Sherlock Holmes Complete Works 1

Chapter 47 Adventure History 5
"Mr. Holmes, I was immediately discouraged when I heard these words. I thought it was the end of it, and I hadn't applied for the post. But, after a moment's reflection, he said, it didn't matter.

"I said: 'That's great. What's the monthly salary?'

"'Pound four a week.'

"'What's the job then?'

"'It's a name only.'

"'What do you mean by pure name?'

"'It's about working hours -- four hours a day, and you have to be in the office at all times, at least not out of the building. If you go AWOL, you lose the job forever. The will says nothing about that. Be clear. Leaving the office during working hours is a breach of contract. You must be very careful about that.'

"'It's only four hours a day, and I don't even think about leaving,' I said to him.

"'Don't leave on any excuse,' said Duncan, 'not even sickness, business. You must stay there, or you'll lose your job.'

"'What are you doing?'"

"'Copying the Encyclopaedia Britannica. We keep the original in the office, and you must bring your own ink, pen, and paper. We only provide this table and chair. Can you come tomorrow?'

"'Of course,' I replied.

"'So, Jaberts? Mr. Wilson, I congratulate you once again on this prestigious post. Goodbye.' He bowed as a farewell, so I left the office with my clerk and went home. I just didn't know what to do. What to say or do, completely bewildered by the good fortune.

"I think about it all the time. However, at night, my spirits sink again. I feel that this may be a big fraud, but I can't figure out what purpose it has. From the surface Look, how ludicrous it is for someone to make a will like that and spend so much money for something as simple as having someone copy the Encyclopaedia Britannica. Vincent Spaulding said a lot to make me Don't worry. As I was about to go to bed, I decided that whatever happened, I must go there tomorrow and have a look. The next morning, I bought a bottle of ink, a quill, and seven sheets of writing paper, which cost a total of A penny, and off to the Pope's Court.

"To my surprise, everything is normal. In the office, the desks and chairs have been set up. In order for me to work well, Mr. Duncan? Ruth has been there. He asked me to start from the letter A. , and then left, but he came back after a while to see how I was doing. When we parted at two o'clock in the afternoon, he even praised me for copying a lot. After I walked out of the office, he locked the door.

"Mr. Holmes, this has been repeated all day. On Saturday, the man in charge came and paid me four pounds in gold coins as my week's wages. After that, it was like this every week. I went to work every morning at ten Go to work at [-]:[-] p.m. and leave work at [-]:[-] p.m. Gradually, Mr. Duncan Luce came less often, sometimes he only came once, and after that, he almost never came. I still did not leave the office for a moment as usual, because I Don't know when he'll come, and it's such a good job I don't want to lose it.

"In this way, eight weeks have passed in a flash. I have copied words such as 'abbes', 'armor', 'architecture' and 'Athenians', and I want to continue to work hard to copy the words headed by B as soon as possible. .I spent a lot of money on large-page writing paper, and the copied things piled up in a pile. Then, to my surprise, the matter suddenly came to an end."

"Finish?"

"Yes, sir. It ended miraculously. Just this morning. I went to work as usual at ten, but saw the office door closed and locked, with a little card tacked on the door. I I brought this card, you can take a look."

In his hand was a card about the size of a post-it note, on which he wrote:

The Redhead Society has been disbanded, hereby.

October [-], [-]

Holmes said: "This is very strange. What are you going to do next?"

"I was stunned, sir, and didn't know what to do. Then I asked people who lived near the office building, but they didn't know anything about it. Finally I went to the landlord, who lived on the first floor. , an accountant. I asked him if he could tell me what happened to the Redheads, but he replied that he had never heard of the group. Then I asked him who Mr. Duncan? Ruth was, and he replied that he had never heard of it The name. It really confuses me.

"I said, 'Well, that's the red-haired gentleman who lives in number four.'

"'What? The man with the red hair?'

"I said yes.'

"'Oh, he!' said he. 'His name is William Morris. He's a lawyer. His new house isn't ready, so he's taking mine for a while. He moved out yesterday.'

