Sherlock Holmes Complete Works 1

Chapter 70 Adventure History 30
The marriage of Lord Saint-Simon, and its peculiar ending, was no longer a new and interesting topic in the high society of his society.While a new scandal takes the foreground, the drama of four years ago goes into the background, replaced by more intriguing details and drama.However, as a friend of Sherlock Holmes who has made outstanding contributions to this matter, I feel that he has made great efforts to reveal the truth of this incident. I think it is necessary to make a detailed record of this incident. Otherwise, any achievements about him will be incomplete.

It goes back to the first few weeks of my marriage, when I lived with Holmes in Baker Street.One day, after returning from an afternoon walk, Holmes saw one of his letters on the table.It rained suddenly that day, and a bullet left in my leg started to make my wound ache.So I stay all day.All the news of the day entered my brain, and I put the newspaper aside, and as I read the letter, enclosed in a large crest and monogram, I wondered to myself which nobleman had written it to him. .

When he came in, I said: "Here's a stylish letter, and if I remember correctly, those letters you got in the morning were from a fresh fishmonger and customs inspector, didn't you?"

"That's right," he said with a smile, "usually the more ordinary people are, the more interesting their letters are. But you see, this letter comes from the upper class, like a subpoena, if you say you don't hate it, it's purely against you." Lying to yourself."

He tore open the envelope and finished reading the letter.

"Hey, come and see, maybe it's an interesting thing?"

"So it's not a social document?"

"No, it's clearly transactional."

"From an agent of a nobleman?"

"And he is one of the highest-ranking nobles in England."

"Congratulations!"

"But to be honest, Watson, I can assure you that the most important thing to me is not how high his status is. I am only interested in the case itself. But for the progress and investigation of the case, knowing his social status It's also very important. You've been reading the papers carefully these days, haven't you?"

"Probably so!" I pointed to the pile of old newspapers in the corner, and said, "I can only do this."

"Great, maybe you can give me some new information. I don't read anything in the papers except crime notices and missing persons. Missing persons are always instructive, aren't they? Since you've been Stick to the papers, and you must have read something about Lord San Simeon and his wedding?"

"Yes, I read this as interesting news."

"Very well, this letter is from the lord. I will read it to you, and you will turn to the papers and give me some useful information. Here is what he wrote:

'Dear Mr. Sherlock Holmes:

On the recommendation of Lord Buckwater, I have no doubts in your super analysis and judgment ability.So I decided to drop by and ask about some of the sad and unexpected events of my wedding.Inspector Raymond Reid of Scotland Yard has taken up the case.But he states that it is necessary to cooperate with you.He even said that your help means a lot.At four o'clock in the afternoon, I will come to ask for advice in person. If you have an appointment at that time, I hope you can still arrange another time to meet in the future, because this matter is very important to me.

Sincerely San Simeon'

The letter, from Grove House, was written with a quill, and the lord had accidentally stained a drop of ink on his right little finger. said Holmes to me as he opened the letter.

"He arrived at four o'clock, and it's three o'clock now."

"Then, if I can get your help, I still have time to deal with the ins and outs of this matter. Sort out the relevant content in the newspaper and arrange them in chronological order. Let's take a look at the life experience of this client." He said from He took out a book from the bookcase and said happily, "Here it is!" He sat down and put the book on his knees, "Robert? Walsingham? Deville? Lord San Simeon, Duke of Balmoral Second son. Look! Medal, sky-blue background, black ribbon with three caltrops. Born in 41, now [-] years old. Served in the upper government as Under-Secretary for the Colonies. He The duke's father was also for a time foreign secretary. They were Anjou blood, and were his direct descendants, and the mother was Tudor blood. Alas! None of that mattered. Still. In my opinion, your information is the most important."

"It didn't take me long to find what you needed," I said. "It happened not long ago, and it left a deep impression on me. But I didn't dare to tell you in the past, because I knew you I have another case at hand, and I don't want to disturb you while you're busy with other cases."

"Oh, are you talking about the Grosvenor Square furniture mover incident? I understand it perfectly now--I knew it at first, too. Please tell me what you got in the papers!"

"Listen, here's the first piece of news I found. It was in the bulletin column of the Morning Post. Look at the date, and lo and behold, it's been a few weeks ago."

'(It is said) the second son of the Duke of Balmoral, Robert?Lord of San Simeon, with San?Aloysius of Francisco?Mr. Dolan's only daughter Hattie?Miss Dolan's marriage has been arranged. If this rumor is true, the wedding ceremony will be held in the near future. '

"that's it."

"Very concise," said Holmes.

"But within a week there was a more detailed account in the society papers, see here:

'Calls for protectionist policies will emerge more clearly in the marriage market in the near future.Because the current free-trade marriage policy seems to be more and more unfavorable to our British female compatriots.Great British families were left out in the cold, handed down one by one by female cousins ​​from across the Atlantic.As of last week, another extremely prominent name appeared on the raiders' list of trophies. Lord San Simeon, who has not considered marriage for 20 years, has now announced that he is about to marry California millionaire daughter Hattie?Miss Dolan married.Miss Dolan is an only child. Her elegant and dignified appearance, pretty and curvaceous figure, and lively expression of manners have attracted great attention from many sides at the celebration reception at Westbury Palace.Rumors have recently swirled that her dowry will be in the six figures, with other benefits expected.It has become an open secret that the Duke of Balmoral has been forced to sell off his collection in recent years.And Lord St. Simon had almost nothing but Birchmoor Heath.For both parties, the heiress from California became dame in England, and it was clear that he wasn't the only one who benefited from the marriage. '"

"Is there any more news?" Holmes was already yawning.

