my
mother’s
maiden
sister,
Miss
Honoria
Westphail,
who
lives
near
Harrow,
and
we
were
occasionally
allowed
to
pay
short
visits
at
this
lady’s
house.
Julia
went
there
at
Christmas
two
years
ago,
and
met
there
a
half-pay
major
of
marines,
to
whom
she
became
engaged.
My
stepfather
learned
of
the
engagement
when
my
sister
returned
and
offered
no
objection
to
the
marriage;
but
within
a
fortnight
of
the
day
which
had
been
fixed
for
the
wedding,
the
terrible
event
occurred
which
has
deprived
me
of
my
only
companion.”
Sherlock
Holmes
had
been
leaning
back
in
his
chair
with
his
eyes
closed
and
his
head
sunk
in
a
cushion,
but
he
half
opened
his
lids
now
and
glanced
across
at
his
visitor.
“Pray
be
precise
as
to
details,”
said
he.
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Las aventuras de Sherlock Holmes — C1 Inglés | Cuentana