The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 31 Four Signatures (15)
"He stayed in the house for about half an hour. I could vaguely see him walking up and down the room through the living room window, waving his arms and talking excitedly from time to time. Then he came out in a hurry , seemed more anxious than before. When he got into the carriage, he took out a gold watch from his pocket, looked at it, and said to the coachman: "Hurry up! First to the Gros Hankey Hotel in Regent Street, and then to the Church of Santa Monica, Edgefull Road. I'll give you half a guinea if you arrive within twenty minutes.'

"While I was hesitating whether I should follow them closely, I suddenly saw a small and elegant carriage coming out of the alley. The coachman's coat was half unbuttoned, his tie was not tied properly, and the horse was holding All the metal hoops on the furniture were protruding from the buckles. Before the car stopped, the woman rushed out of the villa and jumped into the car. In my haste, I only glanced at her, but I could already see She was indeed a lovely woman, and she said, "John, go to Santa Monica Church, and I'll give you half a guinea if you can get there in twenty minutes."

"Watson, of course I won't miss it this time. Just as I was about to hide behind her carriage and go together, a hired carriage happened to pass by. Without waiting for the driver's permission, I jumped on it and said to the driver:' Go to Santa Monica Church, if you can get there in 10 minutes, I'll give you half a guinea.' It was 35:10, and they both wanted to be there in 3 minutes. Their intention Of course that was clear. My carriage was going very fast. I don't think I've ever been in a carriage so fast, but theirs came before mine. When my carriage arrived, the two carriages It was parked in front of the door, and the horse was steaming. I paid the fare and hurried into the church. There was no one else in the church except me and the two people I was following, and a priest in white. They Three people stood around an altar, as if discussing something. Like other loafers who occasionally wander into the church, I walked down the aisle on both sides. To my surprise, the front of the altar All three of them suddenly turned to look at me, and Godfrey Norton came running straight up to me. He shouted, 'Thank God! I've got you. Come! Come!' I asked, 'Is this What's the matter?' He said, 'Come on, man, come on, it's only three minutes or it's not legal.'

"I was half-dragged to the altar. Before I could figure it out, I heard a voice in my ear tell me to do Eileen Adler and Godfrey Norton's wedding Witness. It all happened in a fraction of the time. Then the bride and groom stood on either side of me thanking me and the pastor smiled at me across from me. This is the most ridiculous thing I've ever seen in my life Therefore, when I thought of it just now, I couldn't help laughing. It seems that their marriage was not legal enough. The pastor flatly refused to salute them without witnesses. Fortunately, my presence prevented the groom from having to Went to the high street to find a bridesmaid. The bride gave me a pound in gold, which I intended to put on my watch-chain, as a token of my chance."

"It was indeed a surprise," I said. "And what happened?"

"At that time," said Holmes, "my plans had changed. It seemed that the two men might leave here at once, and I had to be prepared. But they parted at the church door, and he drove back to Temple, while she Back to her own lodgings. At parting she said to him: 'At five o'clock this afternoon, I will go to the park by car as usual.' That's all I heard. They drove away separately, and I hurried away Make some arrangements for your own affairs."

"What is the arrangement?"

He pressed the bell and replied: "Get some stewed beef and a glass of beer first. I have been busy and forgot to eat. I will probably be more busy tonight, doctor. I need your cooperation on this matter. "

I said, "I'd love to."

"Aren't you afraid of breaking the law?"

"Not afraid."

"Aren't you afraid of being arrested?"

"If it's for a noble purpose, I'm not afraid."

"Oh, the aim could not be more noble," said Holmes.

"Then, I am willing to listen to your arrangement."

"I am convinced that I can rely on you."

"What are you going to do?"

"I will tell you when Mrs. Turner has brought the food in," said Holmes. "Here she is." He hastened to take the plate brought by the landlady, and said, "I must eat and talk about it. , because there is not much time left. It is almost five o'clock, and we have two hours to get to the operation. Miss Irene, no, Ma'am, will drive back at seven o'clock. We are going to Briony is waiting for her."

I said, "Then what?"

"After that, I have my own way. I have made arrangements for what will happen. No matter what happens, you must not interfere. Do you understand?"

"Do I care about nothing?"

"Never mind anything. A little unpleasant incident may happen, but you don't want to get involved. I'll take care of myself when I'm in the house. Four or five minutes after I'm inside, the living room windows will be closed. Open it. Then you shall be on watch next to the open window."

"Ok."

"You must pay attention to me, I will definitely let you see."

"understood."

"As soon as you saw me raise your hand, you immediately threw the things I told you to throw into the house, and at the same time yelled 'fire'. Did you understand me?"

"understood."

"Actually, this is not a difficult matter," he said, taking out a cigar-shaped roll from his pocket. "This is an ordinary pyrotechnic tube used by plumbers. There are mechanisms at both ends. Once touched, it can spontaneously ignite. .Your job is to take care of this thing. When you yell 'fire', there will be a lot of people rushing to put out the fire. Then you can walk to the corner of the street. I will be out in 10 minutes and You meet. That's the plan, do you understand?"

