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Chapter 11 of the sign of the 
four by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. 

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This LibriVox recording is in 
the public domain. 

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Chapter 11, the great Agra 
treasure, our captive sat in the

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cabin, opposite to the iron box,
which he had done so much and 

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waited so long to gain. 
He was a sunburned Reckless eyed

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fellow with a network of lines 
and wrinkles all over his 

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mahogany features which told of 
a hard open-air life. 

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There was a singular prominence 
about his bearded chin, which 

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marked a man who is not to be 
easily turned from his purpose. 

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His age may have been 50 or 
thereabouts for his black. 

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Curly hair was thickly shot with
gray. 

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His face in Repose was not an 
unpleasing. 

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One though, his heavy brows and 
aggressive chin, gave him. 

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As I had lately, seen a terrible
expression when moved to anger. 

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He sat now with his handcuffed 
hands upon his lap and his head 

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sunk upon his breast. 
While he looked with his Keen 

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twinkling eyes at the box, which
had been the cause of his ill 

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doings. 
It seemed to me that there was 

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more sorrow than anger in his 
rigid and contained, 

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countenance, once he looked up 
at me with a gleam of something 

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like humor, in his eyes, Well, 
Jonathan small said, Holmes, 

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lighting a cigar. 
I am. 

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Sorry that it has come to this. 
And so am I sir? 

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He answered frankly, I don't 
believe that I can swing over 

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the job. 
I give you my word on the book 

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that I never raised a hand 
against mr. 

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Sholto it was that little 
hellhound tongo who shot one of 

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his cursor, darts into him. 
I had no part in it. 

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Sir, I was as grieved as if it 
had been my blood relation. 

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I welded a little devil with the
slack end of the Rope for it, 

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but it was done and I could not 
undo it again. 

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Have a cigar said, Holmes and 
you had best take a pull out of 

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my flask for your very wet. 
How could you expect so small 

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and weak. 
A man, as this black fellow to 

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overpower mr. 
Sholto and hold him. 

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While you are climbing the Rope.
You seem to know as much about 

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it as if you were there. 
Sir, the truth is, I hope to 

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find the room. 
Clear, I knew the Abbot's of the

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house, pretty well and it was a 
time when mr. 

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Sholto usually went down to his 
supper, I shall make no secret 

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of the business. 
The best defense that I can make

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is just a simple truth. 
Now, if it had been the old 

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major, I would have swung 
through him with a light heart. 

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I would have thought no more of 
knife in him than, of smoking 

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the cigar. 
But it's cursed hard that I 

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should be lagged over this young
Scholl Toe with whom. 

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I had no quarrel whatever you 
are under the charge of mr. 

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Athelney Jones of Scotland Yard.
He is going to bring you up to 

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my rooms and I shall ask Ask you
for a true account of the 

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matter, you must make a clean 
breast of it for, if you do. 

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I hope that I may be of use to 
you. 

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I think I can prove that the 
poison act so quickly that the 

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man was dead before ever, you 
reach the room that he was Sir, 

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I never got such a turn in my 
life, as when I saw him grinning

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at me with his head on his 
shoulder, as I climbed through 

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the window. 
It fairly shook me, sir, I'd 

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have half killed Tonga for it if
he had not scrambled off. 

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That was how he came to leave 
his club and some of his darts 

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to as he tells me which I 
daresay help to put you on our 

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track. 
Know how you kept on. 

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It is more than I could tell. 
I don't feel No Malice against 

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you for it, but it does seem a 
queer thing. 

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He added with a bitter smile, 
who died you have a fair claim 

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to know upon Arthur million of 
money? 

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Should spend the first half of 
my life building a Breakwater 

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and he andamans and I'm like to 
spend the other half digging 

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drains at more. 
It was an evil day for me. 

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When I first clapped eyes upon 
the merchant, Ahmed and had to 

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do with the Agra treasure, which
never bought anything but a 

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curse yet upon the man who owned
it to him. 

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It brought murder two major 
sholto. 

