Sherlock Holmes Complete Works 1

Chapter 50 Adventure History 8
I sat face to face with Holmes before the fire in his room.He said, "Man, life is actually more colorful and wonderful than we imagined. We never dare to think about ordinary things that actually exist. If we can hold hands and fly up to the sky, fly above this city, and uncover the roof of a house, and see what happens in it: wonderful coincidences, secret plots, a chain of events, which go on and on with strange results. Novels, become dull and unmarketable."

I replied: "I don't think so. You see, the cases reported in the newspapers are all so boring and meaningless. We must admit that the police report is realistic, but the result is neither strange. Nor is it artistic, let alone engaging."

Holmes said: "There has to be some choice and judgment to have a compelling effect. The police reports don't have that, and it's possible that they've put too much emphasis on how they're bragging about the magistrate, rather than on details that observers think are important. .I am sure that nothing is more natural than what is taken for granted."

I shook my head and said with a smile: "I understand your point of view very well. I think it is due to your position. You are an informal advisor and staff officer to every difficult person on three continents. The people you come into contact with and things are rather peculiar. But here"—I picked up a morning paper from the floor—"Let's see, I saw a headline: "Husband Abuses Wife." The report took up half a column , but I knew what it was about even if I didn't read it. Of course, there must be another woman in it, drinking, kicking, bruising, and a sympathetic sister or landlord Wait, ma'am. Not even the worst writer can write such careless stuff.

Holmes took the paper, glanced over it roughly, and said: "The examples you have given do not, in fact, prove your point. This is the case of the separation of the Dundas family, and I was at the time when I was arranging the details in connection with it." The husband, who never drank and had no other women, was accused of having acquired a habit of throwing his false teeth at his wife whenever he finished his meal. Of course, this story is in the general author's I didn’t imagine it. Doctor, please have some snuff, you should admit that the example you gave has proved my point, so I won.”

He produced his old gold snuff-box with an amethyst crystal set in the lid.The dazzling brilliance of the crystal is very inconsistent with his usual style of life. When I saw this thing, I couldn't help but comment.

He said: "Ah, I forgot I haven't seen you again for several weeks. This is a souvenir from the King of Bohemia for my assistance in the case of Irene Adler." busy."

"And that ring?" I asked, pointing to the radiant diamond ring on his finger.

"It was given to me by the royal family of the Netherlands. Because the case was relatively mysterious, I didn't say a word even to you, my friend who has been carefully recording my little things."

"So, do you have any case here now?" I asked curiously.

"There are eleven or twelve cases, but none of them are of great significance. You should know that they are all important, but they are all unremarkable. Through handling cases, I found that generally unimportant cases have room for observation and analysis. The cases are more interesting. The bigger the crime, the simpler the case, because the criminal motive is more obvious in that kind of case. Among the eleven or twelve cases I have handled, the case of Marseille is relatively complicated, and the others are not interesting. But , there may be some interesting cases in a while, if I am not wrong in my judgment, a client is here now."

He got up from his chair and went to the window, through which he looked down on the windy London streets.I looked over his shoulder and on the other side of the street stood a tall woman with a fur boa around her neck and a wide-brimmed hat tilted like a coquettish Duchess of Devine , with a big feather stuck in the hat.She was dressed like this, but she looked a little flustered, looking up at our window hesitantly, shaking her body back and forth, fiddling with the buttons on her gloves impatiently.Suddenly, like a swimmer who has plunged into the water, she rushed across the street, and then we heard the shrill clang of the doorbell.

Throwing the butt of his cigarette into the fireplace, Holmes said: "I've seen this phenomenon before. Shaking up and down on the sidewalk usually indicates that a pornographic incident has taken place. She was eager to ask others, but she didn't know whether she should keep it a secret." But we have to treat it differently. When a woman is deeply hurt by a man, she stops hanging around. It is usually by eagerly ringing the doorbell of the person she wants advice, and pulling the doorbell cord in a hurry. Both. We can make the case a love case, but the girl is not angry, but confused or sad. Here she is, and our mystery will be solved."

Just as he was talking, he heard a soft knock on the door.A diminutive servant in a black uniform came in to announce Mary?Miss Sutherland is visiting.Before the words were finished, Miss Sutherland had already stood behind the servant, her posture was like a merchant ship returning with a full load entering port behind a small pilot boat.Sherlock Holmes welcomed her visit with a grace in which he was the best of the best; and, closing the door, made way for her with a bow.And in his characteristic nonchalant way, he sized up the visitor.

"My eyes are short-sighted, don't you find it difficult to type so many words?" He said.

