The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 116 The Return (31)
"I didn't expect to meet her again, but I was promoted after returning from my last voyage, and the new ship hadn't launched yet, so I was going to spend two months at Seatonham with my crew. One day, I was in Met her old maid, Teresa Ritter, in a country lane. Teresa told me in detail what had happened to her, and what had happened to her husband. Gentlemen, I tell you, it just pissed me off. Crazy. How dare that drunk beat her. He's not worthy to lick her heels. I met Teresa again. Then I met Mary herself, and then she again. She didn't want to see me again Yes. But one day I got notice that I was going to sea in a week, so I decided to see her once before I went. Teresa always helped me, because she loved Mary and hated the villain as much as I did. Teresa told I know their living habits. Mary often reads late in her hut downstairs. Last night I quietly went to tap on her window. At first she refused to open the window for me, but I know she has love in her heart My, she won't let me be out in the cold at night. She whispered to me to go to the big front window, I turned around and saw the window was open, and went into the dining room. I heard her say it herself again What made me so angry, I also once again cursed the beast that abused my beloved. Gentlemen, she and I were just standing behind the window, God behold, we are completely innocent. At this time the man rushed like a madman Come in, call her the worst words, and swing her in the face with the stick in my hand. I jump over and grab the cleaning rod, and wrestle with him. Look at my arm, he hits me with the first blow. Then it was my turn, and I smashed him like a pumpkin. Do you think I should regret it?
"No, it's either he dies or I die, and more importantly, it either dies or Mary dies. How can I let Mary stay in the hands of a lunatic? This is how I killed him. I did it wrong Is it? Gentlemen, what if you two were in my place?

"While he was beating Marie, Marie screamed, and Teresa heard voices coming down from the upstairs room. There was a bottle of wine on the sideboard, and I poured some into Marie's mouth, because she was half-dead with fright. Then I took a sip myself. Teresa was very calm, it was the idea of ​​the two of us, and we made it look like robbers murdered. Teresa repeated to her mistress the story we made up, and I climbed up and cut the bell-rope, and tied Mary to the chair, and frayed the end of the rope, otherwise it would be suspected how the robbers could have gone up and cut it. Then I took some silverware, so that The manor was robbed. Then I went away, and agreed to call the police in a quarter of an hour. I threw the silver in the cistern, and went to Seatonham, feeling that it was the best thing I could do in my life. That is the truth, the whole truth, Mr Holmes, do you mean to hang me?"

Holmes smoked in silence for a while.Then he walked up to our guest and took his hand.

He said, "What you say is what I think. I know that every word of yours is true. Only an acrobat or a sailor can reach the bell rope from the bracket on the wall, and only a sailor can hit that chair." The kind of knot on the boat. This lady only had contact with the sailor during that voyage. Since she tried her best to cover the sailor, it shows that the sailor is of the same social status as hers, and it also shows that she loves the sailor. So you know, once I It's easy to catch the right lead and find you."

"I thought the police would never see through our scheme."

"I believe that policeman never will. Captain Crocker, although I admit that you acted after the most serious provocation, but the consequences are serious. I am not sure whether your self-defense can be regarded as legal. It depends on the British Empire." The jury will decide. But I sympathize with you so much that you have twenty-four hours to escape, and I promise no one will stop you."

"Is this going to be all right?"

"Surely nothing will happen."

The sailor blushed with anger, and said: "How can you suggest such a thing to a man? I know a little of the law, and I know that Mary will be arrested as an accomplice. You think I can slip away by myself." Let her suffer the consequences? No, Mr. Holmes, let them do with me as they please, but for God's sake, please find a way to save Mary from judgment."

Holmes held out his hand a second time to the sailor.

"I just tested you, and this time you have withstood the test. However, I have a great responsibility. I have already enlightened Hopkins, and if he is not good at thinking, I will leave it alone. Captain Crocker , yes, we shall settle it in the proper form of the law. Captain Crocker, you are the prisoner. Watson, you are an English juror, and you are the best juror. I am the judge. Gentlemen of the jury , you have heard the testimony. Do you think this prisoner is guilty or innocent?"

I said, "Not guilty, Your Honor."

"The voice of the people is the voice of God. Captain Crocker, you may retire. As long as the law finds no other victims, I guarantee your safety. You will return to this woman in a year's time. I hope Her future, and your future, will justify the verdict we passed tonight."

second bloodstain

I had originally resolved to write no more thrilling stories about my friend Mr. Sherlock Holmes after finishing Grange Manor.I made this decision not because of lack of material, I still have hundreds of cases on hand that I have not used; nor because readers have lost interest in the unique and unique way of solving crimes of this excellent man.The real reason is that Mr. Holmes is unwilling to continue to publish his experience.In fact, recording his deeds is valuable to his detective work, but he has decided to leave London to do his favorite research and beekeeping in the Sussex Downs, so he does not wish to continue to publish his experience, and repeatedly Told me to respect his wishes.I told him that I had made it clear to my readers that my story would end with the publication of "The Second Bloodstain" and that it was only fitting that I conclude with such an important international case.So, in the end, I got his permission to speak carefully about the case to the public.When telling this story, some details may be a bit vague, which is the reason I have to reserve some, please forgive me.

