The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 199 New Detective Case (21)
It was a dark, poorly ventilated house with a musty smell.This is no wonder, since the master never goes out.This woman, by strange fate, had changed from a caged human being to a caged animal.She was sitting on a broken sofa in a dark corner of the room.Years of inactivity had thickened her figure, but it must have been beautiful then, and it was still plump and attractive.On her head was a thick black veil, but cut short, revealing a fine mouth and a round chin.I can imagine that she was once a very attractive woman.Her voice is also very circumflex and pleasant.

"I suppose you are quite familiar with me, Mr. Holmes," she said. "I knew you would come."

"Yes, ma'am, but I don't know how you can think I'm interested in your case."

"After I recovered, Mr. Edmund, the local police officer, talked to me, and I listened to him. I didn't tell him the truth. Maybe it was better then."

"Generally speaking, it's wisest to tell the truth. But why did you lie to him?"

"Because another man's fate is related to my words. I know he is a worthless person, but I still don't want to have a bad conscience by destroying him. Our relationship was so close!"

"Is the barrier no longer there?"

"Yes, the man is dead."

"Then why don't you tell the police the truth?"

"Because there's another person to think about. That person is myself. I can't stand the gossip that comes with a police court trial. I won't live long, but I'm going to die peacefully. I'm still looking for someone with a clear head Come, and tell him my horror, so that after my death the truth will come to light."

"Ma'am, I don't dare to do it. At the same time, I am also a socially responsible person. If it is a violation of the law, I can't promise you. I will definitely not report it to the police after you finish speaking."

"I agree with you, Mr. Holmes. I know your personality and your way of working very well, because I have been reading your deeds over the years. The only happiness that fate has left me is reading, so what happens in society I seldom fail to read anything about it. Anyway, I'm willing to take my chances and make use of my tragedy in any way you want. I'm relieved to say it."

"Then my friend and I are willing to listen to you."

The woman stood up and took a picture of a man from a drawer.He was clearly a professional acrobat, a man of great build, pictured with thick arms folded in front of protruding pecs, lips parted in a smile beneath a thick beard—a man who had conquered the opposite sex many times over. The complacent laugh of the reader.

"This is Leonardo," she said.

"Is that the Hercules who testified?"

"Exactly. And look at this one—it's my husband."

It was a face so ugly that it was disgusting.With a big mouth, a full face, a pair of vicious small eyes, the whole body is like a stupid pig and a ferocious wild boar.Rascal, bully, brutality - these are clearly etched on his face.

"Gentlemen, these two pictures will help you understand my story. I was a poor circus performer who grew up on sawdust and performed hoops by the age of ten. When I was growing up, this man fell in love with I fell, if his lust could be called love. In one unfortunate moment, I became his wife. Since then, I have lived in hell, and he is the devil who tormented me. He turned his back on me and went to Other women. When I complained, he tied me up and whipped me with a horse whip. All the circus people saw it, but they dared not speak out. They were all afraid of him, all of them. He was in any Terrible at times, like a vicious murderer when drunk. Cited multiple times for beating people and cruelty to animals, but he has money and is not afraid of fines. The good actors have left us, and the circus troupe has gone downhill .It's Leonardo and I, and the buffoon Griggs Jr., that keep the team afloat. The most pitiful thing is Griggs, who has no one to rely on, and is always bullied. But he still worked so hard without any complaints.

"Later Leonardo came into my life. You have seen his appearance. Now I know how cowardly spirit is in this beautiful body, but compared with my husband, he is an angel. He is pitiful Me, help me, and our intimacy turned into love—a deep, deep, passionate love that I never dreamed of. My husband suspected us, but I felt he was not only a bully but also A coward, and Leonardo was the only person he was afraid of. He took revenge in his own way, by torturing me even harder. One night, my screams alarmed Leonardo, and the two of them fought Well, of course my husband couldn't beat Leonardo, Leonardo almost killed him. Afterwards my lover and I thought that sooner or later something bad would happen. My husband doesn't deserve to live in this world. We have to find a way to kill him .

"Leonardo has a brilliant mind. He figured it out. I'm not pushing it on him because I'd rather follow him every step of the way. But I couldn't think of such an idea in my life. We made a stick, Of course it was made by Leonardo, and on the top of the stick he put five long steel nails with the tips facing outwards, just like the shape of a lion's claw. I beat my husband to death with this stick, and then released the lion, causing the lion to kill him. Kill his illusion.

"It was dark that night, and my husband and I went to feed the lions as usual, we had raw meat in zinc barrels. Leonardo was hiding around the corner of the caravan we had to pass. He moved too slowly, we had already passed, He hadn't done it yet. But he followed us lightly, and I heard the sound of the club cracking my husband's skull. My heart jumped for joy when I heard the sound. I rushed forward, opened and closed Lion's latch.

