Sherlock Holmes Complete Works 1

Chapter 7 Research on Scarlet Characters 7
After a busy morning, my originally weak body felt more tired.Holmes went to the concert in the afternoon, and I lay on the sofa trying to take a nap, but I couldn't fall asleep.All kinds of things that happened in the morning are still in my mind.Some outlandish fancies and speculations haunted me, and I could not shake them off.As soon as he closed his eyes, the terrifying face of the dead appeared in front of his eyes.That face made a deep impression on me.From this point of view, I really have to thank the murderer. If appearance can represent a person's sin, it is talking about a person like Inauke Din Draper.However, I still think that justice should be served, because in law, the victim's bad behavior cannot be offset by the murderer's crime.

Holmes concluded that the deceased had been poisoned, and I believe he must have done so by sniffing the lips of the deceased.There were neither wounds nor signs of being strangled on the body. If he didn't die from poisoning, how did he die?There were no signs of a fight in the house, and no murder weapon was found.But there was blood on the ground.How can this be explained?Unless these problems are resolved, neither Holmes nor I can sleep.But now it seems that he is so calm and easy that he must have grasped the whole case, but I can't deduce it yet.

Holmes came back very late, and I do not think he would have heard so late at the music.When he returned, supper was already on the table.

"Today's concert was great!" He sighed and sat down, "Remember? Darwin once said that before human beings have the ability to speak, they already had the ability to create and appreciate music. This may be why we are easy Infected by music. In the depths of our hearts, we still retain a hazy memory of the mysterious early days of mankind."

"That's too general a statement," I said.

Holmes said: "If a man wants to explain nature, his imagination must be as wide as nature. What's the matter with you today? You don't seem to be quite right. Are you disturbed by that case?"

I said, "That's true. After that war, I should have become more familiar with it. Even on the battlefield, I have never been afraid of seeing blood and blood flying everywhere."

"I can quite understand it. It's a case that invites the imagination, and the more one thinks about it, the more frightening it becomes. Have you read the evening papers?"

"No."

"The case was reported in the evening papers, and in great detail, but it said nothing about the ring, and that was all right."

"why?"

"Take a look at the advertisement first," said Holmes. "I placed it in the papers this morning, as soon as the investigation of the case was completed."

I hastily opened the newspaper he handed me, and on the head of the "Lost and Found" it read: "A gold ring was found this morning on Brixton Road, between the White Hart Tavern and Holland Grove. The lost ones are requested to claim it at Dr. B. Watson, 221 Baker Street, between [-]:[-] and [-]:[-] tonight."

"Please don't blame me for using your name," said Holmes. "Because if my name is used, other detectives may find out, and they will intervene."

"It's nothing. But if someone does claim it, I don't have a ring," I replied.

"Here it is, this fake is exactly like the real one, enough to get by," he said, handing me a ring.

"Who do you want to claim the ring?"

"It must be the red-faced man in the square boots and the brown coat. Even if he doesn't come, he'll send an accomplice."

"Don't he think it's too dangerous?"

"Never be afraid. I believe I'm not mistaken. The man would rather take the greatest risk than lose the ring. I think he dropped the ring when he looked down at the corpse. He didn't know it at the time. When he left After going there, he found that the ring was missing, so he hurried back. When he went back, he saw that the lights in the house were on, and there were policemen inside. He knew that it was his own negligence that caused the consequences. But he was afraid that he would be suspected, so he pretended He appeared to be drunk. Of course, the purpose was to deceive the police. Let’s think about it from his standpoint. After he recalled the whole thing, he certainly did not rule out another possibility: the ring was thrown on the road. So what should he do? Next, he will search the lead columns of various newspapers, hoping to find clues. Maybe he can find a glimmer of hope. When he sees this advertisement, he will be overjoyed, Don't think it's a trap. In his opinion, there's no reason at all to link the ring with a murder. He'll come. You'll see him in an hour.

"What should I do when he comes?" I asked.

"I'll just deal with him. Have you got a weapon?"

"I still have the revolver I used in the army."

"You'd better pull out your gun and load it. He's likely to be a desperado. We should be fully prepared."

I went into the bedroom and got the gun ready as he said.When I returned to the drawing-room with my pistol, the table was cleared, and Holmes was playing with interest on his fiddle--his favorite pastime.

Seeing me come in, he said: "The case is more complicated. I have an answer to my telegram to America. Proves that I am right about the case."

I asked eagerly, "The case is...?"

"My violin would be better with new strings," he said. "You put the pistol in your pocket. When the guy comes, you pretend it's nothing wrong, and I'll take care of the rest. Don't stare at me." Watch him, so as not to startle the snake."

I looked at my watch and said, "It's eight o'clock."

"Yeah, he'll be here in a few minutes, maybe. Open the door a little bit, that'll do. Put the key in the lock on the inside. Well, thank you! Here's one I happened to get at the bookstall yesterday. This curious ancient book--The Laws of the Peoples--was written in Latin and published at Liege in the Lowlands of Scotland in 1642. When the brown-covered pamphlet was published, Charles I

[Note: Charles I (1600-1649), King of the Stuart Dynasty in England. ]'s head is still firmly on his neck. "

"Who is the publisher?"

"It's Philip Turcroy. I don't know who he is. The title page of the book says 'William? White Collection', and the ink has faded. I don't know who this William? Some practical lawyer of the seventh century, even his handwriting smacks of legal writing. Here comes our guest, I see."