In the autumn of a certain year--the exact year cannot be stated, the reader will excuse me--on a Tuesday morning our humble lodgings in Baker Street received two eminent European guests.One was the famous Lord Bellinger, who was Prime Minister of the United Kingdom twice.His nose bridge is high, his eyes are piercing, and his expression is majestic.The other has a dark complexion, a handsome face, and an elegant demeanor. Although he is not middle-aged, he seems to have a lot of experience.He is Mr. Trelawney Hope, Secretary of State for European Affairs, the most promising politician in England.The two of them sat side by side on the sofa bench full of documents, looking worried and anxious.It can be seen that they must have come here for something important.The Prime Minister, with veiny hands clutching the ivory handle of an umbrella, looked from me to Holmes with a sad, haggard, serious face.The European Minister twirled his beard uneasily and played with the pendant of his watch.

"Mr. Holmes, at eight o'clock this morning I found that important documents were missing and reported to the Prime Minister immediately. We will follow the Prime Minister's advice and we will come to you."

"Have you reported it to the police?"

The Prime Minister said in familiar swift and decisive fashion: "No, we cannot do this. Informing the police means that the documents will be released to the public, which is not what we want to see."

"Sir, why is that?"

"Because this document is very important. Once it is made public, it will easily, or possibly complicate the situation in Europe. It may even be said that this document is related to the issue of war and peace. Unless the document is recovered secretly, there is no need to bother. Because the purpose of stealing documents is to publish the contents of the documents.”

"I see. Mr. Trilony Hope, please describe exactly the circumstances under which the document was lost."

"Well, Mr. Holmes, a few words will suffice. We received a letter from a foreign sovereign six days ago. It is of such importance that I dare not put it in the safe, but I took it home every day to my house in Whitehall and locked it in a paper box in my bedroom. It was there last night, that's true. I opened the box while I was changing for dinner and saw the papers were still there Inside. It was gone this morning. The file box sat overnight next to the dresser mirror in my bedroom. My wife and I slept alertly enough to be sure no one had entered the house during the night, but the files were missing Fly."

"What time did you have dinner?"

"07:30."

"What did you do before bed?"

"My wife was out at the theatre. I've been sitting in the outhouse waiting for her. We didn't go to bed until 11:30."

"In other words, the file box was left unattended for four hours."

"No one is allowed to enter the bedroom at any time except my own servant and my wife's maid in the morning. These two servants have been with us for a long time and are completely reliable. Besides, who of them It is also impossible to know that in my file box there are more important things than ordinary papers."

"Who knew there was such a letter?"

"No one in the family knows."

"Your wife must know?"

"No, sir. I didn't tell her until this morning when something happened."

The Prime Minister nodded approvingly and said: "Sir, I have known for a long time that your sense of responsibility is very strong. I am convinced that the confidentiality of such an important letter is more important than the personal feelings in the family."

The European Secretary nodded and said: "Thank you for the compliment. I hadn't said a word about the letter to my wife until this morning."

"Will she figure it out?"

"No, she won't, and no one will guess."

"Have you ever lost a file before?"

"No, sir."

"Who else in England knows of such a letter?"

"I informed the cabinet ministers of such a letter yesterday. Every day the cabinet meeting emphasized confidentiality. At yesterday's meeting, the Prime Minister reminded everyone very solemnly. My God, I lost it myself after a few hours! He grabbed his hair with his hands, his expression was extremely depressed, and his handsome face became very ugly.It was immediately apparent that he was a passionate, impulsive, very sensitive person.Then his aristocratic expression returned to his face, and his tone softened.

"Besides the cabinet ministers, there are two, possibly three other officials who know of the letter. I can assure you, Mr. Holmes, that no one else in England knows."

"But what about abroad?"

"I believe that no one abroad has seen this letter except the writer. I am convinced that the writer did not let his ministers know, nor did he follow the normal diplomatic channels."

Holmes considered for a while, then said: "Sir, I must understand the main content of this letter. Why should the loss of this letter have such serious consequences?"

The two politicians exchanged quick glances, and the Prime Minister said with a thick eyebrow furrowed: "The envelope is long, thin, and light blue. It has red wax varnish on it, with the imprint of a crouching lion. The addressee's The name is written large and prominently..."

Holmes said: "These details are indeed important and worthy of attention, but for the purpose of investigation, what I care about is the essence of the matter. What is the content of the letter?"

"That's the most important state secret, I'm afraid I can't tell you, and I don't think it's necessary. If you can use your ability to find the envelopes and letters I'm talking about, you will be rewarded by the state, and you will get highest reward."