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It brought fear and guilt to me 
as meant slavery for life at 

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this moment. 
As only Jones thrust his broad 

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face and heavy shoulders into 
the tiny cabin, Quite a familiar

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party. 
He remarked I think I shall ever

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pull that flask ohms. 
Well, I think we may all 

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congratulate each other. 
Pity we didn't take the other 

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alive. 
There was no choice, I say 

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homes. 
You must confess to you. 

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Cut it, rather fine was all we 
could do to overall. 

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All is well, that ends well 
said, Holmes. 

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But I certainly did not know 
that. 

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The Aurora was such a clipper 
Smith says, she's one of the 

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fastest Launches on the river. 
And if he had another man to 

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help him with the engines, we 
should never have caught her. 

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He swears, he knew nothing of 
this Norwood business. 

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Neither did he tried our 
prisoner? 

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Not a word, I chose is launched 
because I heard that she was a 

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flyer. 
We told him nothing but we paid 

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him well and he was to get 
something handsome. 

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If we reached our vessel the 
Esmerelda at Gravesend Outward 

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Bound for the Brazil's Well, if 
he's done no wrong, we shall see

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that. 
No wrong comes to him. 

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If we are pretty quick and 
catching our men, we are not so 

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quick. 
In condemning them was amusing 

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to notice how the consequential 
Jones was already. 

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Beginning to give himself, airs 
on the strength of the capture, 

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from the slight smile, which 
played over Sherlock Holmes's 

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face. 
I could see that the speech had 

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not been lost upon him. 
We will be at Vauxhall Bridge, 

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presently said, Jones, And 
she'll land you, dr. 

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Watson with the treasure box. 
I need hardly. 

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Tell you that. 
I'm taking a very grave 

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responsibility upon myself in 
doing this. 

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It is most irregular but of 
course, an agreement is an 

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agreement. 
I must however, as a matter of 

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Duty send an inspector with you 
since you have. 

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So valuable a charge, you will 
drive no doubt. 

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Yes, I shall Drive. 
He is a Pity, there is no key. 

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That we may make an inventory. 
First, you'll have to break it 

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open. 
Where is the key? 

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My man. 
At the bottom of the river said 

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small shortly hon. 
There was no use you given this 

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unnecessary trouble. 
We have had work enough already 

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through you. 
However, doctor I need not warn 

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you to be careful. 
Bring the box back with you to 

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the Baker Street rooms. 
You'll find us there on our way 

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to the station. 
They landed me at Vauxhall with 

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my heavy iron box and with a 
bluff, genial inspector as my 

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companion, a quarter of an 
hour's Drive, brought us to mrs.

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Cecil Foresters the servant seem
surprised at. 

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So later visitor, mrs. 
Cecil Forrester was out for the 

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evening, she explained and 
likely to be very late. 

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Miss morstan, however, was in 
the drawing room. 

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So, to the drawing room, I went 
box in hand leaving the 

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obliging, inspector in the cab. 
She was seated by the open 

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window dressed in some sort of 
white, diaphanous material with 

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a little touch of scarlet, at 
the neck and waist the soft 

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light of a. 
Shaded lamp fell upon her as she

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leaned back in the basket. 
Chair playing over her sweet 

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grave face and tinting with a 
dull metallic. 

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Spark. 
The rich coils of her luxuriant 

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hair one, white arm and hand 
drooped over the side of the 

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chair. 
Her and her whole pose and 

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figure spoke of an absorbing 
Melancholy at the sound of my 

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footfall. 
She sprang to her feet. 

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However, and a bright flush of 
surprise, and of pleasure 

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colored, her pale cheeks. 
I heard a cab driver. 

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She said, I thought that mrs. 
Forrester had come back very 

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early but I never dreamed that. 
It might be you. 

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What news have you brought me? 
I have brought you something 

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better than news said. 
I putting down the box of The 

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table and speaking jovially. 
And boisterously though, my 

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heart was Heavy within me. 
I've brought you something which

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is worth all the news in the 
world. 

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I have brought you a fortune. 
She glanced at the iron box. 

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Is that the treasure then she 
asked coolly enough. 