I said, "Understood. I'm supposed to stay out of the way and look at you near the window, and when I see your hand up, throw this thing in, and then yell 'fire', and then go round the corner of the street Waiting for you there."

"Completely correct."

"Then don't worry about it."

"Very well. I think I should start pretending."

He went back to his bedroom, and came out a few minutes later dressed as an amiable clergyman.With his big black hat, loose trousers, white bow tie, and kind smile, anyone would think that he is a respectable elder.Sherlock Holmes not only changed his costume, but even his expression, posture, and even his soul seemed to change with the character he dressed.When he pursued his detective career, not only the stage lost a good actor, but the scientific world lost a keen reasoner.

At a quarter past six in the afternoon we left Baker Street.It was only half past six when we reached Serpentine Street.It was dusk, and we were walking up and down the Brioni house, waiting for the owner to return, when the lights came on.The house was just as Holmes had described it, but not as peaceful as I had imagined it to be.Quite the contrary, this small street is very lively compared to other quiet places nearby.There was a group of ragged people talking and laughing at the corner of the street.There was a scissors grinder with a pedal wheel between them; two guards were flirting with a nurse; and there were some well-dressed young men with cigars in their mouths.

As we lingered in front of the house, Holmes said: "It seems to me that the fact that they are married makes things easier. That photograph has now become a double-edged weapon. I don't think Irene would have liked it to have been published." Godfrey Norton saw it, as our client feared it would appear before the princess to whom he was betrothed. The question at hand was, where should we find this photograph."

"Exactly, where can I find it?"

"It was a six-inch picture, and she wouldn't carry it with her, because it would be too big to hide in a woman's dress. And the King of Bohemia stopped her twice, so , it can be inferred that she will not carry that photo with her."

"So, where does she hide the picture?"

"It could be in her bank or in the hands of her lawyer, but it's very unlikely. Because women naturally like to keep their secrets, they like the way they hide things and don't tell others easily. Besides, she is determined to be in these few days. I used the picture within days, so I guess she must have kept it with her so that she could have it at hand. That is to say, the picture must be in her own room."

I said, "But the house has been searched twice."

"That's because they don't know how to find it."

"Then how are you going to find it?"

"I don't have to find it myself."

"then what should we do?"

"I'll let her show me herself."

"What if she doesn't?"

"She will not quit. Now I hear the wheels, and that is her carriage. Now do as I command you."

When he was speaking, he saw the lights from the lights on both sides of the carriage going around along the winding street. After a while, the beautiful carriage stopped in front of Brioni's house.As soon as the carriage stopped, a tramp rushed up from the corner to open the door, hoping to get a copper coin, but another tramp thought the same, and a quarrel broke out.Two guards helped one bum, and the scissors sharpener helped another with equal vigour.So the quarrel became more intense. At this time, the woman just got out of the car and was immediately involved in the entangled crowd.These people were red-faced, fisted and kicked, and fought into a pile.At this moment Holmes rushed into the crowd to protect the woman.However, as soon as he got to her side, he yelled and fell to the ground with blood dripping from his face.Seeing him wounded and lying on the ground, the two guards ran away, and the tramps also ran away.At this time, some neatly dressed people who only watched the fun and did not participate in the fight came to rescue the woman and take care of the injured pastor.Irene Adler hurried up the steps, but she stopped at the door, her perfect figure outlined in the hall lights.She turned around and asked, "Is that gentleman badly hurt?"

"He's dead." Several voices shouted together.

"No, no, he's alive," cried another, "but he'll die before you get him to the hospital."

"He's a brave man," said a woman. "If it hadn't been for him, the bums would have taken the lady's purse and watch. They were rough fellows. Ah, he can breathe now."

"He can't be left lying in the street. Shall we carry him in, ma'am?"

Adler replied, "Of course. Please carry him into the living room. There is a comfortable sofa for him to lie on. From here, please." So they slowly carried him into the cloth House of Lionni, placed in the living room.Now I stood near the window and watched the whole thing go by.After a while, the lights came on.But the curtains were not drawn, so that I could see Holmes lying on a sofa.I don't know if he felt guilty for the role he played at the time, but I saw this beautiful woman, and saw her gentle and kind demeanor towards the wounded, while we were dealing with her, I felt more sincere in my heart ashamed.But this is Sherlock Holmes' predetermined plan, and if I back down halfway, it would be a kind of betrayal to him.Hardening my heart, I took the pyrotechnic tube out of my coat.After all, I thought, we weren't hurting her, we were just keeping her from hurting other people.