Sherlock Holmes stood up smiling, and said: "You two have a lot of work to do, but I, a little detective, am also very busy and have many visits. I regret this matter very much and cannot help you. Let the conversation continue." Just a waste of time."

The Prime Minister stood up immediately, and from his deep-set eyes shot a look that could make all the cabinet ministers look in awe.He said, "Talk to me like this..." But, controlling his rage, he sat down again.We sat in silence for a minute or two and no one spoke.The aged statesman shrugged his shoulders and said: "Mr. Holmes, we can accept your terms. You are right that you can only ask for your favor if you have complete confidence in you."

"I agree with you," said the young politician.

"I believe that you and your colleague Dr. Watson can keep their promises, so I decided to tell you the whole thing. I also believe that you have strong patriotism, because once this matter is exposed, our country will face unimaginable disaster."

"You can trust me with confidence."

"A foreign sovereign has written this letter outraged at the development of our colonies. It has been hastily written, and is entirely his own. Inquiries show that his ministers were ignorant of the matter. Meanwhile, This letter is also very inappropriate, and some words are provocative. Publication of this letter will anger the British. It will also cause an uproar in the public opinion circle. I am sure that if this letter is published, the war will come a week It will explode."

Holmes wrote a name on a slip of paper and gave it to the Prime Minister.

"Yes, it was him. The letter was lost somehow and it could have cost hundreds of millions of pounds in wealth and hundreds of thousands of lives."

"Have you notified the person who wrote this letter?"

"Notified, sir, a coded telegram has just been sent."

"Perhaps it was he who wished to publish the letter."

"No, we have reason to believe that the writer of the letter has felt too hasty and hasty about this matter. If this letter is made public, he and his country will be hit harder than Britain."

"If that's the case, who would benefit from publishing the letter? Why would anyone steal and publish the letter?"

"Mr. Holmes, this involves complicated and tense international political relations. It is not difficult to guess the motive for stealing this letter if you only consider the current situation in Europe. The entire European continent is an armed camp, with two military alliances evenly matched. , Great Britain remains neutral and maintains the balance between them. If Britain is forced to go to war with a coalition, it will inevitably give the countries of that coalition the upper hand, whether they join the war or not. Do you understand?"

"You have made it very clear. That is to say, it is the enemies of the sovereign who want to obtain and publish this letter, with the aim of breaking the relations between the country of the author and ours."

"Correct."

"If this letter fell into the hands of some enemy, to whom would he give it?"

"To a minister of any country in Europe. Perhaps the bearer is hurrying by train to his destination."

Mr. Trilony Hope bowed his head and gave a groan of pain.The Prime Minister put his hand on his shoulder and said comfortingly: "Dear friend, you are unlucky, but no one can blame you. You are prudent enough. Mr. Holmes, you understand the whole thing. What do you think should be done next?" Woolen cloth?"

Holmes shook his head helplessly, and said, "Gentlemen, do you think that war will break out if this letter is not found?"

"I think there's a good chance it will."

"Then, gentlemen, get ready for war."

"But, Mr. Holmes, it is hard to say whether the letter will be recovered or not."

"Considering the circumstances, it is conceivable that the papers were taken before 11:30 p.m., as Mr. Hope and his wife were in the house from then until they were discovered missing. The letters are then It was stolen between 07:30 and 11:30 last night, probably a little after 07:30, because the person who stole the letter knew that the letter was in the file box and wanted to get it as soon as possible. In this case, then Where is the letter now? No one will hold the letter for long, and it will reach those who need it as soon as possible. We have no time to find the letter, or find out where it is? So the letter is Can't get it back."

The Prime Minister stood up from the couch and said helplessly: "Mr. Holmes, what you said is completely logical. I feel that there is really nothing we can do."

"For the purpose of studying the matter, we shall assume that the letter was taken by the maid or valet..."

"They are old servants, faithful and reliable."

"I remember you said that your bedroom is on the second floor, and there is no door leading directly to the outside of the building. Anyone who goes there from outside the building will definitely be seen. So someone in your family must have taken it. Then the thief Who was the letter given to? To an international spy or agent? I know these people well. There are three of their leaders. I will first investigate one by one to see if they are still there. If a person is missing , especially since it disappeared last night, then we can follow the clues and find out the whereabouts of the documents."

The Minister of European Affairs asked: "Why does he have to leave? He can definitely send the letter to the embassies of various countries in London."

"I don't think so. These agents are independent and their relationship with the embassy is often tense."

The Prime Minister nodded in agreement: "Mr. Holmes, you are right. He wants to deliver such a precious thing to the headquarters by himself. The action plan you are going to take is very good. Hope, we have other business, don't let it go because of this matter." Ignore the unfortunate incident. If there are new developments today, we will let you know, and please tell us about the results of your investigation."

After bidding us farewell, the two politicians departed solemnly.

(End of this chapter)