elapt1c/ElapticAI-512 · Datasets at Hugging Face

text stringlengths 0 149M
absolutely needed.

“It’s as well, said the old man; “it’s a question whether I shall live
to the Assizes, so it matters little to me, but I should wish to spare
Alice the shock. And now I will make the thing clear to you; it has
been a long time in the acting, but will not take me long to tell.

“You didn’t know this dead man, McCarthy. He was a devil incarnate. I
tell you that. God keep you out of the clutches of such a man as he.
His grip has been upon me these twenty years, and he has blasted my
life. I’ll tell you first how I came to be in his power.

“It was in the early ’60’s at the diggings. I was a young chap then,
hot-blooded and reckless, ready to turn my hand at anything; I got
among bad companions, took to drink, had no luck with my claim, took to
the bush, and in a word became what you would call over here a highway
robber. There were six of us, and we had a wild, free life of it,
sticking up a station from time to time, or stopping the wagons on the
road to the diggings. Black Jack of Ballarat was the name I went under,
and our party is still remembered in the colony as the Ballarat Gang.

“One day a gold convoy came down from Ballarat to Melbourne, and we lay
in wait for it and attacked it. There were six troopers and six of us,
so it was a close thing, but we emptied four of their saddles at the
first volley. Three of our boys were killed, however, before we got the
swag. I put my pistol to the head of the wagon-driver, who was this
very man McCarthy. I wish to the Lord that I had shot him then, but I
spared him, though I saw his wicked little eyes fixed on my face, as
though to remember every feature. We got away with the gold, became
wealthy men, and made our way over to England without being suspected.
There I parted from my old pals and determined to settle down to a
quiet and respectable life. I bought this estate, which chanced to be
in the market, and I set myself to do a little good with my money, to
make up for the way in which I had earned it. I married, too, and
though my wife died young she left me my dear little Alice. Even when
she was just a baby her wee hand seemed to lead me down the right path
as nothing else had ever done. In a word, I turned over a new leaf and
did my best to make up for the past. All was going well when McCarthy
laid his grip upon me.

“I had gone up to town about an investment, and I met him in Regent
Street with hardly a coat to his back or a boot to his foot.

“‘Here we are, Jack,’ says he, touching me on the arm; ‘we’ll be as
good as a family to you. There’s two of us, me and my son, and you can
have the keeping of us. If you don’t—it’s a fine, law-abiding country
is England, and there’s always a policeman within hail.’

“Well, down they came to the west country, there was no shaking them
off, and there they have lived rent free on my best land ever since.
There was no rest for me, no peace, no forgetfulness; turn where I
would, there was his cunning, grinning face at my elbow. It grew worse
as Alice grew up, for he soon saw I was more afraid of her knowing my
past than of the police. Whatever he wanted he must have, and whatever
it was I gave him without question, land, money, houses, until at last
he asked a thing which I could not give. He asked for Alice.

“His son, you see, had grown up, and so had my girl, and as I was known
to be in weak health, it seemed a fine stroke to him that his lad
should step into the whole property. But there I was firm. I would not
have his cursed stock mixed with mine; not that I had any dislike to
the lad, but his blood was in him, and that was enough. I stood firm.
McCarthy threatened. I braved him to do his worst. We were to meet at
the pool midway between our houses to talk it over.

“When I went down there I found him talking with his son, so I smoked a
cigar and waited behind a tree until he should be alone. But as I
listened to his talk all that was black and bitter in me seemed to come
uppermost. He was urging his son to marry my daughter with as little
regard for what she might think as if she were a slut from off the
streets. It drove me mad to think that I and all that I held most dear
should be in the power of such a man as this. Could I not snap the
bond? I was already a dying and a desperate man. Though clear of mind
and fairly strong of limb, I knew that my own fate was sealed. But my
memory and my girl! Both could be saved if I could but silence that
foul tongue. I did it, Mr. Holmes. I would do it again. Deeply as I
have sinned, I have led a life of martyrdom to atone for it. But that
my girl should be entangled in the same meshes which held me was more
than I could suffer. I struck him down with no more compunction than if
he had been some foul and venomous beast. His cry brought back his son;
but I had gained the cover of the wood, though I was forced to go back
to fetch the cloak which I had dropped in my flight. That is the true
story, gentlemen, of all that occurred.

“Well, it is not for me to judge you, said Holmes as the old man
signed the statement which had been drawn out. “I pray that we may
never be exposed to such a temptation.

“I pray not, sir. And what do you intend to do?

“In view of your health, nothing. You are yourself aware that you will
soon have to answer for your deed at a higher court than the Assizes. I
will keep your confession, and if McCarthy is condemned I shall be
forced to use it. If not, it shall never be seen by mortal eye; and
your secret, whether you be alive or dead, shall be safe with us.

“Farewell, then, said the old man solemnly. “Your own deathbeds, when
they come, will be the easier for the thought of the peace which you
have given to mine. Tottering and shaking in all his giant frame, he
stumbled slowly from the room.

absolutely needed.

