《福尔摩斯探案集·铜山毛榉案》第41节
“She was never happy at home, Miss Alice wasn’t, from the time that her father married again. She was slighted like and had no say in anything, but it never really became bad for her until after she met Mr. Fowler at a friend’s house. As well as I could learn, Miss Alice had rights of her own by will, but she was so quiet and patient, she was, that she never said a word about them but just left everything in Mr. Rucastle’s hands. He knew he was safe with her; but when there was a chance of a husband coming forward, who would ask for all that the law would give him, then her father thought it time to put a stop on it. He wanted her to sign a paper, so that whether she married or not, he could use her money. When she wouldn’t do it, he kept on worrying her until she got brain-fever, and for six weeks was at death’s door. Then she got better at last, all worn to a shadow, and with her beautiful hair cut off; but that didn’t make no change in her young man, and he stuck to her as true as man could be.” “Ah,” said Holmes, “I think that what you have been good enough to tell us makes the matter fairly clear, and that I can deduce all that remains. Mr. Rucastle then, I presume, took to this system of imprisonment?”
注释摘要
托勒太太这一大段话，是整桩疑案最后一块落进拼图的碎片，把拉卡斯尔先生种种怪异行径背后的动机——并非什么离经叛道的怪癖，而是冷酷的经济算计——清晰地交代了出来。 她先从家庭格局讲起。爱丽丝小姐在父亲再娶之后便失去了在家中的地位，备受冷落，凡事没有发言权。这是一个维多利亚时代再婚家庭中常见的不幸：前妻子女在财产继承上虽有法律权利，在日常家庭权力结构中却往往沦为…