The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 112 The Return (27)
"Here are the last words of a telegram sent by Godfrey Staunton some hours before his disappearance. We have lost at least six words of the telegram, but what remains proves that the young man saw grave danger approaching. He heads, and states that there is another person who can protect him. Note 'us'! There is a third person involved. Who could it be but the bearded man who is pale and looks very nervous himself? So, What is the relationship between Godfrey and the bearded man? In the face of imminent danger, who will the two of them turn to for help? Our investigation should start from these questions."

"We'll just have to find out to whom the telegram was sent," I suggested.

"My dear Watson, this is the next thing to do. Your method can solve the problem, and I have thought so too, but you must know that if you go to the post office and ask to see someone else's telegram manuscript, the post office staff will not take it lightly. I promise you. The formalities involved in such a business are cumbersome, but I believe that by some ingenious means the object can be achieved. In your presence, Mr. Overton, I want to examine the papers left on the table."

On the table were some letters, bills, notebooks, etc., which Holmes leafed through quickly and earnestly.After a while he said, "There's nothing wrong with these things. He doesn't mess with anything. By the way, is your friend Staunton in good health and clear mind?"

"He's very physically fit."

"Has he ever been ill?"

"Never been sick. But he was lying on the hospital bed for a few days because of a kick to his shin, and he was injured because of a slip and fall on his knee, but these are not illnesses."

"Perhaps he is not as robust as you think. I think he may have some undisclosed disease. With your consent, I shall take the paper or two from the table for future investigation."

Suddenly we heard someone shouting anxiously: "Wait, wait!" We looked up and saw a strange little old man standing tremblingly at the door.He was dressed in whitish black, a wide-brimmed top hat, and a wide white tie--looking rustic, like someone who worked in a funeral home.Despite his rags and comic appearance, he spoke in a crisp voice, as if he was in a hurry.This caught our attention.

He asked: "Sir, who are you? What right do you have to touch these documents?"

"I'm a private detective, and I want to find out why he disappeared."

"Are you a detective? Who invited you here?"

"It's this gentleman. He's a friend of Staunton's. He was introduced to me by Scotland Yard."

"Sir, who are you?"

"My name is Sirius Overton."

"Then it was you who telegraphed me? I am Sir Mount James, and I have come in hastily by the Basewater bus. Have you entrusted the matter to this detective?"

"Yes, sir."

"Are you ready to pay?"

"If we can find my friend Godfrey, he will pay."

"But what if you can't find him? Please answer this question!"

"If so, his family will definitely..."

The little old man screamed: "Sir, there's no such thing. Don't expect me to pay a penny--not even a penny. Do you understand, Mr. Detective? There's only me in this young man." My dear. But, I tell you, I have no responsibility for him. He may inherit my property, just because I never waste money. But I don't want him to waste my money now. You just move these things Documents, I can tell you that if there is anything of value in it, you will be fully responsible for it."

Sherlock Holmes said: "I have no objection, sir! I want to ask you a question. Are you responsible for the disappearance of this young man?"

"No, sir. He has grown up and is not young enough to be responsible for himself. He is so stupid that he can't even look down on himself. I am completely not responsible for finding him."

Holmes blinked his eyes, and said with a sneer: "I understand what you mean, and perhaps you do not understand me. People have always thought that Godfrey Staunton was a poor man. He was kidnapped, it will not be because he has Property. You are rich and famous, Sir Mount James, and it is probable that a band of robbers has taken your nephew in order to know about your house, treasure, etc."

The annoying guest turned pale in an instant, as white as his tie.

"My God, it's terrible! I didn't expect anyone to do such a bad thing! There are such inhuman villains in the world! Godfrey is a good boy--a tenacious boy. He will never betray his uncle. I am today I will deposit my belongings in the bank at night. I beseech you, Mr. Detective, to take pains to bring him back safely. As for the money, you may ask me for five or ten pounds."

The noble miser, even if he did not smell of money, would not give us the slightest useful clue, because he knew nothing of his nephew's life.We sent Sir Mount James away.Our only clue is in the surviving telegram.So Holmes picked up a copy of the fragment and went looking for other clues.Overton also went to his team to discuss how to deal with this unfortunate accident.

There is a post office not far from the hotel.We walked to the door of the post office, and Holmes said: "Watson, we can try it. Of course, if there is a certificate, we can ask for a stub to check, but there is no time to get the certificate. I think the post office is busy now and will not remember." Our looks. Let's take a chance."

To a young woman behind the lattice fence, he said nonchalantly: "Please, the telegram I sent yesterday may be a bit wrong. Since I haven't received a reply yet, I think I may have forgotten to put my name on the back." I have it. Could you please help me find it?"

She asked, "When was it posted?"

"A little past six."

"To whom?"

Holmes pressed his finger to his lips and looked at me as a gesture of silence.Then he whispered confidently: "The last words on the telegram were 'for God's sake support us'. I am anxious to get a call back."

