Sherlock Holmes Complete Works 1

Chapter 3 Research on Scarlet Characters 3
It was the morning of the fourth of March.I was up earlier than usual that day, and Sherlock Holmes had not finished his breakfast.The landlady, who had been accustomed to my late rising, had not yet put my plate on the table, and the coffee was not ready.I didn't know how to get angry at that time, and told the landlady angrily that I was going to eat.Then, I picked up a magazine on the table to pass the time of waiting while my companion chewed his bread in silence.The title of an article in a magazine was underlined with a pencil, so I naturally read this article first.

The title of the article is pretentious at first glance, it is called "Treasure of Life".This article tries to tell people that a good observer can gain a lot of knowledge as long as he makes precise and systematic observations of the things he comes into contact with.I think this article mixes shrewdness and absurdity.Although the reasoning in the article is earnest, compact and characteristic, I think its deductive process is far-fetched and exaggerated.The authors of the article claim that the deepest thoughts of a person can be detected based on a momentary expression, a twitch of a muscle or a movement of an eye.In the author's opinion, if you are in front of a person who is trained in observation and analysis, "deception" will not work.His conclusions will be as accurate as Euclid's propositions.To the uninitiated, the conclusions drawn by such a man would come as a surprise.Until they figured out how he came to these conclusions, they'd probably see him as some kind of magician.

The author writes: "From a single drop of water, a logician can deduce the possible existence of the Atlantic Ocean or Niagara Falls without having seen or heard of them. So the whole of life is a great chain, we As long as one sees one part, one can judge the whole. Deductive analysis, like all other sciences, can only be mastered by long and patient study; after all, human life is too limited to master it to perfection. Before starting to study the moral and psychological aspects of those problems, a novice should start by mastering the more basic issues and gradually go deeper, so that he can learn to see a person when he meets him. General experience, knowing the profession he is engaged in. Such training may seem childish and ridiculous, but it can hone a person's observation skills, teach a person where to turn his eyes and what things to pay attention to. A person's nails, cuffs, boots, trousers Calluses on the knees, thumb and forefinger, facial expression, shirt cuffs, etc.—any point of all these aspects can clearly reflect the person's occupation. Taken together, these aspects still cannot make the investigation It would be incredible if someone in a certain case made a difference.”

After reading this, I threw away the magazine and said, "Nonsense! Why is this kind of article still published?"

"Which article?"

"You must have read the article drawn in pencil below. This article looks very beautiful, but it is hard to accept. These must be hypothetical and not realistic at all." If he is locked underground In the third-class compartment of the train, if he was asked to tell the occupations of everyone in the same car, I don't believe he can tell, I dare to bet him. "

"Then you lose," said Holmes calmly. "I wrote the article."

"It's you?!"

"Yes, it's me. I have special abilities in observation and reasoning. The theories I mentioned may seem absurd, but they are very realistic. I even rely on them for food."

"How do you live on it?" I asked.

"I have a job. I'm a 'consulting detective'. I'm probably the only one in the world who does it, and I think you should understand that. In the city of London there are many official and private detectives, Come to me when you have a problem. I guide them on the right track based on the evidence they provide and my knowledge of criminal history. In fact, many crimes have similarities. If you can master the details of a thousand cases, It would be strange not to be able to solve the thousand and first case. Mr. Ray Mired is a well-known detective, and recently he was at a loss when handling a forgery case, so he came to me."

"And what about the others?"

"Most of them came through the introduction of private detectives. They encountered difficulties and needed some advice. I gave them advice and they paid me what I deserved."

"You're saying that other people saw it happen, but couldn't fix it, and you can fix it without leaving your house, right?"

"Yes. I have some intuition in this regard. Because I have the ability to analyze things through intuition. But sometimes I will encounter more complicated cases. At that time, I have to travel around and go out to investigate. Yes. I applied my special knowledge to the case, and the effect was very good, and I was able to solve many problems. The points that you laughed at in that article were extremely valuable in my actual work. Good at Observation is second nature to me. I remember when we first met, I said you were from Afghanistan and you seemed surprised."

