“My God!” he cried. “Someone has loosed the dog. It’s

not been fed for two days. Quick, quick, or it’ll be too late!”


Holmes and I rushed out and round the angle of the house, with Toller hurrying

behind us. There was the huge famished brute, its black muzzle buried in

Rucastle’s throat, while he writhed and screamed upon the ground. Running

up, I blew its brains out, and it fell over with its keen white teeth still

meeting in the great creases of his neck. With much labour we separated them

and carried him, living but horribly mangled, into the house. We laid him upon

the drawing-room sofa, and having dispatched the sobered Toller to bear the

news to his wife, I did what I could to relieve his pain. We were all assembled

round him when the door opened, and a tall, gaunt woman entered the room.


“Mrs. Toller!” cried Miss Hunter.


“Yes, miss. Mr. Rucastle let me out when he came back before he went up

to you. Ah, miss, it is a pity you didn’t let me know what you were

planning, for I would have told you that your pains were wasted.”


“Ha!” said Holmes, looking keenly at her. “It is clear that

Mrs. Toller knows more about this matter than anyone else.”


“Yes, sir, I do, and I am ready enough to tell what I know.”


“Then, pray, sit down, and let us hear it for there are several points on

which I must confess that I am still in the dark.”


“I will soon make it clear to you,” said she; “and I’d

have done so before now if I could ha’ got out from the cellar. If

there’s police-court business over this, you’ll remember that I was

the one that stood your friend, and that I was Miss Alice’s friend too.


“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