The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 17 Four Signatures (1)
A Deductive Study
Sherlock Holmes took a bottle of liquid medicine from the edge of the mantelpiece, and a hypodermic syringe from a neat suede leather case.He loaded the fine needle with long, white, strong fingers and rolled up the shirt cuff on his left arm.He stared at his muscular arm with many pinhole marks in thought for a while, finally pierced the needle point into the flesh, pushed the small needle point, and then lay down in the plush easy chair, panting contentedly He took a deep breath.

He does this three times a day. I have been used to it for several months, but I always don't think so.As each day passed, the irritation of the situation increased.Because I didn't have the courage to stop him, every time in the dead of night, when I think about it, I feel uneasy in my conscience.More than once I wanted to tell him what was in my heart, but because my friend was cold, withdrawn, and unwilling to accept other people's opinions, I felt that it was not an easy task to give him advice freely.His tenacity, his self-righteous attitude, and the idiosyncratic traits of his personality that I had seen personally made me too timid to upset him.

But on this afternoon, perhaps because I drank the wine with lunch, perhaps because his nonchalant attitude finally irritated me, I felt that I couldn't take it any longer.

I asked him, "What was the injection today? Morphine, or cocaine?"

He had just opened an old book, lifted his head feebly and replied, "It's cocaine, a seven percent solution. Do you want to try it?"

I replied bluntly: "I don't want to try. The campaign in Afghanistan has damaged my physique and I still haven't recovered. I can't destroy it anymore."

He smiled at my annoyance and replied: "Perhaps you are right, Watson. I also know that it is not good for the body, but I think that since it has such a strong stimulating and refreshing effect, it is not as good as it is in comparison. Its side effects are less important."

I said sincerely: "But you also have to consider the pros and cons! Your brain may be excited by stimulation as you said, but this is a way of harming the body after all. It will continue to cause organ tissue damage. Exacerbating the deterioration will at least lead to long-term weakness of the organs. You also know the adverse reactions that this drug can cause, and doing this kind of thing is really not worth the loss. Why do you only care about the momentary pleasure and hurt your innate excellence? What about human energy? You should know that I am not only speaking from the standpoint of a friend, but also as a doctor who is responsible for your health."

Hearing what I said, instead of being angry, he put his fingers together and rested his elbows on the armrests of the chair, showing that he was interested in the conversation.

He said: "I am restless and restless. When I have nothing to do, I will be flustered. Give me difficult problems, give me work, give me the most profound code, give me the most complicated analysis work, so that I Only then will I feel the most comfortable, and I don’t need artificial stimulation. I hate ordinary life very much, and I pursue spiritual excitement, so I choose this special occupation—or I can say that I created this occupation. Because I'm the only person in the world who's in this profession."

I looked up and asked, "The only private eye?"

He replied: "The only private consulting detective. I'm the supreme court for detectives. When Grayson, Lestrade or Ethelney Jones are in trouble - that's what happens to them all the time." —they come to me for advice. I review materials and contribute as an expert opinion as an expert. I do not claim credit and my name is never published in newspapers. The work itself brings out my special energy. My pleasure is my supreme reward. You must remember some of the experiences my method of work gave you in the Jefferson Hope case?"

I replied sincerely: "Yes, I still remember it. It was a strange case that I had never encountered in my life. I have written the whole story of that case into a booklet with a novel title called "" A Study in Scarlet."

He shook his head expressing dissatisfaction: "I've had a cursory look, but I really don't like it. You know, detective art is - or should be - an exact science, so it should be studied in the same calm rather than sentimental way." It. You've given the case a fictional tinge so that it's like a love story mixed with a geometric theorem."

I retorted him: "But the case does have a plot like a novel. I can't distort the facts."

"Some facts can be left out, but at least the main points should be highlighted. In fact, the only thing worth mentioning in this case is how I found out the reasons from the results of the fait accompli, and then solved the case through precise analysis and deduction. "

I wrote that short article to make him happy, but I didn't expect to be criticized instead, so I was very unhappy.I admit that it was his ego that irritated me, and what he seemed to be saying was that my work should be devoted exclusively to his own conduct.During the years I lived with him in Baker Street, I found more than once a certain pride and conceit concealed in my companion's silence and didactic manner.I really don't want to say more, I just sat aside and stroked my injured leg.My leg had been pierced by a bullet before. Although it didn't affect my walking, I felt pain and embarrassment when the weather changed.

After a pause, Holmes filled his pipe and said slowly: "Recently, my business has expanded to the European continent. Last week, a man named François Le Ville came to me for advice. As you may know, this man has recently made his mark in the French detective world. He has Celtic sensibility, but lacks the extensive knowledge necessary to improve his technique. He is consulted on a will case, which is very interesting. I referred him to two similar cases: one in Riga in [-] and the other in St. Louis in [-]. These two cases pointed him to This is the way to solve the case. This is the thank you letter I just received this morning." As he spoke, he handed me a crumpled piece of foreign stationery.I looked at it, and there were many compliments in the letter, full of words such as "greatness", "superior means", "powerful action", etc., to express the enthusiasm, admiration and praise of the Frenchman.

