Sherlock Holmes part 4 New

1. Be prepared to read it twice. First read it without using the dictionary too often. When reading it for the second time write out the new words and phrases and be ready to show your notes to the teacher.

2. Write down the answers to the following questions:

Whose farm did they come to?

What did Sherlock Holmes study there?

Where did they go after they had visited the farm?

Which of the two, Lestrade or Dr.Watson, watched Holmes carefully?

Boscombe Pool, was it a lake or a river or a pond?

What did the place where the body was found look like?

What didn't Holmes like about the place?

Which of the findings that Holmes made were the most important in his opinion?

Why did Holmes think that MacCarthy had been killed with the stone he picked up?

What did the murderer look like?

In Holmes's opinion would it be easy or difficult to find the murderer? What reasons did he give to support his opinion?

3. Write a summary of the chapter consisting of ten sentences and learn it to retell in class. The summary has to be in the Simple Present and a first-person narrative.

'But if I am not mistaken, there is Hatherley Farm on the left.'

'Yes, that is it.'

It was а long, low building made of grey stone and it looked comfortable. But the windows were all shut and there was no smoke coming up from the roof. It looked empty. We knocked on the door and а young servant girl came out.

She showed us first the boots which old Mr. McCarthy was wearing at the time of his death. She also showed us а pair of the son's boots. Holmes studied their size and shape very carefully. Не then asked to see the back of the house. From there we took the path which went to Boscombe Pool.

Holmes seemed to change as he hurried towards the place of the murder. Не stopped being the quiet thinker of Baker Street. His face became redder and darker. His eyes shone with а hard light. Не pressed his lips together and held his face down and his body low, studying the ground. His thoughts were turned so fully to the case that he did not seem to hear anything that we said. If he did, he answered only with а short word or two. Не made his way quickly and silently along the path which went across the fields and then down through the trees to Boscombe Pool.

The ground was soft and wet as we got nearer. There were the marks of many feet both on the path and on the short grass on each side. Sometimes Holmes hurried on, sometimes he suddenly stood still. Once he walked away from the path into а field. Lestrade and I walked behind him. Lestrade seemed bored and uninterested in what Holmes was doing but I watched my friend carefully, knowing that every movement had а meaning.

Boscombe Pool is а small piece of water about one hundred and twenty yards wide. It lies at the end of the Hatherley Farm land where it joins the beautiful park land belonging to Mr. Turner. Above trees on the far side of the pool we could see the big red roofs of Turner's home. On the Hatherley

Holmes studied the size and shape of the boots very carefully.

Holmes ran here аnd there like а dog which has smelled a wild animal.

side of the pool the trees grew thick. There was а narrow piece of ореn ground about forty yards wide between the trees and the water of the lake. This ореn part was covered with short, wet grass. Lestrade showed us the place where the body was lying when they found it. In fact, the ground was so soft that I could see the marks left by McCarthy's fall. But, looking at Holmes, I realized from his excited face and the quick movement of his eyes that he was learning many other things from the marks on the grass. Не ran here and there like а dog which has smelled а wild animal. Then he turned to the detective.

'Why did you go into the pool?' he asked Lestrade.

'I thought that maybe there was а gun or а piece of clothing or something like that in the water. But tell me, how.. .?'

'Oh, come on now, Lestrade. I have no time. That left foot of yours is everywhere. А child can see it. Look over there, where it disappears into the grass. This case was perfectly easy until а crowd of people came and stupidly walked all over the place. Here is where the Morans came and their footmarks have covered the ground for five or six yards around the body. But here are three different lines of the same feet.'

Не took out а magnifying glass and lay down on top of his coat to see the marks better. Talking to himself more than to us, he said, 'These are young McCarthy's feet. Twice he was walking and оnсе he was running fast, because his toes are pressing deeper into the ground. That follows his story, does it not? Then here are the father's footmarks as he walked up and down. What is this, then? На, ha! What have we here? Someone walking on his toes. In boots with square toes too. Quite unusual boots. They come, they go, they come again - of course, that was for the coat. Now, where did they come from?'

picture: Не lay down and studied the ground with his magnifying glass.

Не ran up and down, sometimes losing and sometimes finding the line of footmarks. Soon we were standing in the shadow of а very big tree, the largest of them all. Holmes followed the marks to the far side of the tree. Then he lay down on his front again with an excited shout. For а long time, he stayed there, turning over the dry leaves until he picked up something small, which looked burned. Не put this into an envelope. Next, he studied both the ground and the sides of the tree with his magnifying glass. А big rough stone was lying among the leaves. Не looked at this too with great

interest and kept it. Then he followed another line of footmarks. These went along а path through the trees until they came to а road; where the marks disappeared.

'It has been а most interesting case,' Holmes said, becoming himself again. 'I think that this little house on the right must be the Morans' home. I will go in and have а word with Mr. Moran.’

picture: А big rough stone was lying among the leaves. Holmes looked at this with interest and kept it.

Perhaps I will write а short letter. After that we shall drive back to the town and have lunch. Please walk to the carriage. I shall be with you again in ten minutes.'

Ten minutes later, we were in the carriage, driving back to Ross. Holmes was still carrying with him the stone, found among the trees. 'You will be interested in this,' he said to Lestrade, holding it out.

'I see no marks on it.'

'There are none.'

'How do you know that it is important, then?'

'The grass was growing under it. Clearly it was lying there for only а day or two. I could not find the place that it came from: there are too many stones around. But it is the right shape to make the wounds in McCarthy' s head.'

'And the murderer?'

'Не is а tall man, left-handed, with а bad right leg. Не wears thick shooting boots and а grey coat, smokes Indian cigars, uses а cigar-holder and carries а pocket-knife - not а very sharp one. There is more information that I can give you; but that will be enough for you to find him, I think.'

Lestrade laughed. 'I am afraid I find all this hard to believe,' he said. 'This information is all very well but it does not show that а person is guilty of murder.'

'We shall see,' said Holmes. 'You work in your way and I shall work in mine. I shall be busy this afternoon and I shall probably go back to London on the evening train.'

'And leave the case unfinished?'

'No, finished.'

'But the mystery?'

'Is а mystery no more.'

'Who was the guilty person then?'

'Oh, God help us! The person I have just described, of course.'

'But who is he?'

'That will not be difficult to find out. The number of people who live in this neighbourhood is not large.'

Lestrade had а hopeless look on his face. 'I am а sensible man,' he said slowly. 'I really cannot run all over the place looking for а left-handed man with а bad leg. My friends at Scotland Yard will laugh at me.'

'All right,' said Holmes quietly. 'I have given you the information. Now here we are at your address, I believe. Goodbye. I shall send you а few words before I leave.'

Date: 2015-01-29; view: 767