"'Where can I find him?'

"'You can go to his new office. He also gave me the address. By the way, King Edward Street NO.17, near St. Paul's Cathedral.'

"So I set out to go there. But, Mr. Holmes, I didn't know until I got there that it turned out to be a knee pad manufacturer. After asking and asking, no one had heard of Duncan? Ruth, nor William Morris. .”

"What do you do then?" asked Holmes.

"I had to go home (my house is near Saxe-Coburg Square) and ask my clerk for advice. He couldn't help at all, but advised me to be patient and perhaps hear from you. Mr. Holmes, his idea Not to my liking, I can't sit around and wait, I don't want to give up such a good position without making an effort. I heard that you are resourceful and willing to give advice to poor people who are at a loss, so I will come to you at once."

"You have done very well," said Holmes. "This is a very extraordinary matter, and I am glad to take it up. From what you have just told me, I suspect that the matter may be much more serious than it appears at first glance."

Jaberts?Mr Wilson said: "Of course it's serious! You see, I'm losing four pounds a week."

"I don't mean that," said Holmes. "Personally, you should not blame the group. After all, you have not suffered. Not only have you got more than 30 pounds yourself, but you have also acquired a lot of knowledge by copying dictionaries."

"I am not at a disadvantage. But, Mr. Holmes, I want to find out about this matter. Who are they? Why are they making fun of me? Even if they are joking, they don't have to spend so much money. They cost thirty-two pounds. "

"We'll figure it out on those matters. But, Mr. Wilson, you've got to answer a few questions for me first. First, how long has the guy who showed you the commercials been with you?"

"About a month before this happened."

"How did he get here?"

"I applied for the job after seeing the advertisement."

"Was he the only one who applied at that time?"

"No, there are more than ten people."

"Why did you choose him?"

"Because he is smart and doesn't ask for much money."

"Actually, he only needs half the salary."

"Yes."

"What does this young man named Vincent Spaulding look like?"

"Short, in good health, with quick movements. Although he is about 30 years old, his skin is smooth. There is a scar on his forehead burned by sulfuric acid."

Holmes sat up straight in agitation, and said, "I expected that. I wonder if you have noticed that he has pierced his ears and eyes?"

"Yes. He had his eyes and ears pierced, and told me it was done by a gypsy when he was young."

"Is he still with you?"

"Yes, sir, I just came from him."

"Then he has been taking care of the business while you are away?"

"Well, sir, I have nothing to complain about. I can't find fault with his work, and there hasn't been much business in the morning."

"Well, Mr. Wilson, I'll give you my opinion on the matter in a day or two. It's Saturday, and I think there will be a conclusion on Monday."

"Well, Watson," said Holmes to me, after our visitor had gone, "what do you think of the matter?"

"I don't see anything yet," I answered frankly. "But this case is more mysterious than the others."

"As a rule," said Holmes, "the more outlandish a thing is, the more obvious it will appear to you when the truth is revealed. It is not uncommon for an ordinary face to be difficult to make out; The case is a pain in the ass too. But I gotta get on with it."

"So what are you going to do now?" I asked.

"Smoking," he replied, "smoking, probably three full pipes before you can figure it out. I beg you not to talk to me for five or ten minutes." His knees were bent almost touching his aquiline nose, and his eyes were closed, and the black clay pipe blew there like the long beak of a rare bird.I thought he had fallen asleep and dozed off himself.Suddenly he jumped up, made a gesture of resolution, and set his pipe on the mantelpiece.

"Sarasate is playing at St. James's Hall this afternoon," he said. "What do you think? Doctor, can you leave the patient for a few hours?"

"I don't have anything to do today, and I'm not stuck with work for a moment."

"Then put on your hat and come with me. I'm going downtown first and have lunch on the way. I noticed a lot of German music on the program. I prefer German music to Italian and French music. German music It’s thought-provoking, I’m just about to think about it, let’s go.”