"There is still more, and there is another text message in the "Morning Post" saying: 'The wedding will be kept simple; and it is scheduled to be held at St. George's Cathedral; then he will invite several friends to attend; after the wedding, the newlyweds and relatives Will return to the flats rented by Mr. Aloysius Dolan at Lancaster Gate. Two days later, last Wednesday, a brief announcement was made that the wedding had taken place. The newlyweds will be at the Honeymoon at Lord Buckwater Cottage.' That's all the news coverage of the bride before she disappeared."

"Before what?" Holmes was startled.

"Before this lady disappeared."

"Then when exactly did she disappear?"

"At breakfast after the wedding."

"Indeed, it's much more interesting than originally imagined, no, it's a bit dramatic."

"Yes, it was the unusualness that drew my attention to the whole incident."

"Brides always like to disappear before the wedding, and some disappear during the honeymoon, but it's the first time I've heard of someone disappearing at this time like this. Please tell me the details."

"I must first declare that the information I have collected is not very complete."

"But I think we can piece it all together in our heads."

"That's the fact. There was a more detailed article in yesterday's morning paper, and I'll read it to you. The headline is 'Strange Incidents at High Society Weddings.'

'Robert?The unexpected misfortune of Lord San Simeon after the wedding made the Lord's family panic.The morning before yesterday, the wedding was held as usual, and yesterday's newspaper had made a brief report, but it was not until a few days ago that some anecdotes and details that kept circulating were confirmed.Although relatives and friends try to minimize the impact of this matter, this matter has aroused great concern from the public society.Therefore, as a party concerned, it is very unwise and useless to ignore this matter that has become a topic of public discussion.

The wedding took place in St. George's Cathedral in Hanoverplatz. The ceremony was simple, as if trying to avoid publicity.Except Aloysius, father of the bride?Mr. Dolan, Lady Balmoral, Lord Buckwater, Lord Eustace, and Clara?Miss San Simeon (brother and sister of the groom) and Alicia?There was no one else but Mrs. Whittington.After the wedding, the party went to Aloysius's apartment in Lancaster Gate, where breakfast was prepared.At this time, it seems that a woman is causing trouble, but the name of this person is unknown.She followed the bride and her family and friends in an attempt to break in and claimed the right to claim against Lord St Simon.This person entangled with everyone for a long time before being driven away by the housekeeper and servants.

Fortunately, the bride had already entered the room to have breakfast with her relatives and friends before that, but the bride suddenly felt unwell in the middle, so she said goodbye and went back to her room to rest.Shortly after the bride left, family and friends were still talking about her departure, and the bride's father went to find her in the bedroom.But according to the maid, the bride did not stay in the bedroom for a long time, and after a while she took a long coat and a cap and went downstairs.Another valet confirmed that a woman had indeed left the apartment in this attire, but the valet could not believe it was his mistress.Aloysius?After confirming that his daughter was indeed missing, Mr. Dolan immediately reported the case to the police together with the groom.Currently, the matter is under investigation.I believe this bizarre case will soon come to light.However, as of late last night, Miss Hatty's whereabouts were still unknown.Now there are many rumors about the whereabouts of the bride. Some people say that the bride may have been killed. It is said that the police have arrested the suspected troublemaker woman, thinking that she may be involved in the disappearance of the bride. '"

"are these all?"

"Just a short message in another morning paper, but I thought it was illuminating."

"The content is..."

"Miss Flora Miller, indeed the troublemaker, is in custody now. She seems to have been an actress at Allegro's ballet company before, and she and the groom have known each other for several years, and there seems to be no more." The details. Just from the newspapers, these are almost all the information. I believe you have already understood the whole case."

"It's a really interesting case, and I must try to get to the bottom of it. Listen, Watson, the doorbell is ringing. It is four o'clock, and our client must be here. Don't try to leave, Watson, I hope." You are my witness, test my memory."

"Robert? Lord San Simeon!" our little boy announced, opening the door.A gentleman walked in.He was quick, with a vigilance that belied his age.He was very well dressed, and he walked slowly into the room, his eyes roaming from left to right, and he played with the chain of his glasses with his right hand.

"Good day, Lord St. Simeon." Holmes rose and bowed to him. "Please take a seat. This is my friend and colleague, Dr. Watson. Let us begin to discuss the matter."

"It is a matter of great distress to me, Mr. Holmes, and I am aware that you have successfully handled several delicate cases, though I suppose those clients were not of the same social position as this one."

"But in fact, the client's social status has declined."

"I'm sorry, please say it again."

"In my last case of this kind, the client was a king."

"Really? Who?"

"King of Scandinavia."

"Is his wife missing too?"

"You must understand," said Holmes, "that I keep as much secrecy from any client as I do from you."

"Of course, I beg your pardon. I also want to tell you everything I think will be useful to you about the case."

"Thank you very much, I have only seen sporadic reports in the newspapers. Can I believe that all these reports are true, such as this one about the disappearance of the bride."

Lord San Simeon looked at it and said, "Yes, all reports are completely true."

"However, anyone needs to get as much supplementary material as he needs before giving his opinion, and so do I-I hope I can get the facts I want to know by asking you questions."

"please!"

"When did you know Hatty? Miss Dolan?"

"A year ago, in San Francisco."

"Were you traveling in America then?"

"Yes."

"Were you engaged then?"

"No."

"But you have maintained a friendly exchange."

"I'm just happy to hang out with her, and I know she feels that too."

"She has a rich father?"

"It's said to be the richest on the West Coast."

"How did he get rich?"

(End of this chapter)