The young woman pulled out a stub.

"That's it. It doesn't have a name on it," she said, and she spread the stubs flat on the counter.

"No wonder I didn't get a call back," said Holmes. "Oh, I was careless! Good-bye, ma'am, and thank you for helping me to find out." When we reached the street, Holmes rubbed his hands and giggled. .

I asked: "How is it?"

"A lot of progress. Watson, I have thought of seven ways to see that telegram stub, but I didn't expect it to be so easy. I succeeded the first time."

"What situation did you get?"

"I know where to start the investigation," he said.

He called a cab and went to Empire Cross Station.

"Are we going far away?"

"Yes, we must go to Cambridge. All the indications seem to be about Cambridge."

As we passed the main road in front of Gray's Hotel, I asked again: "What do you think about the reasons for Staunton's disappearance? We have not had a single case with unknown motives. Do you think the kidnapping Isn't Staunton's purpose to get his uncle's money?"

"I confess, my dear Watson, that I did not think so. It occurred to me at the time, for it was the only way to make that annoying old man nervous."

"That's all I can say, really, but what do you actually think?"

"I can talk about a few points. We will see that it happened on the eve of this important game, and it concerns a player who can decide the team. Of course, these two factors may be a coincidence, but it is very interesting. Bets are not allowed on amateur games, but there are some in the public who gamble off-course, as race-track hooligans bet on horses. That is one explanation. The second reason is obvious. The young man, although he has no money at present, , but he will one day inherit a large sum of money, and it is highly probable that he will be held for ransom."

"Both of these statements do not appear to have anything to do with that telegram."

"Yes, Watson, the telegram is still a problem we have to solve, and we should not be distracted. We have gone to Cambridge to find out what the purpose of this telegram was. It is not clear how we will investigate, but It must be confirmed before dark, at least to have an idea."

It was already dark when we reached the old university town, and Holmes hailed a cab at the railway station, and drove straight to Dr. Leslie Armstrong's house.A few minutes later, our carriage drove into a busy street and stopped in front of a luxurious house.A servant showed us in, and after a long wait we were ushered into a consulting room, where the doctor sat behind a desk.

I had too little contact with the medical community to know the name of Leslie Armstrong.Now I know that he is not only one of the heads of the Cambridge University School of Medicine, but also has profound attainments in many disciplines and is a well-known scholar in Europe.Even if a man does not know his glorious achievements, he must be deeply impressed when he sees him: a fat square face, dark eyes under heavy eyebrows, and a strong jaw that seems to be carved out of marble.I see Dr. Armstrong as sullen, quick-witted, stern, hard-working, self-controlled, and formidable.He held my friend's business card in his hand, looked up, and there was no joy on his face.

"I have heard your name, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and I know your profession--a profession I absolutely disapprove of."

My friend said quietly, "That's what every criminal in the country thinks."

"You want to stop crime, and every reasonable person in society will praise it. However, I firmly believe that official agencies can do this kind of thing well. But what you do is often criticized. You spy on other people's privacy, family You proclaim those secrets that the person involved is trying to keep under wraps, and you sometimes disturb people who are much busier than you. For example, now I should be writing my thesis instead of chatting with you."

"Doctor, there may be truth in what you say, but the facts will prove that our conversation is more important than your paper. I can tell you in passing that I have done the exact opposite of what you understand, and we have done our best to prevent private events from being made public. , and if the matter falls into the hands of the police, it is bound to be publicized. I am like an irregular advance party, ahead of the regular army. I have come to ask you about Mr. Godfrey Staunton."

"What's up with him?"

"Are you familiar with him?"

"He's a close friend of mine."

"He's missing, you know?"

"Is this true?" There was no change in the doctor's fat face.

"He left the hotel last night, and no one has seen him."

"He'll definitely be back."

"Tomorrow, college football starts."

"I don't like this kind of children's game, and Staunton's situation worries me because I know him and I like him. I don't care if any football games are played or not."

"I came here to investigate Mr. Staunton's situation, so I need your help. Do you know where he is?"

"I do not know."

"Have you seen him since yesterday?"

"No."

"Has Mr. Staunton been in good health?"

"Very healthy."

"Has he ever been ill?"

"there has never been."

Holmes suddenly took out a bill, put it before the doctor, and said: "Well, please explain this bill for thirteen guineas. It was paid by Staunton to Dr. Armstrong, Cambridge, last month. I read it from his desk. I saw this receipt in the file on the website."

The doctor, flushed with anger, replied, "Mr. Holmes, I do not think it necessary to explain to you."

Holmes put the papers back into his notebook, and said: "If you are willing to explain in public, that day will come sooner or later. I have already told you that I can cover up for my client what other detectives are bound to tell. You're still a little smart, you better tell me everything."

"I don't know anything."

"Has Staunton telegraphed you from London?"

"No."

