The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 12 Research on Scarlet Characters (11)
Noticing her father's look, she said, "I can't help it, because he's so loud it can be heard all over the house. Oh, Papa, Papa, what are we going to do?"

"Don't be afraid," he said, drawing her close to him, and stroking her hair with his thick hand, "we can always find a way. Your love for that boy will not be cold." Come down, will you?"

Lucy didn't answer, she just held her old father's hand tightly and sobbed silently.

"No, of course not. I don't like to hear you say you will. He's a promising lad, and he's a Christian. That alone makes him a better guy than anyone here, whether they're I don't care how much they preach. A party is leaving for Nevada tomorrow morning, and I'm going to send Hope a letter to let him know how bad we are. If I know the young man well. , then he will definitely come running back as if he were riding a telegraph.”

Lucy laughed through her tears when she heard what her father said.

"When he comes back, he'll find a way for us. But I'm worried about you, Dad. Someone's heard... about the terrible things against the Prophet, saying that anyone who opposes him There's going to be a terrible disaster," said Lucy worriedly.

Her father replied: "But we haven't opposed him yet. If we do, we'll be on our guard. We've still got a whole month to go. When the time comes, I think we'd better Get out of this place in Utah."

"Get out of Utah!" said Lucy angrily.

"That's it," her father said firmly.

"But what about the Grange?" asked Lucy, not without worry.

"What can be sold, we try to sell them for money. What can't be sold can only be forgotten. To be honest, Lucy, it's not until now that I think of doing this. As for surrendering to anyone I don't care about it as much as people here succumb to the power of their goddamn prophet. But I'm a free American and I can't stand it. I think I'm too old I can't learn what they do. But if he's going to come and run amok on my farm, he's going to get a shotgun bullet in his face," said her father.

His daughter took a different view, saying: "But they won't let us go."

"When Jefferson comes back, we shall soon be able to escape. In the meantime, you must not suffer yourself, my dear daughter, and your eyes will be swollen from crying. Otherwise, if he sees you With this appearance, you will definitely come to trouble me. There is nothing to be afraid of, and there is no danger at all."

John Ferrier spoke these words of comfort to her, with firmness and confidence.But that night, she saw that he was not the same as he used to be. He bolted the doors one by one with great care, and took down the old rusty shotgun hanging on the bedroom wall, and wiped it clean. Loaded.

eleven escape
John Ferrier left for Salt Lake City the morning after his conference with the Mormon prophet.Having found there the friend who had gone to the Sierra Nevada, he took with him a letter addressed to Jefferson Hope's trusted friend.In it he told him of the imminent danger which threatened them, and demanded his return.When the matter was settled, he felt a little lighter in his heart, and went home in a happier mood.

As he approached his farm, he was surprised to see a horse hitched to one of the posts on either side of the gate.What surprised him even more was that when he entered the house, he found two young men in the living room.One had a long, pale face, and he was reclining in a rocking-chair with his feet stretched out over the fire.The other, thick and ugly and haughty, stood at the window with his hands in his trouser pockets, humming popular hymns.They nodded to Ferrier as he entered, the one lying on the chair speaking first.

He said: "Perhaps you don't know us yet, this is the son of Elder Drebber, and I am Joseph Stangerson. When God stretches out His holy hand and brings you into the good flock, we will Traveled in the desert with you."

Another nasal voice said heavily: "God is going to bring in people from all over the world after all. Although God grinds slowly, he is very fine, without missing anything."

John Ferrier bowed grimly.He had already guessed who the two visitors were.

Stangerson continued: "We have come to propose to your daughter on the instructions of our father. Please you and your daughter to see which of the two of us you like and who is most suitable. I Well, there are only four wives, but Brother Drebber has seven. Therefore, I think my need is greater than his."

Another cried out, "No, no, Brother Stangerson. The question is not how many wives we have, but how many you and I can support. My father has given me his mill now, so I richer than you."

Stangerson said excitedly: "However, my hope is greater than yours. When God invites my old man, I can get his saltpeter field and tannery. At that time, I Even if you are an elder, my status in the church will be higher than yours."

While looking at himself in the mirror, Little Drebber put on a smile and said, "Then it's up to the girl to decide. We'd better follow her choice."

John Ferrier stood by the door all the time this conversation went on, his lungs exploding, and he could scarcely refrain from lashing the two guests down the back with his riding-whip.

Finally, he strode up to them and shouted loudly: "Listen, you can only come here when my daughter asks you to come. But, when I don't ask you to come, I don't want to see your face again."

