The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 21 Four Signatures (5)
I looked at the clear round mud prints and said, "That's not a footprint." "That's more important evidence for us. It's the print of a stake. Look at the boots on the window sill... a Thick boots with wide iron heels, and the imprint of a stake on the side."

"Is this the man with the wooden leg?"

"That's right. But there's another one... a very capable and quick accomplice. Doctor, can you climb that wall?"

I looked out the window.The moonlight was still shining brightly on the original corner of the house.We were at least six feet above the ground, and there wasn't even a single crack in the wall where we could put our feet.

I replied, "There is absolutely no way up from here."

"You can't climb it if you don't have help. But here is a friend of yours, for example. With that thick rope in the corner, one end is fastened to the big ring on the wall, and the other end is thrown at you. I think as long as you are a strong person, you can climb up the rope even with wooden legs. Naturally, you can follow this method when you go down, and then your accomplices will pull the rope up again from the ring. Untie it from the rope, close the window, fasten it from inside, and then escape from the same way." Pointing to the rope, he continued, "There is another detail worth noting, although the friend with the wooden leg is not bad at climbing walls, but Not a skilled sailor. His hands are not as hard as the palms of sailors used to climbing masts. I found more than one spot of blood with a magnifying glass, especially at the end of the rope. I can tell that he was climbing When he went down the rope, the speed was so fast that the skin on his palm was rubbed off."

I said, "That's all well and good, but things are getting more and more difficult to understand. So who is his accomplice? How did he get in?"

Holmes repeated thoughtfully: "Yes, and the accomplice! There is something interesting about this man. He has made a very unusual case. I think this accomplice has opened up a new avenue for the criminal methods of our country--but in There is a precedent in India, if I remember correctly, the same thing happened in Senegambia."

I asked repeatedly: "Then how did he get in? The door is locked and the window is out of reach. Did he come in through the chimney?"

He replied, "I also thought of the possibility, but the chimney is too narrow to pass through."

I asked, "What was it like?"

He shook his head and said, "You always don't research according to my theory. Didn't I tell you countless times, when you eliminate all impossible factors, no matter what is left-no matter What an unbelievable thing—that is the truth. We know that he did not come in through the door, nor through the window, nor through the chimney. We also know that he cannot be hidden in the house beforehand, because There's no hiding place in the house, so where did he get in?"

"He came in through that hole in the roof," I yelled.

"Certainly came in through the hole, there is no doubt about it. You carry the lamp for me, and we will go up to the upper room and look into it—the room where the treasure was found."

He mounted the ladder, put his hands on the rafters, and rolled himself onto the attic.He bent down to take the lamp, and I followed.

The attic was about ten feet long and six feet wide.A floor of rafters had thin planks in the middle and a layer of plaster on top.We had to step on rafter after rafter as we walked.The roof is pointed, which is the real roof of the house.There is no furnishings in the house, and the dust accumulated over the years is thick and thick.

Sherlock Holmes put his hand on the sloping wall and said: "Look, this is a secret door leading to the outside of the roof. I opened this secret door, and the outside is the roof with a slight slope. This is the first person." The way he came, let us look for it, and see if he has left any traces that can characterize him."

He shone the lamp on the floor, and for the second time tonight I saw a look of wonder on his face.I looked towards where he was looking, and I was so frightened that I broke out in a cold sweat.The ground was littered with barefoot footprints without shoes—clear and complete, but not half the size of a normal human foot.

I said softly: "Holmes, what a child has committed such an appalling crime!"

After his expression stabilized, he said: "At first I was also taken aback. In fact, this incident is very common. I ignored it for a while, and I should have expected it. There is nothing to search here, let's go down."

We went back to the room below, and I asked eagerly, "What do you think of those footprints?"

He replied impatiently: "Watson, please analyze it yourself. You know my method, as long as you practice according to this method, and then we discuss the conclusions with each other, and each other can gain more experience."

I replied: "But based on these facts, I can't analyze it."

Without thinking, he said, "You'll get it all out soon. I don't think there's anything important here, but I'll take a look." He took out his magnifying glass and tape measure, and dropped to his knees.His slender nose was only a few inches off the ground, and his round, shining eyes were like those of a bird.He went back and forth in the room to measure, compare and examine.His quick and silent movements are like a skilled hound looking for scent.I couldn't help thinking what a terrible criminal he would be if his energies and intelligence were not devoted to upholding the law but to breaking it!While investigating, he was talking to himself, and at last he burst into cheers.

He said, "Lucky for us, the problem was solved. The first man unfortunately stepped on the creosote. You can see his little footprints on the right side of the smelly thing. The bottle of oil is cracked , the contents flowed out."

