R. Austin Freeman

Name: The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed
Author: R. Austin Freeman

The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (1911)

Summary

“The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed”, published in 1911, is a work by R. Austin Freeman. It explores elements such as snail, rediae and liver.

Quotes from The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (R. Austin Freeman)

R. Austin Freeman, The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (1911)

“ A startling discovery was made yesterday afternoon in the course of clearing out a watercress-bed near the erstwhile rural village of Sidcup in Kent; a discovery that will occasion many a disagreeable qualm to those persons who have been in the habit of regaling themselves with this refreshing esculent. ”

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Source: Wikisource

R. Austin Freeman, The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (1911)

“ But before proceeding to a description of the circumstances of the actual discovery or of the objects found—which, however, it may be stated at once, are nothing more or less than the fragments of a dismembered human body—it will be interesting to trace the remarkable chain of coincidences by virtue of which the discovery was made. ”

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Source: Wikisource

R. Austin Freeman, The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (1911)

“ Thus the cercariae, escaping from the snail, find themselves on the grass, whereupon they promptly drop their tails and stick themselves to the grass-blades. Then comes the unsuspecting sheep to take his frugal meal, and, cropping the grass, swallows it, cercariae and all. But the latter, when they find themselves in the sheep's stomach, make their way straight to the bile-ducts, up which they travel to the liver. Here, in a few weeks, they grow up into full-blown flukes and begin the important business of producing eggs.
"Such is the pathological romance of 'liver-rot' ”

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Source: Wikisource

R. Austin Freeman, The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (1911)

“ Its depth is greater than is usual in watercress-beds, otherwise the gruesome relics could never have been concealed beneath its surface, and the flow of water through it, though continuous, is slow. The tributary streamlet meanders through a succession of pasture meadows, in one of which the beds themselves are situated, and here throughout most of the year the fleecy victims of the human carnivore carry on the industry of converting grass into mutton. Now it happened some years ago that the sheep frequenting these pastures became affected with the disease known as 'liver-rot' ”

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Source: Wikisource

R. Austin Freeman, The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (1911)

“ I exclaimed indignantly, contrasting Jervis's hideous presentment with the comely original. "She is an exceedingly good-looking girl, and her manners all that a lady's should be. A little stiff, perhaps, but then I am only an acquaintance—almost a stranger." ”

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Source: Wikisource

R. Austin Freeman, The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (1911)

“ Drop in in the evening when your work is done; unless, of course, there is more attractive society elsewhere—Oh, you needn't turn that colour, my dear child; we have all been young once; there is even a tradition that Thorndyke was young some time back in the pre-dynastic period. ”

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Source: Wikisource

R. Austin Freeman, The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (1911)

“ Its cause is a small, flat worm--the liver-fluke—which infests the liver and bile-ducts of the affected sheep.
"Now how does the worm get into the sheep's liver? That is where the romance comes in. Let us see.
"The cycle of transformations begins with the deposit of the eggs of the fluke in some shallow stream or ditch running through pasture lands. Now each egg has a sort of lid, which presently opens and lets out a minute, hairy creature who swims away in search of a particular kind of water-snail—the kind called by naturalists Limnaea truncatula. ”

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Source: Wikisource

R. Austin Freeman, The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (1911)

“ If he finds a snail, he bores his way into its flesh and soon begins to grow and wax fat. Then he brings forth a family—of tiny worms quite unlike himself, little creatures called rediae, which soon give birth to families of young rediae. So they may go on for several generations, but at last there comes a generation of rediae which, instead of giving birth to fresh rediae, produce families of totally different offspring; big-headed, long-tailed creatures like miniature tadpoles, called by the learned cercariae. ”

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Source: Wikisource

R. Austin Freeman, The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (1911)

“ But we understand that the police are making active inquiries for any missing man who has lost the third finger of his left hand, and if any of our readers know of such a person, they are earnestly requested to communicate at once, either with us or with the authorities. ”

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Source: Wikisource

R. Austin Freeman, The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (1911)

“ Bellingham is terribly afraid of being suspected of a desire to get professional advice gratis."
"That," said Thorndyke, "is natural enough, and not discreditable. But you must overcome his scruples somehow. I expect you will be able to. You are a plausible young gentleman, as I remember of old, and you seem to have established yourself as quite the friend of the family."
"They are rather interesting people," I explained; "very cultivated and with a strong leaning towards archaeology. It seems to be in the blood."
"Yes," said Thorndyke ”

R. Austin Freeman

Summary

Quotes from The Eye of Osiris — V. the Watercress-Bed (R. Austin Freeman)

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