Surprised, the two young Mormons looked at Ferrier with wide eyes.It seemed to them that it was a great honor, both for his daughter and for him, that they were vying to propose to his daughter in this way.

cried Ferrier, "There are two ways to think of this house. One is the door, the other is the window. Which one would you like to take?"

His brown face was very fierce and terrible, and his veined hands were very scary.When his two guests saw that the situation was not good, they jumped up and ran away.The old farmer followed him all the way to the door.

He said sarcastically: "You two have discussed which one is more suitable, just let me know."

"You're asking for trouble!" cried Stangerson, turning pale with anger. "You defy the Prophet, the Council of the Four Sages! You'll regret it forever!"

Little Drew also cried out, "God's hand will punish you severely. If he can make you live, he can also let you die!"

"Okay, I'll let you die first!" Ferrier shouted angrily.If Lucy had not caught him by the arm and stopped him, he would have rushed upstairs to get his gun.Before he had time to break free from Lucy's grasp, he heard a sound of hoofbeats, and he knew they were too far away to catch up.

Wiping the sweat from his brow, he said loudly: "These two nonsense little rascals! Rather than marrying you to any of them, my child, you would be better off dead."

She replied excitedly, "Dad, I will certainly do the same. But Jefferson will be back soon."

"Yes, he will be back soon. The sooner the better, we don't know what they will do next." The old father said worriedly.

Indeed, now is the time when this strong old farmer and his adopted daughter are facing the most critical situation, and they desperately need someone who can advise them to help them.In the entire history of this immigrant region, there has never been such a flagrant defiance of the power of the Four Saints.If it is said that some small mistakes will be severely punished, then what will be the result of doing such a treasonous thing?Ferrier knew that neither his wealth nor his position would help him.Before that, some famous and rich people like him were killed secretly, and all their properties were returned to the church.He was a brave man, but he shuddered at the thought of the unseen terror that had befallen him.He can grit his teeth and bravely bear any danger that is obvious.However, this terrified situation is unbearable.Even so, he hid his fear from his daughter and pretended to be nonchalant.However, his clever daughter has already seen that he is worried and uneasy.

There must have been some kind of warning, he supposed, from this act.Sure enough, the warning came out, but the way of the warning was something he never expected.The next morning, when Ferrier woke up, he was surprised to find that on the quilt, just at the place where his chest was, there was a note pinned to it, on which was written a line of heavy handwriting crookedly:
"You are limited to 29 days to correct evil and return to righteousness, and when the time expires--"

The picture behind the words is more frightening than any threat.How this warning came to his room puzzled John Ferrier.His servants slept in a separate building, and all the doors and windows were bolted.He crumpled up the note and said nothing to his daughter.However, this unexpected incident made him feel terrified.The "29 days" written on the note clearly refers to the remaining days of the January period specified by Young.Against an enemy with such mysterious powers, what use is blood and courage alone?The hand that nailed the note could stab his heart with a knife at any time, and he would never know who killed him.

The next morning, things were even more shocking to Ferrier.When they sat down to breakfast, Lucy suddenly pointed her hand up and cried out.It turned out that in the center of the ceiling, there was a number "28", apparently drawn with a charred stick.His daughter was baffled by this figure, and Ferrier did not explain it to her.That night, instead of sleeping, he held a gun and stood guard all night.Overnight, he saw nothing and heard nothing.However, the next morning, a big "27" was written on the door of his house again.

In this way, the days passed, just as the dawn must come every day, very unhappy.Every day Ferrier found his shadowy enemy memorizing figures, and in conspicuous places, writing out the days remaining in the month.Sometimes the mortal number appears on the wall, sometimes on the floor.On other occasions, the numbers were written on little slips of paper and stuck to garden gates or railings.John Ferrier, with all his vigilance, could not discover when the daily warnings came.At the sight of these warnings he felt an almost superstitious terror.He began to fidget and haggard day by day, and his eyes showed the panic-stricken look characteristic of a wild animal being pursued.His only hope now was the return of the young hunter from Nevada.

Twenty days turned into fifteen days, and fifteen days turned into ten days, and there was still no news from the people in the distance.The deadline was approaching day by day, but there was still no sign of him.Whenever there was the sound of galloping horseshoes on the road, or the shouts of the coachman yelling at the herd of cattle, the old farmer couldn't help running to the gate and looking around, thinking that his savior had finally arrived.Finally, seeing the time limit changed from five days to four days, and from four days to three days, he finally lost confidence and completely gave up the extravagant hope of escape.He was alone, and he was not familiar with the surrounding environment of the immigrant area where he lived, so he knew that he was powerless to escape.The thoroughfare has been strictly guarded, and no one can pass without the order of the Four Saints.What can he do?It seems that there is no way out, and this catastrophe is inevitable.However, the old man's determination did not waver in the slightest. He would rather die than let his daughter suffer such humiliation.