“It’s as well, said the old man; “it’s a question whether I shall live

to the Assizes, so it matters little to me, but I should wish to spare

Alice the shock. And now I will make the thing clear to you; it has

been a long time in the acting, but will not take me long to tell.

“You didn’t know this dead man, McCarthy. He was a devil incarnate. I

tell you that. God keep you out of the clutches of such a man as he.

His grip has been upon me these twenty years, and he has blasted my

life. I’ll tell you first how I came to be in his power.

“It was in the early ’60’s at the diggings. I was a young chap then,

hot-blooded and reckless, ready to turn my hand at anything; I got

among bad companions, took to drink, had no luck with my claim, took to

the bush, and in a word became what you would call over here a highway

robber. There were six of us, and we had a wild, free life of it,

sticking up a station from time to time, or stopping the wagons on the

road to the diggings. Black Jack of Ballarat was the name I went under,

and our party is still remembered in the colony as the Ballarat Gang.

“One day a gold convoy came down from Ballarat to Melbourne, and we lay

in wait for it and attacked it. There were six troopers and six of us,

so it was a close thing, but we emptied four of their saddles at the

first volley. Three of our boys were killed, however, before we got the

swag. I put my pistol to the head of the wagon-driver, who was this

very man McCarthy. I wish to the Lord that I had shot him then, but I

spared him, though I saw his wicked little eyes fixed on my face, as

though to remember every feature. We got away with the gold, became

wealthy men, and made our way over to England without being suspected.

There I parted from my old pals and determined to settle down to a

quiet and respectable life. I bought this estate, which chanced to be

in the market, and I set myself to do a little good with my money, to

make up for the way in which I had earned it. I married, too, and

though my wife died young she left me my dear little Alice. Even when

she was just a baby her wee hand seemed to lead me down the right path

as nothing else had ever done. In a word, I turned over a new leaf and

did my best to make up for the past. All was going well when McCarthy

laid his grip upon me.

“I had gone up to town about an investment, and I met him in Regent

Street with hardly a coat to his back or a boot to his foot.

“‘Here we are, Jack,’ says he, touching me on the arm; ‘we’ll be as

good as a family to you. There’s two of us, me and my son, and you can

have the keeping of us. If you don’t—it’s a fine, law-abiding country

is England, and there’s always a policeman within hail.’

“Well, down they came to the west country, there was no shaking them

off, and there they have lived rent free on my best land ever since.

There was no rest for me, no peace, no forgetfulness; turn where I

would, there was his cunning, grinning face at my elbow. It grew worse

as Alice grew up, for he soon saw I was more afraid of her knowing my

past than of the police. Whatever he wanted he must have, and whatever

it was I gave him without question, land, money, houses, until at last

he asked a thing which I could not give. He asked for Alice.

“His son, you see, had grown up, and so had my girl, and as I was known

to be in weak health, it seemed a fine stroke to him that his lad

should step into the whole property. But there I was firm. I would not

have his cursed stock mixed with mine; not that I had any dislike to

the lad, but his blood was in him, and that was enough. I stood firm.

McCarthy threatened. I braved him to do his worst. We were to meet at

the pool midway between our houses to talk it over.

“When I went down there I found him talking with his son, so I smoked a

cigar and waited behind a tree until he should be alone. But as I

listened to his talk all that was black and bitter in me seemed to come

uppermost. He was urging his son to marry my daughter with as little

regard for what she might think as if she were a slut from off the

streets. It drove me mad to think that I and all that I held most dear

should be in the power of such a man as this. Could I not snap the

bond? I was already a dying and a desperate man. Though clear of mind

and fairly strong of limb, I knew that my own fate was sealed. But my

memory and my girl! Both could be saved if I could but silence that

foul tongue. I did it, Mr. Holmes. I would do it again. Deeply as I

have sinned, I have led a life of martyrdom to atone for it. But that

my girl should be entangled in the same meshes which held me was more

than I could suffer. I struck him down with no more compunction than if

he had been some foul and venomous beast. His cry brought back his son;

but I had gained the cover of the wood, though I was forced to go back

to fetch the cloak which I had dropped in my flight. That is the true

story, gentlemen, of all that occurred.

“Well, it is not for me to judge you, said Holmes as the old man

signed the statement which had been drawn out. “I pray that we may

never be exposed to such a temptation.

“I pray not, sir. And what do you intend to do?

“In view of your health, nothing. You are yourself aware that you will

soon have to answer for your deed at a higher court than the Assizes. I

will keep your confession, and if McCarthy is condemned I shall be

forced to use it. If not, it shall never be seen by mortal eye; and

your secret, whether you be alive or dead, shall be safe with us.

“Farewell, then, said the old man solemnly. “Your own deathbeds, when

they come, will be the easier for the thought of the peace which you

have given to mine. Tottering and shaking in all his giant frame, he

stumbled slowly from the room.