"Ah, then someone must have told you."

"No. At that time, the reason why I immediately judged that you were from Afghanistan was because a series of thoughts flashed through my mind, and I immediately came to a conclusion. I have developed a habit of thinking very fast, even before I I came to the conclusion before I realized the process. But there are steps in the middle, and I deduce it like this: 'This gentleman has the demeanor of a doctor and the temperament of a soldier. It is obvious that he is a Military doctor. He has a dark complexion, and the fair complexion above the wrist shows that his dark complexion is not his original complexion. His haggard face shows that he has suffered a lot and suffered from illness. His left arm was injured and is still It also looks a little stiff and inconvenient. Where in the tropics could a British military doctor have worked so hard and had a broken arm? Only Afghanistan at the moment.' This train of thought doesn't take more than a second, and I say you're From Afghanistan, and you're showing surprise."

I smiled and said, "It's very simple to hear your explanation. You remind me of Edgar? Allan? Poe

[Note:
Edgar?Ellen?Poe, an American novelist, is considered the originator of the detective novel. 】The Dupin detective.I never imagined that such a person existed in real life. "

Sherlock Holmes rose and lit his pipe. "No doubt you think it flattering to compare me with Dupin," said he, "but Dupin does not seem to me to be anything special. And then it's nothing but ostentatious and gaudy tricks to tell a friend what's on his mind. I don't deny that he has some analytical genius, but he's not at all the ancient genius that Poe imagined."

"Have you seen Gaborio
[Note:
Gaborio, a French writer, is known as the father of French detective novels. ] works? I asked, "In your opinion, is Lecock good enough to be a detective?" "

Sherlock Holmes snorted dismissively.He said with anger: "Lecock is nothing more than a mess. The only good thing about him is his energy. That book makes me sick. The problem in the book is how to find a prisoner Identity. I was able to figure it out in 24 hours, Lecock took about six months. That book could be used as a textbook for detectives on what to avoid."

It annoys me that two characters I admire are so worthless.I went to the window and stood looking out at the bustling street. "This guy may be smart, but he's also a little too vain."

"There are no crimes happening these days, and there are no criminals to analyze," he grumbled dissatisfiedly. No one in ancient times has done so much research in solving crimes, nor has anyone had such a talent for solving crimes. But what happened? It is useless now, at most some Simple and childish crimes where the motive is so obvious that even an officer at Scotland Yard can spot it."

Still dissatisfied with his ego, I wanted to change the subject.My eyes turned to the window, and I accidentally found a tall middle-aged man checking the house numbers of each house one by one.

"I don't know what that person is looking for?" I asked, pointing to a person walking across the street.The man was tall and well-dressed, holding a large blue envelope in his hand, looking anxiously at the house number, obviously a messenger.

"Do you mean the retired Sergeant of the Marine Corps?" asked Sherlock Holmes.

"He's bragging again!" I thought to myself, "Knowing that I can't prove whether his guess is right or wrong."

Before this thought dissipated, we saw that person ran over quickly from across the street immediately after seeing our house number.Then there was a heavy knock on the door, low voices from downstairs and heavy footsteps going upstairs.

Someone came into the room and handed the letter to my friend: "This is for Mr. Sherlock Holmes."

This is a good opportunity to shake off Holmes' arrogance.When he was rambling just now, he never expected such a result.I tried to pretend as nonchalantly as possible and asked, "Young man, what kind of business do you do?"

"Boarder, sir," he said gruffly, "I had my uniform mended, so I wasn't wearing it."

"Then what did you do in the past?" I glanced at my accomplice and continued to ask.

"I was a sergeant in the Royal Marine Light Infantry, sir. Do you still write? No, well, good-bye."

He touched his heels, raised his hands in salute, and left.

(End of this chapter)