We took the tube to Aldersgate and walked a short distance to the place where the strange story we heard in the morning took place-Saks-Coburg Square.It's a shabby, narrow, somewhat posh place: four rows of gray brick houses on the second floor, with a small yard fenced in by iron railings in front; Survive tenaciously in the diffuse.Around the corner, a house had a brown signboard, and three gilt orbs, with "Jaberts Wilson" written in white letters, proclaiming that our red-haired client was It opened here.Sherlock Holmes stopped in front of the house, squinted his bright eyes, and looked at the house with his head on one side.Then he came up the street, paced it, and stood at the corner staring intently at the house.At last he returned to the pawnshop, poked the pavement with his stick, and then went to the door and knocked.A clever young man immediately opened the door and invited him in.

"No," said Holmes, "please tell me the way to the Strand?"

"Turn right at the third intersection, then turn left at the fourth intersection." The man replied immediately, and then closed the door.

"A shrewd fellow," said Holmes, as we were leaving, "he is, in my judgment, the fourth shrewdest man in London; and I am not sure whether he is the third for his audacity. I knew some of the things he did before."

"Obviously," said I, "that chap, Mr. Wilson, has played a very important part in this mysterious Redhead affair. I'm sure you're only asking for directions to see him in person."

"It's not mainly about him."

"Then what?"

"Look at the knees of his trousers."

"See anything?"

"Luckily, I saw what I wanted to see."

"Why are you stomping on the sidewalk?"

"My dear doctor, now is not the time to chat, let's pay attention. We are now doing reconnaissance in the enemy's country: we know that there is a situation in Sachs-Coburg Square, and now we have to find out the motive behind it."

We turned the corner and left the lonely Saxe-Coburg Square.What is presented before us is a completely opposite picture.

That street is the traffic artery leading to the northwest from the urban area.Groups of people doing small businesses on the street blocked the road. Among the crowd, some flowed inward and some flowed outward.The flow of people coming and going blackened the sidewalk.Turning the corner, we left Saks-Coburg Square.When the row of gorgeous shops and luxurious commercial buildings appeared in front of my eyes, I couldn't believe that this bustling street was next to the depressed and dilapidated square.

Standing at the corner of the street, Holmes looked down the row of houses. "Let us have a look," said he, "I must remember the order of the houses. I like to know London exactly. There is a Murderan Tobacco Shop here." , there's a little newspaper shop, and beyond that the Coburger's branch, the Vegetarian Restaurant, the McFarlane Carriage Works, and on to another street. Well, Watson, we've done our business, and we shall Rest. Go eat a sandwich, drink a cup of coffee, and then go to the violin recital, where there is pleasant music, and there are not so many problems to bother us."

Holmes is a passionate musician, he is not only a performer with outstanding acting skills, but also a composer with a high level of creation.That afternoon, he sat in the auditorium, very excited, his slender fingers dancing back and forth with the melody of the music.He had a smile on his face, but there was sadness in his eyes, as if he had entered a dreamland.At this moment, Sherlock Holmes is completely different from the sharp and witty detective who can judge cases like a god.When his dual personality is shown on his face, I often think of the sharp contrast in him. His wit, sharpness and his strong poetic flavor are really in sharp contrast.His character is simply two extremes, and often from one extreme to the other, sometimes he is extremely tired, sometimes he is full of energy.I know him very well. When he became serious, he would sit in a chair and think hard for a few days, but suddenly he would have a strong desire to hunt him down. People expressed doubts about his approach and regarded him as a person who knew everything.That afternoon, when I saw him intoxicated by the music, I felt that the man he was going to catch was about to be unlucky.

We walked out together after listening to the music, and he said, "Watson, do you want to go home?"

"It's time to go home."

"I've got a few more hours to run some errands. What happened in Coburg Square is a big case."

"How do you say it's a major case?"

"Someone's plotting. I'm sure I can stop them in time. But it's Saturday, which makes things difficult. I want you to help me tonight."

"When?"

"Ten o'clock will do."

"Then I shall be at Baker Street at ten."

"Good. But, Watson, this operation may be dangerous. You have your army pistol." He waved to me, turned and disappeared into the crowd.

(End of this chapter)