Holmes looked a little impatient, and said with a sigh: "Alas, there is another matter at the post office! Last night at [-]:[-] Staunton sent you an urgent telegram from London. There is no doubt that this telegram and his It is related to the disappearance, but you have not received it yet. The efficiency of the post office is too low! I must go to the post office and ask them.”

Dr. Armstrong stood up suddenly, his swarthy face purple with anger.

He said: "Excuse me, sir. I ask you to go out. You may tell your client, Sir Mount James, that I do not wish to have any connection with him or his attorney. Say no more, sir." He rang the bell angrily, and shouted, "John, send these gentlemen out." A stout butler scowled and ushered us out the gate.Out in the street, Holmes laughed.

He said: "Dr. Armstrong has a very stubborn personality. I think he is the most suitable to solve the problems left by the famous scholar Dr. Moatie. Watson, we are now trapped in this unfamiliar town, but We can't leave here until this case is investigated. The small hotel opposite the Armstrong's house is very suitable for us to live in. You can book a room facing the street and buy some necessities for the night. I can use this time to do something investigation."

These investigations, however, took much longer than Holmes expected, and he did not return to the hotel until nine o'clock in the evening.He was pale, depressed, dusty, hungry and tired.The dinner on the table was already cold.When he had finished his meal, lighted his pipe, and was about to make his humorous and philosophic point - as he always did when things were not going well - the sound of the carriage made him rise, and we simultaneously addressed Looking out of the window, under the light of the gas lamp, a four-wheeled carriage pulled by two gray horses stopped in front of the doctor's house.

Holmes said: "The carriage left at 06:30, and came back three hours later. After traveling ten or twelve miles, he went out once a day, sometimes twice."

"Doctor visits are a regular occurrence."

"But Armstrong is not an ordinary outpatient doctor. He is a lecturer and a consultant doctor. He does not treat general illnesses because it will affect his research work. But why did he take the trouble to go to such a far place? Who is it?"

"His coachman..."

"My dear Watson, it would have been unexpected to me that I first approached this coachman for information. I don't know whether he was born obscene or shameless, or he was instigated by his master, and he let the dog out at me rudely. People Neither the dog nor the dog liked the way I looked. Anyway things didn't work out and the relationship was too tense to investigate. I got some information from a nice local guy who worked at the hotel. He told me The doctor's living habits and his daily outings. We were talking, and the carriage arrived at the door, which just proved what he said was correct."

"Didn't you follow the carriage to see?"

"Excellent, Watson! You and I have the same thoughts. You must have noticed that there is a bicycle shop next door to our hotel. I hurried into the bicycle shop and hired a bicycle. Fortunately, the carriage had not left yet. I made a desperate effort to keep up with the carriage, keeping a distance of about a hundred yards from it. I followed the lights of the carriage out of the town. I was still a long way down the country road when an unexpected incident occurred. My embarrassment. The carriage stopped suddenly, the doctor got out of the car, walked quickly to the place where I stopped, and sneered at me, saying that he was afraid that the road was too narrow and would hinder my bicycle from passing. His words were very clever. I It was obliged to overtake the carriage, and ride a few miles on the main road, and then stop at a convenient place to see if the carriage had disappeared. Sure enough, the carriage had disappeared, and had evidently turned into the fork in the road I had just seen. I I rode back, but I didn't see the carriage. Now you see, the carriage did not arrive until after I came back. Of course, I had no special reason to connect Godfrey's disappearance with Armstrong's going out, to spy on Armstrong's going out, I just think that everything related to him is worthy of our attention. Now I find that he is careful if someone follows him, so his going out must be very important. I can’t feel at ease if I don’t understand this matter.”

"We will continue to follow him tomorrow."

"Two of us? It's not as simple as you think. Are you familiar with the geography of Cambridgeshire? It's not easy to hide here. The countryside I've walked this evening is all flat and tidy, and the people we're following are Far from being an idiot, he showed that much tonight. I telegraphed Overton to call back here to let us know if there was anything new in London. In the meantime, we're going to keep our attention on Armstrong Well, it was the kind lady at the post office who let me know the man from the stub. I could swear he knew where Staunton was. If he knew and we couldn't find out, it was our own fault .Now, we must admit that the key card that determines the outcome is still in his hands. Watson, you understand that I have no bad habit of giving up halfway."

The next day, we still couldn't solve the mystery, and things didn't progress.A letter arrived after breakfast. Holmes read it, smiled, and handed it to me.The letter reads as follows:
teacher:

I can tell you that following me is a waste of time.You found out last night that there is a window in the back of my carriage, so if you'd like to walk twenty miles to and fro, so be it.At the same time I will tell you that it will do Mr. Godfrey Staunton no good to follow me.If you want to help him, you'd better go back to London and tell your client that you can't find him.Your time at Cambridge is going to be wasted.

Leslie Armstrong
"The doctor is a frank and outspoken opponent," said Holmes. "He has aroused my curiosity, and I must find out before I go."

(End of this chapter)