Holmes leaned back on the sofa.I saw him looking up, as if he needed fresh air.So a maid hurried over and opened the window.Just then, I saw him raise his hand.According to this signal, I immediately threw the pyrotechnic tube into the house and shouted: "Fire!" As soon as I finished shouting, all the spectators, well-dressed gentlemen, coachmen and maids also joined in unison. He screamed, "Fire!" At this moment, thick smoke billowed around the room and came out of the open windows.I saw figures running hurriedly in the room, and then I heard Holmes say loudly in the room, don't worry, everyone, this is a false alarm.I passed through the screaming crowd and quietly ran to the corner of the street.About 10 minutes later, I saw my friend come out to meet me. He took my arm and quickly left the noisy scene.He hurried on in silence, and did not speak until we turned into a quiet street in the Edgware Road.

"You have done very well, Watson," said he, "very well done. All goes well."

I asked, "Did you get that picture?"

"I already know where the picture is."

"How do you know?"

"As I told you, it was she who pointed me to the picture."

"I still don't understand."

"I don't want to be a fool," he said, laughing. "It's a simple matter. You should be able to see that the idlers on the street are all hired by me."

"I already guessed."

"When the two sides were arguing, I rushed forward, fell to the ground, and put a little wet red paint in my hand to my face, which is also an old trick."

"I can see that too."

"Then they put me in the house and she had to take me in, what could she do otherwise? She put me in the living room, which is the room I wanted to be in. I thought if that The picture is not in the living room but in her bedroom and I wanted to see which room it was in. They put me on the couch and I pretended to get some fresh air and they had to open the window so that You have a chance to do it."

"How does that help you?"

"It's so important. Because when a woman hears her house is on fire, she has an instinct to grab her most precious things immediately, and I've exploited that utterly irresistible urge a few times. In Darlington It has been exploited both in the Replacement Scandal and in the Arnworth Castle case. The married woman hastened to pick up her baby first, and the unmarried woman was the first to reach for her jewels. It is now clear to me that for us For the woman in the case, there is nothing more precious than the thing we are looking for. When she hears the fire, she will rush forward to snatch it to her side. The alarm of the fire is very realistic, and the smoke emitted And the exclamation was loud enough to shake nerves of steel, and she, too, panicked. The photograph was housed in an alcove just behind the movable panel above the cable of the bell on the right. When she put the I caught sight of a picture half way through it. When I yelled that it was a false alarm, she put it back in. She took one look at the fireworks and ran out of the house, and I haven't been there since. See her again. I got up and excused myself from the house. I hesitated to get the picture right away, but the coachman came in, and I couldn't do it while he was watching. Because sometimes rash Instead, it would screw the whole thing up."

"What now?" I asked.

"Our task has been accomplished," said Holmes. "To-morrow I will go to her with the King. If you are interested, come with us. We will then be shown into the drawing-room to meet the lady. But I'm afraid that when she comes out to meet guests, she won't be able to find us or the photo. The King of Bohemia will be satisfied if he can get that photo back with his own hands."

"So, when are you going to see her tomorrow?"

"Eight o'clock in the morning. She's probably still up then, and we can get away with it. But the sooner we go, the better, because it might change her habits when she's married. I'm going to telegraph the King now. "

By this time we had returned to Baker Street and stopped at the gate.Just as Holmes was taking out the keys from his pocket, someone passed by behind and greeted him, "Good night, Mr. Holmes."

There were several people on the sidewalk at this time.But the greeting seemed to come from a slender young man in a long coat hurrying by.

Holmes gazed into the dim street and said, "I've heard the voice before, but I don't know who it is."

three

I lived in Baker Street that night.The next morning, as we were getting up for breakfast, the King of Bohemia barged in.He took Holmes by the shoulders with both hands and looked eagerly into his face. "Have you really got that picture?" he asked.

"not yet."

"But there's hope, isn't it?"

"possible."

"Then, let's go. I can't wait to get there."

"We must hire a cab first."

"No, my carriage is waiting outside."

"This will save trouble."

So we went down the steps, got into the carriage, and started again for Brioni House.On the way, Holmes said to the King of Bohemia, "Irene Adler is married."

"Married?! When?"

"yesterday."

"Marry who?"

"With an English lawyer named Norton."

"But she won't love him."

"I wish she loved him."

"why?"

"Because this will avoid future troubles that may occur to His Majesty. If she loves her husband, then she will no longer love His Majesty. If she does not love His Majesty, there is no reason to interfere with His Majesty's plan to marry another."

"It is true. But . We stopped at Serpentine Avenue.

The door of Brioni House stood open.An old woman stood on the steps and watched us dismounting from the carriage with a kind of contempt.

"Mr. Sherlock Holmes?" she asked.

"I am Sherlock Holmes," replied my friend, looking at her in astonishment.

"Really! My mistress told me you would come. She left this morning with her husband by the five-fifteen train from Zeyringcross to the Continent."

"What?!" Holmes staggered back, pale with chagrin and surprise.

"You mean she has left England?"

"Yes, never again."

"So, what about the picture?" said the king disappointedly. "It's all over!"

(End of this chapter)