I said, "He's like a schoolboy talking to his teacher."

"Ah," said Sherlock Holmes softly, "he thinks too highly of the help I have given him, when he has talents of his own. He has most of what makes for an ideal detective. He has Keen powers of observation and deduction, but lack of knowledge, this, he can still be enriched in the future. He is now translating some of my short works into French."

"your works?"

He laughed and said: "Don't you know? I am ashamed. I have written several monographs, all of which are technical. Do you remember an article "On the Identification of Various Soots"? In it, I listed 140 types of ash from cigars, cigarettes, and pipe shreds, and colorful illustrations to illustrate the differences between various types of ash. This is evidence that often appears in criminal trials, and sometimes it is even the most important clue in the entire case. If you recall Look at the Jefferson Hope case, and you will know that the identification of cigarette ash is more or less helpful to solve the case. For example, you can be sure that the murderer in a murder case smoked Indian cigars. In this way, your The range of detection is obviously narrowed. The difference between the black ash of Indian cigars and the white ash of 'bird's eye' smoke is as easy to the trained eye as cabbage and potato."

I said, "You do have a special talent for scrutinizing minute things."

"I felt their importance. Here is my monograph on the tracking of footprints, and the method of preserving them with plaster of paris. And here is a curious little treatise on how one's occupation can Affecting his hand shape, the text is accompanied by hand shape illustrations of masons, sailors, woodcut workers, typesetters, weavers and diamond grinders, which are of great practical significance to the learning of detectives using science. Especially in Useful for unidentified dead bodies, for identifying criminals, etc. Oh, I'm just talking about my hobbies, it doesn't bother you, does it?"

I replied earnestly: "Instead of being disturbed, I am very interested. This is because I have seen your application of these methods. The observation and inference you just talked about are, of course, to a certain extent. Aspects are connected to each other.”

Leaning back comfortably in his chair, he said, puffing a thick puff of blue smoke from his pipe: "There is no connection. For instance, observations show that you were at the Wigmore Street post office this morning, and Inferred, I probably know that you sent a telegram there."

I was surprised and said: "Yes, it's absolutely correct! But I really don't understand, how did you know? That was my temporary decision, and I didn't tell anyone!"

Seeing my astonishment, he smiled triumphantly and said, "This is so simple that there is no need to explain it. But explaining it can distinguish the functions of observation and inference. I found a small piece of red mud on your shoe. , while the road is being repaired opposite the post office on Wigmore Street, the excavated mud is piled up on the sidewalk, and it is difficult for people who walk into the post office not to step into the mud. The mud there is a special red color, as far as I know, There is no more soil of that color in the vicinity. That is what is observed, and the rest is inferred."

"And how did you deduce that telegram?"

"I sat across from you all morning, and I didn't see any letter you wrote. On your desk, I noticed that there was a whole sheet of stamps and a bundle of postcards. Then you go to the post office to send a telegram. What will it do? After other factors are removed, the rest must be the truth.”

I thought for a while and said: "This is indeed the case. As you said, this is the simplest thing. Now I will give you a more complicated test. You don't think I'm reckless, do you?"

He replied: "On the contrary, I welcome it. It will save me a second shot of cocaine. Any questions you may ask, I am happy to study."

"I've often heard you say that on any daily necessities, there are more or less traces of the characteristics of the user, which can be easily recognized by a trained person. Now I have a newly acquired watch here, can you please Find out from above the character and habits of its old master?"

I handed him the watch, and I couldn't help but chuckle.Because in my opinion, this experiment has no answer, so let me teach him a lesson in his usual dogmatic style.He took the watch in his hand, looked at it carefully, then looked at the dial, opened the cover of the watch again, and carefully inspected the parts inside.He first observed with his eyes, and later with the help of a high-powered magnifying glass.The look of frustration on his face made me want to laugh.Finally, he closed the watch cover and returned it to me.

He said: "There are very few remaining traces to be found here, because the watch has recently been rubbed with oil, so the most important traces have been wiped away."

I replied, "Yes, the watch came into my hands after it had been smudged." I despised my partner for using this as an excuse to cover up his failure.Even if it is a watch that has never been repaired, what traces can be found to help inference?

He looked at the ceiling with dull half-closed eyes and said: "Although there are not many traces left, my observation has not been completely lost. Let me say something first, please correct me. I think this watch is Your brother's was left to him by your father."

"That's right, you know it from the word HW engraved on the back of the watch?"