I asked, "What does this mean?"

He replied: "Nothing, but we are going to catch him. I know that a dog can search to the end by smell, and wolves can find food by smell. So a specially trained hound Wouldn't it be easier to track down such a strong smell? It's a theorem, and it must have turned out... But hey, the cops are here!"

From downstairs came the sound of heavy footsteps, conversation, and doors closing.

"Before they come upstairs," said Holmes, "feel the corpse's arms, and his legs. How do you feel?"

I replied, "The muscles are as hard as wood."

"That's right, it's an extremely strong 'shrinkage', which is worse than the normal 'post-mortem rigidity', coupled with the crooked face and miserable smile, what conclusion can you draw?"

I replied, "It's poisoned by plant alkaloids—something similar to strychnine, which can cause tetanus symptoms and cause death."

"As soon as I noticed his contracted facial muscles, I thought he was poisoned. Immediately after entering the house, I tried to find out how the poison got into the body. You see me too. Or the thorn shot into his head. It seems that the deceased was sitting straight on the chair at that time, and you can see that the place where the thorn was inserted was facing the hole in the ceiling. Take a closer look at this thorn.”

I held it carefully in my hand and looked at the light.It was a long, pointed black thorn with a shiny layer of what seemed to be a dried jelly at the top.The blunt end was cut by a knife.

"A thorn that grows in England?" he asked.

"Absolutely not."

"With this information, you should be able to draw reasonable inferences. That's the gist, and the rest is more easily settled."

When he was speaking, the sound of footsteps outside had already come to the corridor.A fat man in gray came into the room.He has a red face, a burly figure, and a typical bloody physique, with a pair of small twinkling eyes protruding from the protruding eye sockets.A sheriff in uniform followed closely behind, and Thaddeus Sholto, who had been trembling there.

He cried, "What's the matter? This is outrageous! Who are these people? It's like a rabbit warren in this room."

Holmes said calmly: "Mr. Ethelney Jones, I suppose you remember me?"

He replied, breathlessly: "Of course I do! You are Mr. Sherlock Holmes, the great theorist. I remember you, I remember you! I can't forget the time you gave us a lecture on the causes and consequences of the Bishopsgate treasure case." The result. You did lead us on the right track, but you should also admit that the case was solved mainly because of good luck, not because of this correct guidance."

"It was a very simple and easy case to understand."

"Oh, come on! Come on! There's no need to be ashamed to admit it. But what's the matter? Too bad! Too bad! The facts are here and there's no need for theory. What luck , I came to Norwood on some other case! I was at the precinct when it was reported. How do you think this man died?"

"Well," said Holmes grimly, "the case does not seem to need my theory."

"No, no. But we have to admit that you sometimes hit the nail on the head. But as far as I understand, the door is locked, and half a million pounds of treasure are lost. . . How about the windows?"

"It's locked securely, but there are footprints on the windowsill."

"Well, well. If the windows were closed, the footprints would have nothing to do with the case, common sense. The man may have died in a rage, but the jewels were lost. Ha, I've got a Explain. I often have a flash of inspiration. Inspector, you go out first. You, Mr. Sholto, go out too. Your doctor friend can stay here. What do you think of this, Mr. Holmes? Sholto himself admits that he was with his brother last night. His brother died in a fit of rage, and Sholto took the opportunity to take the jewelry. What do you think?"

"The dead man carefully locked the door behind him."

"Hmph! That's a flaw indeed. Let's think it over with common sense. This Thaddeus was with his brother, and they had a quarrel, as we know. Now the brother is dead and the jewels are lost." Well, we know this too. No one has seen his brother since Thaddeus left, and no one has slept in his bed. Thaddeus looks very disturbed, and his behavior is also very strange. You see I'm attacking Thaddeus on all sides so he can't get away with it."

"You haven't got the whole truth," said Holmes. "I have reason to believe that it was a poisoned splinter taken from the scalp of the dead man, and the scar is still there. The paper, you see, reads: , picked up on the table, and this curious stone-studded stick beside it. How are you going to apply these to your theory?"

The fat detective said proudly: "Everything has been confirmed. The house is full of Indian antiques. If this wooden thorn is poisonous, others can use it to kill people, and Thaddeus can use it to kill people. This paper is nothing more than a piece of paper. It's just a trick, it's a sham. The only question is how did he get out? Oh, of course, there's a hole in the roof."

He was so heavy and heavy that it was with great difficulty that he climbed the ladder and squeezed his way through the hole into the attic.The next moment we heard him shouting with joy that he had found the secret door to the roof.

said Holmes, shrugging his shoulders: "He has some evidences, and some vague insights. There is an old French saying: 'It is harder to live with a fool than he is without thinking.'"

