"My name is Helen Steiner, and I am living with my stepfather, who is the last of one of the oldest families in England, the Roylotts, of Surrey."
Holmes nodded his head. "The name is familiar to me," he said.
"The family was once one of the richest in England, and owned property in Berkshire in the north, and Hampshire in the west. In the last century, however, four successive heirs were all corrupt and wasteful.
The family ruin was eventually completed by a gambler sixty years ago. Nothing was left except a few acres of land and the 200 year-old-house. The last squire stayed there, living the horrible life of a poor aristocrat. But his only son, my stepfather, seeing that he must change to the new conditions, borrowed money from a relative, and obtained a medical degree. He went to Calcutta, where by his professional skill and his force of character, he became successful. Then, in a fit of anger, caused by some robberies in the house, he beat his butler to death. He was almost hanged, but instead he spent a long time in prison, and afterwards returned to England a bad-tempered and disappointed man.
Tale: Story Stepfather: The husband of a woman who has a child that is not his Surrey, Berkshire and Hampshire: English counties Heirs: People who receive money from someone who has just died Corrupt: Bad, acting wrongly
Ruin : What is left after everything is destroyed Gambler: Someone who puts money on horses, or bets in a casino Squire: The lowest rank of the English aristocracy Acre : A measure of land, about ½ a hectare Degree: Here it means a qualification from a university Fit: An attack of illness or emotion Butler: The chief servant in a house