"Then something unexpected happened. You have probably heard that wild beasts are very sensitive to the smell of human blood, which can stimulate their animal nature. Because of this strange instinct, the lion immediately knew that a living person had been killed. Became very excited. As soon as I opened the latch he jumped out and jumped on me. Leonardo might have saved me, and if he had come up and hit the lion with that club, it might have scared him off. But He lost his nerve. I heard him cry out in terror, and then I saw him turn and run away. That's when the lion's teeth bit down on my face. His hot, smelly breath has paralyzed me, I don't know Pained, desperately trying to push that huge, steaming, bloodstained mouth away with the palm of your hand, while screaming for help. The shouting alarmed the troupe, and I only knew a few of them afterwards, Leonardo, Griggs, There were others, who took me from the lion's paw. This is the last memory I have, Mr. Holmes, and it took me some heavy months to get better. When I regained my senses and saw myself in the looking-glass, How I curse that lion!—not because it took my beauty, but because it didn't take my life! Mr. Holmes, I have but one wish left, and I have enough money to do so! To achieve it. That is to cover my face with gauze so that no one can see it, and live in a place where no acquaintance can find me. It is the only thing I can do, and I do. Poor Wounded animals crawled into its holes to end their lives—that's where Eugenia Rundle came to be."

We sat for a while in silence after listening to the unfortunate woman's biography.Holmes stretched out his long arm and patted her hand with an expression of sympathy which was rare for him.

"Poor girl!" he said, "poor thing! Fate is so unpredictable. If there is no retribution in the next life, this world is a cruel joke. But what happened to this man Leonardo?"

"I haven't seen or heard of him since. Maybe I shouldn't hate him so much. A woman's love is not so easy to get rid of. When I was at the lion's paw, he turned his back on me, and in distress he left me , but I still can’t bear to send him to the gallows. As far as I am concerned, I don’t care about the consequences for me, because is there anything more terrible than my existing life in the world? But I have taken his fate into consideration.”

"Is he dead?"

"He drowned swimming near Magath last month. I saw it in the paper."

"What did he do with the five-clawed stick then? The stick is the most unique and ingenious thing in your account."

"I don't know, Mr. Holmes. There is a chalk pit near the camp, and there is a deep pool below. He may have thrown it in that pool."

"To be honest, it doesn't matter much. The case has already been closed. Why should we pursue it?"

"Yes," said the woman, "the case is closed."

We were now on our feet to go, but something ominous in the woman's tone caught Holmes' attention.He turned away immediately.

"Your life is not just your own," he said. "You don't have the right to end yourself."

"Does it mean anything to anyone else?"

"How do you know you haven't? To suffer patiently and patiently is the most precious example in itself for an impatient world."

The woman's answer was appalling.She tore off her veil, revealing a horrified face.

"Can you take it?" she said.

It was a terrifying sight.The face has been destroyed beyond words to describe it.In the rotting face, two lively and beautiful yellow eyes looked out sadly, making the face even more terrible.Holmes held up a hand in pity.We left that room together.

When I arrived at my friend's place two days later, he pointed proudly to a blue vial on the mantelpiece.There was a red label on the bottle that said highly poisonous.I uncapped the bottle and smelled sweet almonds.

"This is hydrocyanic acid, where did it come from?" I said.

"Exactly. It came by post. The note said: 'I send you my temptation. I follow your advice.' We can easily guess the name of the sender, Watson. It is the name of a brave woman." name."

Shoscombe Villas
Sherlock Holmes stooped for a long time through a low-powered microscope, until at last he straightened up and looked at me with smug eyes.

"It's glue, Watson," said he. "It's undoubtedly glue. Come and see what's scattered about."

I leaned over the eyepiece and adjusted the focus.

"These fibers are from the tweed jacket. These irregular gray masses are dust. There is also the epithelial scale on the left. These brown sticky masses in the middle are undoubtedly glue."

"Okay," I said with a smile, "I agree with you. But does that mean anything?"

"That's good physical evidence," he replied. "You may remember the hat that was found next to the body of the policeman in the St. Pancras case. The accused denies it was his. But he was a regular Glue framers."

"Is this your case?"

"No, it's a case my friend at the police station, Merrillville, asked me to help with. Since I found zinc and copper filings in the defendant's sleeve seam, and therefore deduced him to be a counterfeiter, they have recognized The importance of the microscope." He looked at his watch impatiently, "I have a new client coming, and the time has passed. By the way, Watson, do you understand horse racing?"

"It's understandable. Half of my injury pension is spent on this."

"Then I'll consider you my 'race guide.' Do you know Robert Norburton? Do you remember the name?"

"Of course I do. He lived at Shoscombe Cottage, which I'm familiar with, because I spent a summer there. Norburton almost came into your business once."

"what happened?"

"He nearly whipped Sam Brewer, a money-lender in Colzon Street, at Newmarket."

"Oh, he's so funny! What does he do all the time?"