As soon as he said this, the doorbell rang.Sherlock Holmes rose softly, and moved his chair towards the door.We heard the maid walking down the passage, and then heard the latch of the door as she opened it.

"Does Dr. Watson live here?" asked a clear but piercing voice.We did not hear the servant's answer, but we heard the closing of the door and the slow, dragging footsteps coming up the stairs.My companion listened for a while, with a look of surprise on his face.Footsteps came slowly along the corridor, and then there was a light knock on the door.

"Come in." I yelled.

It was not the red-faced man we expected, but an old woman with wrinkled face and shambling walk.After she came in, she seemed to be dazzled by the lights in the room.After the salute, she stood looking at us with her dim eyes, feeling in her pockets with trembling fingers.I glanced at my companion and saw his sullen expression, so I had no choice but to pretend nothing had happened.

The old woman took out an evening paper, pointed to the advertisement we had placed, and after another salute said, "That's what I'm here for, good gentlemen. A ring. It belonged to my daughter Sally. She was married this time last year, and her husband was a clerk on a British ship. I don't know what he'd think if he came back and found her ring gone. He This person is usually irritable, especially after drinking a little wine. I'm sorry, the thing is like this: she went to the circus last night with..."

"Is this her ring?" I asked.

The old woman exclaimed, "Thank God! Sally will be very happy to-night. Here is her ring."

I picked up a pencil and asked, "Where do you live?"

"Hundsditch District, Duncan Street No. 13, it's far from here."

"The Brixton Road is not the way to see the circus from Hendsditch," said Sherlock Holmes suddenly.The old woman turned away and gave Holmes a keen look with her little red eyes.She said: "The gentleman was asking where I live. Sally lives at Three Mayfield, Berkham."

"Your name is..."

"My name is Sawyer, and Sally's name is Dennis, and her husband's name is Tom Dennis. He's a shrewd, decent lad on board, and there's no one in the company like him. But when he's ashore, he's whoring and drinking." ..."

Following Holmes' suggestion, I said to her, "This ring is yours. I'm very glad that it has finally returned to its original owner."

The old woman put away the ring, said a lot of words of thanks, and walked downstairs slowly.No sooner had she gone than Holmes got up and walked quickly into his bedroom.In a few seconds, he had put on his cloak and scarf and was standing in front of me.He said: "I'm going to follow him! This old woman must be an accomplice, she can lead me to the murderer. Don't go to sleep, wait for me to come back." So he hurriedly followed.

I looked out from upstairs, and the old woman was walking feebly down the street, while my partner followed her not far away.I thought: If the original deduction is correct, Holmes will go straight to the murderer's lair tonight.In fact, he didn't have to tell me to wait for him.I can't sleep until he comes back.

It was almost nine o'clock when Holmes went out.I don't know how long he will be away, so I just sit in the room, smoking a pipe and flipping through an Anli?Mo Erjie's "Biography of Pohaimi", wait for him to come back.At ten o'clock the maid went back to bed, and at eleven o'clock the sound of the landlady's footsteps was heard going back to bed.It was almost twelve o'clock when I heard Holmes unlock the lock.After a while, he opened the door and came in. It was hard to tell whether he was happy or frustrated, but it was certain that he didn't succeed this time.But in the end, openness overcame frustration.Suddenly he laughed happily.

"It must not be known to the Scotland Yard police," said Holmes, sitting down in his chair. "They will certainly take this opportunity to take revenge on me. But even if they laugh at me, I am not afraid. Sooner or later I will." Save face."

I asked, "How's the situation?"

"It's all right to tell you about it. The guy didn't go very far before he pretended to have a sore foot and limped along. Suddenly, she stopped and stopped a carriage. I slowly approached to hear where she was going. Actually, I didn't have to do that, because her voice could be heard even across the street. I heard her say: 'Please take me to Hunts Ditch, 13 Duncan Street.' At that time, I actually believed her nonsense. After she got into the carriage, I also ran into the back of the carriage. You should know that this skill is a must for a detective Yes. In this way, the carriage took us all the way to Duncan Street. It was almost Duncan Street, I jumped out of the carriage first, and pretended to be leisurely on the street. The carriage stopped in front of No. 13 door, and the driver jumped out of the carriage , opened the car door, and waited for the man to get off, but no one came out of the car. I was surprised, and hurried to the coachman, who was groping around in the car anxiously. Cursing is the worst I’ve never heard of such swear words when I grew up. That passenger has long since disappeared, and I’m afraid I’ll have to wait until my next life to earn her fare. Let’s go to No. 13 to inquire, and the person who lives there is a A paper-maker called Carnwick, a man of integrity and good conduct, and never heard of a man called Sawyer or Dennis."

I exclaimed in amazement, "You mean that frail, limping old woman who can get out of the carriage while it's in motion, without bothering you and the coachman?"

"What old woman, we two are the real old women who have been deceived!" said Holmes angrily. "We have been deceived and don't even know it. I think the man must be a shrewd and capable young man, and the acting is quite good." Gao, you can be called an out-and-out actor. He knew that I would follow him, so he used a trick to get out of his shell and slipped away. These are enough to prove that the murderer is by no means alone, and there are many people around him. All his friends are willing to help him. It seems that that person is not as simple as we imagined. Well, go back to sleep quickly, you are tired enough."

After hearing what he said, I felt really tired, so I went back to my bedroom to sleep.Holmes sat alone by the fire, thinking about that question.The melodious sound of the piano sounded again in the dark night, as if whispering softly.

(End of this chapter)