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''The Castafiore Emerald'' () is the twenty-first volume of ''The Adventures of Tintin'', the comics series by Belgian cartoonist Hergé. It was serialised weekly from July 1961 to September 1962 in ''Tintin'' magazine. The book was considered by critics to be an antithesis of the previous Tintin books as Hergé deliberately broke the adventure genre he had created, making it the only book in the Tintin series where the characters remain at Marlinspike Hall, Captain Haddock's family estate in the fictional town of Marlinshire, England, and do not venture to another part of the world. The story tells of opera singer Bianca Castafiore's holiday visit to Marlinspike Hall, and the subsequent theft of her emerald, which was gifted to her by the Maharajah of the fictional province of Gopal. Although ''The Castafiore Emerald'' received critical acclaim for making its characters follow a lead of false trails, it was not a commercial success due to the experimental nature of its narrative. It was published as a book by Casterman shortly after its conclusion. Hergé continued ''The Adventures of Tintin'' with ''Flight 714'', while the series itself became a defining part of the Franco-Belgian comics tradition. The story was adapted for the 1991 animated series ''The Adventures of Tintin'' by Ellipse and Nelvana. == Synopsis == Tintin and Captain Haddock are walking through the countryside of Marlinshire, England when they come across a Romani community camped in a garbage dump, and re-unite a lost little girl named Miarka with her family there. The Romani explain that they are not allowed to camp anywhere else so Haddock invites them to the grounds of his estate, Marlinspike Hall. Haddock has been trying for some time to get the local stonemason, Mr. Arthur Bolt, to fix a broken step in the Marlinspike foyer, but Bolt is never available. Shortly afterwards, Milanese opera diva Bianca Castafiore invites herself to Marlinspike Hall for a vacation. Haddock, who dislikes her company, decides to leave before she arrives but trips on the broken step and sprains his ankle. The doctor puts his foot and ankle in a cast and imposes a minimum of a fortnight's bed rest. Castafiore then arrives with her maid, Irma, and pianist, Igor Wagner. Castafiore presents a parrot for Haddock called "Iago" to keep as a pet and fusses over him, to his great discomfort. Some time later, two reporters from the magazine ''Paris Flash'' publish a story that Haddock and Castafiore intend to get married, on the basis of a misinterpreted conversation with the hard-of-hearing Professor Calculus. This results in an avalanche of congratulations from Haddock's friends. Haddock is next forced to accommodate a television crew, who occupy Marlinspike Hall for an interview with Castafiore, during which a mysterious photographer, Gino, appears with the crew. Suddenly, Irma informs Castafiore that her jewels were stolen, and Tintin suspects Gino who runs away when there is a temporary power cut, to be the thief. Castafiore, however, finds the case containing her Jewels, earlier misplaced by herself. The next day, Castafiore shows Tintin and Haddock a copy of the magazine, ''Tempo Di Roma'', with the front cover showing a picture of Castafiore taken at Marlinspike Hall without her permission, thereby revealing that Gino was a reporter for the magazine and not a thief. A few days later, Castafiore's most valuable jewel, an emerald, given to her by the Maharajah of the fictional province of Gopal, goes missing. After initially questioning Irma and Nestor, the detectives Thomson and Thompson suspect the Romani. Their suspicions are heightened when they find that a pair of golden scissors belonging to Irma in Miarka's possession, though she claims to have found them. After the Romani depart, the police starts looking for them. Tintin also investigates Igor Wagner, whose behaviour Tintin finds suspicious, but finds out that the musician is simply sneaking out to indulge a horse-gambling habit. Castafiore leaves for Milan to perform an opera. When Tintin finds that the name of the opera is ''La gazza ladra'' (Italian: ''The Thieving Magpie''), he realises that the true culprit responsible for the theft of the emerald and the scissors is a Magpie. He later explains to Haddock that the scissors must have fallen out of the nest and was found by Miarka. Tintin retrieves the emerald and hands it to Thomson and Thompson to return it to Castafiore. The stonemason mends the broken step, only for Haddock to step on it again. 抄文引用元・出典: フリー百科事典『 ウィキペディア（Wikipedia）』 ■ウィキペディアで「The Castafiore Emerald」の詳細全文を読む スポンサード リンク
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