What about this poor fellow, Hopkins?
I seem to have heard some queer stories about him."
"He was a good-hearted man when he was sober, but a perfect
fiend when he was drunk, or rather when he was half drunk,
for he seldom really went the whole way. The devil seemed
to be in him at such times, and he was capable of anything.
From what I hear, in spite of all his wealth and his title,
he very nearly came our way once or twice. There was a
scandal about his drenching a dog with petroleum and setting
it on fire -- her ladyship's dog, to make the matter worse --
and that was only hushed up with difficulty. Then he threw
a decanter at that maid, Theresa Wright; there was trouble
about that. On the whole, and between ourselves, it will be
a brighter house without him. What are you looking at now?"
Holmes was down on his knees examining with great attention the
knots upon the red cord with which the lady had been secured.
Then he carefully scrutinized the broken and frayed end where
it had snapped off when the burglar had dragged it down.
"When this was pulled down the bell in the kitchen must have
rung loudly," he remarked.
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