Ethelney Jones climbed down from the top and said: "You see, the facts speak louder than words. My inference is fully confirmed. There is a secret door leading to the roof, and the secret door is still ajar."

"I opened the secret door."

"Ah, yes, then you also saw the secret door." He seemed a little frustrated, "Well, no matter who found it, it has figured out the escape route of the murderer anyway. Sheriff!"

A voice in the tunnel responded: "Yes! Sir."

"Call Mr. Sholto in. Mr. Sholto, it is my duty to tell you that anything you have to say may be against you. For the death of your brother, I arrest you on behalf of the government."

The poor little man raised his hands and looked at us both, exclaiming, "You see, I've seen that."

Holmes said: "Mr. Sholto, don't worry. I think I can clear you of all charges."

The detective immediately retorted: "Mr. Theorist, don't make promises casually. The truth is probably not as simple as you think."

"Mr. Jones, I will not merely exonerate him, but I will give you the name and characteristics of one of the two murderers who were in this room last night. His name--I have reason to believe that he was Jonnozan Small. His education level is not high, he is not big, and he is very flexible. His right leg has been amputated and a wooden leg has been installed. A piece of the wooden leg has been worn away. His left foot There was a rough square forefoot under his boot, and an iron shoe on the heel. He was a middle-aged, dark-skinned, ex-convict. These circumstances, and much of the skin that fell off his palm, may be of some interest to you. Help. The other one..."

It seemed that Ethelney Jones was obviously impressed by the correctness of the other person, but he still asked with a mocking attitude: "Yes, but what about the other person?"

Turning back, Sherlock Holmes replied: "That is a very queer man, and I hope to introduce you to these two persons before long. Come here, Watson, and I will have a word with you."

He led me to the stairs and said, "This accident almost made us forget the original purpose of coming here."

I replied, "It occurred to me, too, that it is inappropriate for Miss Morstan to remain in this dreadful place."

"You take her home now. She lives not far from here, at Lady Sissel Forrester's, in Lower Camberwell. If you wish to come again, I can wait for you here. But will you not?" Too tired?"

"I'm not tired at all. I won't rest until I get the truth of this matter. I have experienced danger, but to be honest, this series of strange things tonight has disturbed my nerves." Yes. Now that we have reached this stage, I am willing to help you close the case."

He answered: "You will be of great help to me here, but we will go it alone, and let this Jones do as he pleases. When you have sent Miss Morstan home, please come to Pinchin Lane, Lymbeth, by the River." No. - the third door to the right of a taxidermy bottle, go to a man named Sherman. His window has a picture of a weasel holding a bunny. Wake up the old man, Tell him that I want to borrow Toby from him, and please take Toby back by car."

"Is Toby a dog?"

"A curious mixed-breed dog with an excellent sense of smell. I'd rather have the help of that dog, because he's far more capable than all the London police."

I answered, "I shall bring him back. It is one o'clock now, and I shall be back before three o'clock, if I can get a new horse."

"At the same time," said Holmes, "I will get some new material from Mrs. Burnstone, the housekeeper, and the Indian servant. Mr. Thaddeus once told me that the servant lives in the attic next door. Come back and study the great Jones." Continue to listen to his sarcasm. "We are used to some people being sarcastic about things they don't understand." Goethe's words are always so succinct."

Episode of Seven Barrels

I drove Miss Morstan home in the police carriage.She is a lovely lady like an angel.In times of crisis, as long as there are people who are more vulnerable than her, she can always remain calm.When I went to fetch her to take her home, she sat calmly beside the terrified housekeeper.But when she got into the car, after a night of bizarre adventure, she couldn't stand it any longer.She fainted first, then wept softly.She scolded me afterward, saying that I had been too cold and heartless that night.But how did she know about the struggle in my heart and the pain of self-restraint at that time?Just like when we held hands in the courtyard, my sympathy and love for her have already shown.Although I am experienced in the world, if I had not experienced this night's encounter, it would be difficult for me to recognize her gentle and brave nature.At that time, two things made it difficult for me to open my mouth: one was that she was in trouble, lonely and helpless, and if I took the liberty to woo her, I would be taking advantage of her danger.What makes me even more embarrassed is that if Sherlock Holmes can really solve the case and she gets the treasure, she will become a huge rich man, and I, a half-paid doctor, took advantage of this opportunity to be close to her to woo her, which can still be considered Is it an aboveboard thing?Does she think I'm a vulgar gold digger?I can't give her the impression that these treasures of Agra are really an obstacle between the two of us.

(End of this chapter)