One evening he sat alone, thinking about his thoughts.But after thinking about it, he couldn't think of any way to let them escape this disaster.This morning, a "2" has already appeared on the wall of the house, and tomorrow is the last day of the one-month deadline.What will happen then?He imagined all sorts of vague and frightening scenarios.After his death, what would happen to his daughter?Can they really not escape the invisible net that has been cast?When he thought of his powerlessness, he couldn't help crying on the table.

What's this?In the silence, he heard a slight scratching sound.Although the sound is very soft, it can be heard very clearly in the dead of night.The voice came from the other side of the door.Ferrier crept into the drawing-room, where he listened, breathless.After a pause, the slight, eerie sound reappeared.Someone had obviously tapped lightly on the door.Could this be the midnight assassin who came to carry out the assassination mission of the secret court?Or, is this the bastard who is writing the deadline and the last day has come?John Ferrier suddenly felt that it would be better to die a good death than to be tortured in this way.So he jumped forward, drew the bolt, and opened the door.

There was silence outside the door.The night is bright and bright, with stars shining overhead.All that appeared before the old man was a front garden, surrounded by a fence and a gate.But neither in the garden nor on the road was there a soul.Ferrier looked left and right, breathed a sigh of relief, and relieved himself.However, he inadvertently looked down at his feet, and was taken aback -- he saw a person lying on the ground with his hands and feet stretched out straight.

He was terrified at the sight.He leaned against the wall and put his hands on his throat, so he didn't cry out.At first, he thought that the person lying on the ground might be injured or dying.But, on closer inspection, he saw him creeping swiftly and noiselessly like a snake into the living room.No sooner had the man climbed into the room than he stood up and closed the door.It turned out that it was Jefferson Hope's fierce face and his resolute expression that appeared before the stunned old farmer.

"My God!" exclaimed John Ferrier, "you frighten me. Why did you come in like this?"

"Give me some food," said Hope hoarsely, "I haven't had time to take a bite for two days and two nights." The master's supper was still on the table, so he ran over and grabbed cold meat and bread Just gobble it up.When he had had his fill, he asked, "How is Lucy?"

"Very well. She doesn't know the dangers," the father replied.

"That's good. The house is under surveillance all around. That's why I crawled all the way in. They're pretty good. But they're not even close to catching a Lake Washou hunter." A little bit."

John Ferrier was quite another man now, and he knew he had a faithful and reliable assistant.He grabbed the rough hand of the young man, held it tightly, and thanked him sincerely: "You are really a proud person. Apart from you, there is no one else who is willing to share our dangers and difficulties."

The young hunter replied: "You are right, old sir. I respect you, but if this matter concerns you alone, before I stick my head into such a hornet's nest, I'd think twice. I'm here for Lucy, and I think Lucy and I can go away before they get it, and there won't be another Hope family in Utah."

"What shall we do now?" the old farmer asked anxiously.

"Tomorrow is your deadline. Unless you act tonight, it will be too late. I got a mule and two horses, and they are waiting at Eagle Valley. How much money do you have?"

"2000 yuan gold and 5000 yuan banknotes."

"That's enough. I've got a good deal of money, too, which I can scrape together. We must go over the mountains to Carson City. You'd better wake Lucy. It's convenient that the servants don't sleep in this room."

While Ferrier went in to tell his daughter to get ready for the journey, Jefferson Hope packed up all the edible food he could find, and filled a china bottle with water.Because according to his experience, there are few wells in the mountains, and the wells are far apart.No sooner had he packed up than the farmer came out with his daughter, all dressed and ready to go.The lovers greeted each other very affectionately, but very briefly, for every minute is so precious now, and there is so much to do.

"We must go at once," said Jefferson Hope, in a low and resolute voice, like a man who knows the danger ahead, but has made up his mind to go through it with all his might. "The front and rear exits are guarded." But, if we're careful, we can still get out the side window and escape across the fields. Once we're on the road, we only have to walk two miles to Eagle's Glen, where the horses are waiting. Before daybreak , we must rush over the half-mountain."

Ferrier asked: "What if someone blocks it?"

(End of this chapter)