"Yes, W represents your surname. This watch should have been made 50 years ago, and the inscription on the watch is similar to the period when it was made, so I know it is a relic of your previous generation. According to the custom, all jewelry Things like that are mostly passed on to the eldest son, and the eldest son often takes his father's name. If I remember correctly, your father has passed away for many years, so I conclude that this watch is in the hands of your brother."

I said, "Yes, what else?"

"He was a bohemian. He had a bright future, but he missed his chances, and lived poorly, and had occasional good times, but died of good wine. That's what I saw. .”

I jumped up from the chair, and couldn't help pacing up and down the room listlessly, and infinite bitterness suddenly surged in my heart.

I cried: "Holmes, it is your fault. I cannot believe that you have resorted to such a trick. You must have investigated my brother's tragic history beforehand, and now you pretend to deduce it by some arcane method." Here are the facts. Do you think I believe you can discover them from this old watch? To put it bluntly, you are lying."

He kindly replied: "Dear doctor, please forgive me. I have reasoned a problem theoretically, forgetting that it may be a painful thing for you. But I assure you that after you have observed me Before this watch, I didn't know you had an older brother."

"But how can you deduce these facts so miraculously? Everything you say is true."

"Ah, this is really a fluke. I just mentioned some possible situations. I didn't expect it to be so accurate."

"Didn't you really guess it?"

"Yeah, I've never guessed. Guessing is a very bad habit, and it's not good for logical reasoning. The reason why you find it strange is that you don't understand my train of thought, let alone notice that I often infer big things. The little things that come. For example, I said at the beginning that your brother's behavior was very indiscreet. Look at this watch. Not only has two dents on the lower edge, but there are numerous scratches on the entire top of the watch, This is because he is used to putting his watch in his pocket with hard things like coins and keys. Being so careless about a watch worth more than 50 gold pounds shows that his life is not indiscreet, and it is not too much. Judging by the value of this watch, it would be unreasonable to say that the legacy is not rich."

I nodded, expressing my approval of his reasoning.

"The practice of pawning tickets in London is that every time a watch is received, the number of the pawning ticket must be engraved on the inside of the watch with the tip of a needle. This method is better than hanging a sign, and it can avoid the danger of losing or confusing numbers. Use a magnifying glass Looking inside, I found at least four of these numbers. So my conclusion is that your brother is often hard-pressed. And incidental conclusion is that he is sometimes in good condition, otherwise he would not have been able to redeem the pawn Finally, please pay attention to the inner cover with the keyhole. There are thousands of scars around the keyhole, which are caused by the friction of the key. A sober person inserts the key, doesn’t it just go in? And a drunk Almost all of my watches have left these marks. And he wound it at night, so he left traces of trembling wrists. What's so mysterious about it?"

I replied, "I understand now. Please forgive me for offending you. I should have more confidence in your miraculous ability. Do you still have any papers in hand?" investigation case?"

"No, that's why I shot cocaine. I can't live without a chance to use my brain. What else is there to do? Come to the window, please. Was there ever such a bleak, boring world? See , the yellow mist rushing down the street, drifting away from the dun houses, is there anything more ordinary and boring than this? Doctor, think about the uselessness of heroes, what is the use of energy? Crime is common Life is an ordinary thing, what else is there in this world besides ordinary things?"

I was about to open my mouth to respond to his fierce remarks when suddenly there was an urgent knock on the door.Our landlord came in holding a brass tray with a business card on it.

She said to my partner, "A young lady asks."

He read the card: "Miss Merry Morstan. Well, that's a strange name. Mrs. Hudson, please come in. Doctor, don't you go, I want you to stay here."

Second case statement

Miss Morstan entered the room with a steady step and a composed gesture.She was a light-haired woman of lithe figure, wearing gloves of a harmonious colour, and dressed in the clothes best suited to her demeanor.Her clothes are simple and elegant, which shows that she is not a well-off person.Her dress was of dun wool, without lace or trim, and she wore a hat of the same dark color, with a white quill on the brim.Although her appearance is not beautiful, her demeanor is very gentle and lovely.A pair of big blue eyes, full of spirit and full of emotion.As far as I have seen women, I have seen dozens of countries and three continents, but I have never seen such an elegant and intelligent face.When Holmes asked her to sit down, I saw a slight movement of her lips, and a trembling of her hands, which showed the nervousness and uneasiness of her heart.

She said: "Mr. Holmes, the reason why I come here for advice is that you once resolved a family dispute for my mistress, Mrs. Cecil Forrest. She is very grateful and admires your assistance and ability." of."

Holmes thought for a while and replied: "Mrs. Sissel Forrester, I remember that I helped her a little. I remember that case was very simple."

"She doesn't think it's simple. At least, the case I'm about to advise you can't say the same way. I don't think there's anything more queer or more inexplicable than my situation."

Holmes rubbed his hands and looked bright.He leaned slightly forward in his chair, and there was a look of intense concentration on his delicate, hawk-like face. "Tell me about your case," he said in a vigorous and serious tone.

(End of this chapter)