"It was a bit difficult at first, but now I can type blindly." But she suddenly realized what Holmes meant by saying this, and she was startled, and looked up with an expression of awe on her broad, kind face. "You have heard about me, Mr. Holmes?" she cried. "How else do you know so well?"

"Never mind," said Holmes, laughing, "that it is my business to be informed. Perhaps I have trained myself to see things that no one else notices. Otherwise, why did you come to me in such a hurry? !"

"I heard about you from Mrs. Etheridge. The police and almost everyone thought the husband was dead, and stopped looking for him; but you brought him back without much trouble. After I heard this, I came to you for advice. Oh, Mr. Holmes, I hope you can help me as you helped her! Although I am not rich, except for the typewriter that can help me earn money, I spend every year Another hundred pounds is at my disposal. I will give it all to you if you will help me find out what happened to Hesmer Angel."

"Why did you leave home in such a hurry to find me?" said Holmes.

Mary?Miss Sutherland looked even more surprised.She said: "Yes, I have come quite unexpectedly. My friend Mr. Hesmer Angel has disappeared, and my father, Mr. Windibank, is indifferent to the matter. He will neither report it to the police nor come to you. Come here, he doesn't do anything, so I immediately put on my clothes and came to you."

"Your father," said Holmes, "is your stepfather. You have different names."

"Yes, he is my stepfather. Since he is only five years and two months older than me, it is absurd for me to call him father."

"Is your mother still alive?"

"Yes, she is still alive. Mr. Holmes, she married not long after my father died, and the man was fifteen years younger than her. I am very dissatisfied with my mother. My father is in Totnam Court Road. In the pipe business. He left a large business which my mother shared with Mr. Addy the foreman. But since Mr. Windibank came he forced my mother to sell the business, because he was a traveling salesman, The wine sellers are in a better position. They sold the management rights and property rights and got 15 pounds. If my father was alive, he would definitely get more money."

I expected Holmes to be impatient with such a vague narrative, but, to my surprise, he listened very carefully.

He asked: "Did you get these incomes from this enterprise?"

"No, sir. It's my other income. It was left to me by Uncle Nader in Auckland. It's New Zealand shares, and the interest is four and a half per cent. The amount of shares is [-] pounds, but I can only use the interest." .”

"I am very interested in this," said Holmes. "Since you can get a hundred pounds a year, plus the money you earn from typing, you can travel and live a comfortable life. I am sure that a celibate A woman can live well on sixty pounds."

"I could quite well live on less than sixty pounds, Mr. Holmes. But you must consider that I would not wish to be a burden to them if I lived at home. Therefore, as long as we live together, They spend my money, but it is also for a short time. Mr. Windibank regularly withdraws my interest to my mother, and the money I earn by typing is enough. Earn two for each type. Pennies, usually fifteen to twenty cards a day."

Holmes said: "I have a general understanding of your situation. This is my friend Dr. Watson. There is nothing to be unreasonable in front of him. Please tell me about your relationship with Mr. Hesmer Angel. .”

Miss Sutherland blushed and caressed her fringe with her hands involuntarily. "I first saw him at a dance at the Gas Fitters," she said. "They used to give the ball tickets to my father, and then they remembered us and passed them on to my mother. But Wen Mr. Dubank doesn't want us to go, he doesn't want us to go anywhere. He'd be pissed off even if I wanted to go to church. But this time I'm going and I'm going, what right does he have to stop me Going to the dance? All my father's friends went there, and he said I wasn't fit to hang out with them. And said I didn't have the right clothes for this kind of dance, but my purple plush was in the drawer, Haven't worn one yet. Finally he couldn't help it, and went to France on business for the company. I went to the ball with my mother; and Mr. Hardy, who used to be a foreman. I was at the ball Know Mr Hesmer Angel."

"I suppose Mr. Windibank must have been very angry when he came back from France," said Holmes.

"No, he has a very good attitude, and said that it is no use preventing a woman from doing what she wants to do."

"I see. It means you met that Mr. Hesmer Angel at the Gasman's Ball."

"Yes, sir, I met him that night, and he called the next morning to ask if we had arrived home safely.

"He called again in the evening. After that I had two walks with him, but then my father came back. So Mr. Hesmer Angel can't come to my house anymore."

"You're saying you can't, right?"

"Yes, my father didn't like that kind of thing. He never allowed any visitors as long as he could stop it. He always said that a woman should be at home with her own family, but I used to tell my mother that a woman must first You have to have your own circle, and I still don’t have my own small circle.”

"Has Mr. Hesmer Angel managed to see you again, then?"

(End of this chapter)