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Yes this is the great Agra 
treasure. 

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Half of it is yours and half is 
Thaddeus sholto. 

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'S, you will have a couple of 
hundred thousand each think of 

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that. 
An annuity of 10,000 pounds, 

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they will be few richer young 
ladies in England. 

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Is it not glorious? 
I think that I must have been 

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rather overacting my delight and
that she detected a hollow ring 

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in my congratulations. 
For I saw her eyebrows rise a 

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little and she glanced at me 
curiously. 

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If I have it, she said I owe it 
to you. 

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No, no, I answered not to me but
my friend Sherlock Holmes, with 

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all the will in the world. 
I could never have followed up a

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clue which has taxed even his 
analytical genius. 

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As it was, we very nearly lost 
it at the last moment. 

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Pray, sit down and tell me all 
about it. 

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Dr. Watson said she I narrated 
briefly what had occurred since 

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I had seen her. 
Last homes. 

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Is new method of search. 
The discovery of the Aurora, the

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appearance of athelney Jones, 
our expedition in the evening 

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and the wild chase down the 
Thames she listened with parted 

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lips, and Shining Eyes to My 
recital of our adventures. 

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When I spoke of the dart which 
had so narrowly missed us. 

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She turned so white that I 
feared that she was about to 

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faint. 
It is nothing she said as I 

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hastened to pour her out some 
water. 

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I am. 
Alright again it was a shock to 

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me to hear that. 
I've placed my friends in such 

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horrible Peril. 
That is all over. 

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I answered. 
It was nothing. 

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I will tell you no more gloomy 
details. 

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Let us turn to something 
brighter. 

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There is the treasure what could
be brighter than That I got 

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leave to bring it with me 
thinking that it would interest 

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you to be the first to see it. 
It would be of the greatest 

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interest to me. 
She said there was no eagerness 

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in her voice. 
However, it had struck her 

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doubtless. 
But it might seem ungracious 

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upon her part to be indifferent 
to a prize, which had cost so 

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much to win. 
What a pretty box. 

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She said stooping over it. 
This is Indian work I suppose. 

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Yes, it is. 
Banaras metalwork and so heavy. 

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She exclaimed trying to raise 
It. 

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The Box alone must be of some 
value. 

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Where is the key? 
Small, throw it into the Thames.

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I answered. 
I must borrow mrs. 

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Forrest as poker. 
There was in the front a thick 

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and Broad hasp wrought in the 
image of her sitting butter. 

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Under this I thrust the end of 
the poker and twisted it outward

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as a lever. 
The hasp sprang open with a loud

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snap with trembling fingers. 
I flung back the lid, we both 

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stood gazing in astonishment, 
the box was empty. 

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No wonder that it was Heavy. 
The ironwork was two thirds of 

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an inch thick. 
All round it was massive well 

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made and solid like a chest 
constructed to carry things of 

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great price but not one shred or
crumb of metal or jewelry they 

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within it it was absolutely and 
completely empty. 

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To treasure is lost said Miss 
morstan calmly as I listen to 

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the words and realized what they
meant, a great Shadow seemed to 

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pass from my soul. 
I did not know how this Agra 

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treasure had weighed me down 
until now that it was finally 

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removed, it was selfish, no 
doubt, disloyal wrong that I 

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could realize nothing say that 
the Golden Barrier was gone from

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between us. 
Thank God. 

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I ejaculated from my very Heart,
she looked at me with a quick 

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questioning smile. 
Why do you say that? 

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She asked? 
Because you are within my reach 

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again. 
I said taking her hand. 

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She did not withdraw it because 
I love you, Mary, as truly, as 

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ever a man loved a woman because
this treasure these riches 

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sealed, my lips now that they 
are gone. 

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I can tell you how I love you 
that Why I said thank God. 

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Then I say thank God to she 
whispered, as I drew her to my 

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side. 
Whoever had lost a treasure. 

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I knew that night that I had 
gained one end of chapter 11. 

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Whoever had lost a treasure. 
I knew that night that I had 

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gained one end of chapter 11.