"Yes, he's a famously dangerous man. He's pretty much the most daring jockey in England - he was No. 2 in the Liverpool Showjumping a few years ago. It's a pity he was born at the wrong time, and in the Regency he would have been A dude—a boxer, a sportsman, a hard-charging rider, a womanizer, a typical playboy."

"Excellent, Watson! Your introduction was so brief that I saw him in person. Could you tell me something about Shoscombe House?"

"All I know is that it's in the middle of Shorescomb Park, where the famous Shorescomb stud and training grounds are located."

"The trainer is John Mason," said Holmes. "Don't be surprised, Watson, it is from him that I have opened this letter. Let us return to Shoscombe. I seem to have met Rich mines."

"There's the Shoscombe lops there," I said, "and they're famous in all the dog markets. They're the best dogs in England. Mistress Shoscombe is very proud of it."

"The mistress is the wife of Sir Robert Norburton?"

"No, Sir Robert was not married. It was a good thing, considering his prospects. He lived with his widowed sister, Lady Beatrice Fold."

"You mean she lives with her brother?"

"No, no. This house belonged to her ex-husband, James. Mr. Norberton has no property rights here. During the wife's lifetime, the income from the property went to her, and after her death, the property returned to her husband's brother. So she just Collect rent."

"I guess that's what Robert paid for the rent?"

"Pretty much. He's a careless fellow, and must have made her life very uneasy. But I've heard she's been kind to him anyway. What, what happened to Shoscombe?"

"Ah, that's exactly what I wanted to know. I think there's someone who can tell us the details."

The door had been opened, and from the passage came a tall, clean-faced man, whose determined, stern expression belied the sort of man who taught horses or boys.Mr. Masson did both, and seemed equally competent.He bowed calmly, and sat down in the chair Holmes pointed out to him.

"Mr. Holmes, have you received my letter?"

"Yes, but there is no explanation in your letter."

"This matter is very sensitive, it is not easy to write it down on paper, and it is too complicated. I can only talk to you in person."

"Okay, we'll just listen to you."

"First, Mr. Holmes, I think my master, Mr. Robert, is mad."

Holmes raised his eyebrows. "This is Baker Street, not Harley Street," he said. "What grounds do you have for saying that?"

"Sir, it's understandable for a man to do one or two queer things, but if he's doing all those queer things, you'd be suspicious. I think it's Prince Shoscombe and the Rally that got him. Nervous."

"Is Prince Shoscombe a pony you tamed?"

"The best horse in England, I am sure of that. I can speak frankly with you now, Mr. Holmes, because I know you are a good gentleman, and no word of it will be heard. Sir Robert There is no way to lose this race. He has put his all into it. He has put all the money he can get and borrow on this horse, and the odds are very different. One to forty It is already very high, but the odds he bet on are close to one to one hundred."

"If horses are so good, why are they doing this?"

"But people don't know it's so good. Sir Robert didn't let the horse scout out for information. He took the prince's half-brothers out for a drive, and no one could tell them apart. But as soon as he galloped up and ran 200 meters and there will be a distance between them. He only thinks about horses and horse racing, and his life is on it. He can still deal with loan sharks for the time being, but if the prince fails, he will be bankrupt .”

"It's a crazy gamble, but where do you know he's crazy?"

"First of all, you only have to look at him to tell. I don't believe he sleeps at night. He's in the stables all day. His eyes are crazy and he's on the verge of a breakdown. And what he said to Mrs. Beatrice His behavior has also become unreasonable!"

"Ah, what's going on?"

"They have always been on good terms. They have the same tastes, and she loves horses as much as he does. She drives to the horses on time every day--her favorite is the Prince. When he hears the wheels on the gravel road, he pricks up his ears, Every morning it trots to the lady's car to eat the piece of candy that rewarded it, but now everything is over."

"why?"

"She seems to have lost all interest in horses. She's been driving past the stables every day for a week without saying hello!"

"You think they had a fight?"

"And there was a lot of quarreling, rude words, and mutual malice. Otherwise, why would he give away the dog that she loved like a son? He gave the dog to old Barnes a few days ago, and he was The proprietor of the Dragon Hotel in Crondall, three miles away."

"It's really weird."

"She has a bad heart and is swollen. Of course she can't go out with him. He used to stay in her room for two hours every night. He can do that now, because she is his rare best friend. But now It was all over, and he never came near her again. She was very sad, too. She became melancholy, morose, and drank beer, Mr. Holmes, to the point of drinking too much."

"Did she drink before this?"

"She drinks a glass too, but now she drinks a bottle every night. That's what Steward Stephens told me. Now everything is different, Mr. Holmes, it's just a mess. And the master comes late at night to the old church grounds." What was he doing in the hole? And who was that man waiting for him there?"

Holmes rubbed his hands together.

"Go on, Mr. Mason, your words are getting more and more interesting."

(End of this chapter)