The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 33 Four Signatures (17)
"Mr. Hosmer Angel came to my house first and he proposed that we be married before my father came back. He was very serious and made me put my hand on the Bible and swear that no matter what happened, I would always be true to him .my mother said he made me swear he was right and it was his passion. My mother liked him from the beginning, even more than I did. When they said they were going to have a wedding in a week, I Advised to tell my father, but both of them said not to worry about my father, just tell him afterward. My mother also said that she would settle the matter with my father. Mr. Holmes, I do not agree with this Although he is only a few years older than me, I still need his permission, because I don't want to do anything sneaky, so I wrote to my father at the branch in Bordeaux, France. But on the morning of my wedding , the letter was returned."

"Has he not received the letter?"

"Yes, he had just left for England when this letter arrived."

"Oh, what a coincidence! Your wedding, then, has been arranged for Friday, and will it be held in church as it is supposed to be?"

"Yes, sir, but not at all ostentatious. We were married at St. Savior's Church, near Royal Cross Road, and we agreed to have breakfast at St. Pancras' after the wedding. Hosmer came in a hansom." Picked us up, but there were two of us, and he put us both in this carriage, and there happened to be another carriage in the street, and he himself got into that carriage. We went to the church first, and the carriage followed. We waited for him to get off, but we didn't see him come out of the carriage. When the coachman got down from the driver's seat and went into the carriage to see, there was no one there. The coachman said he couldn't figure out how No, because he saw him get into the carriage. That was last Friday, Mr. Holmes, and I have heard from him no more since that day."

"It seems to me that you have been deceived," said Holmes.

"Oh, no, no, sir. He was very good to me and would never lie to me. That day, he told me repeatedly that no matter what happened, I would be loyal to him, and that even if something unexpected happened Separate us, and I will always remember my vow to him. Sooner or later, he will come to let me fulfill this vow. It was strange to say such words on the morning of the wedding, but who knows what happened later? Such a thing happened!"

"That's interesting. You mean he already knew something unexpected was going to happen?"

"Yes, sir. I am sure he must have foreseen some danger, or he would not have said such things."

"So, haven't you thought about what might happen?"

"No."

"I have another question, what is your mother's attitude towards this matter?"

"She was very angry and told me never to mention it again."

"And what about your father? Did you tell him?"

"I told him and he seemed to agree with me that something had happened, but he thought I must hear from Hosmer again. He said Hosmer had brought me to the door of the church , and leave me, what good does it do him? If he borrows my money, or marries me and I transfer the property to him, it may make sense, but Hosmer is in the money Never depended on anyone on the subject, he never took a shilling from me. So what happened to him? Why didn't he even write a letter? Well, it drives me crazy to think about it, and I can't even think about it at night. Go to sleep." At this time, she took out a handkerchief from her sleeve, covered her face and began to cry bitterly.

Holmes stood up and said, "Let me take care of this matter for you. I am sure that the result will be obtained. Now this matter is on my shoulders, and you don't have to worry about it. It is especially important that Hosmer Erase Mister from your memory just as he has disappeared from your life."

"Then you think I shall never see him again?"

"I'm afraid not."

"So what happened to him?"

"You leave this question to me. I must know more about him, and it would be best if you could give me the letter he wrote to you."

She said: "I advertised for him in last Saturday's Chronicle. This is the clipped ad, and here are four letters from him."

"Thank you. Where do you live?"

"I live at 31 Lyon Street, Camberwell."

"You don't know Mr. Angel's address, so where is your father's workplace?"

"My father was a traveling salesman for Westerhouse Marbank, a French red wine importer in Fenchurch."

"Thank you. You have made the situation very clear. Please keep these letters and remember my advice to you. Just let the whole matter end like this, and don't let it affect your life."

"Mr. Holmes, thank you for your kindness, but I can't do it. I want to be loyal to Hosmer forever, and I will marry him as soon as he comes back."

Though our guest looked dazed in a ridiculous hat, there was a nobility in her simple and precious devotion that compelled us to admire her.She put the scrap of newspaper on the table and left, promising to come whenever she was needed.

Holmes was silent for some minutes, his fingertips still pressed against each other, his legs stretched out in front of him, and his head lifted to the ceiling.After a while he took down from the shelf his old and greasy clay pipe, which seemed to be one of his advisors.After he lit the tobacco, he leaned back on the chair, and the thick blue smoke curled up, with a pensive look on his face.

He said: "This woman is an interesting subject in her own right. I think she is more interesting in person than in her little problem. The problem she has is just a very common problem. Like [-] The case at Andover is similar to the one at The Hague last year. The plot is old-fashioned, except for one or two incidents. But she herself is the most thought-provoking."

I said, "You seem to see a lot in her that I don't."

"It's not that you can't see it, Watson, it's just that you don't pay attention. You don't know where to look, and you miss many important things. I probably never made you realize the importance of the sleeve, a hint of a thumbnail, Or a major problem could be found in the shoelaces. Well, what do you see in this woman's appearance? Now describe it."

"Well, she wears a blue-gray wide-brimmed hat with a brick-red feather in it. Her jacket is gray-black, with black beads stitched on it, and small little Her blouse is brown, darker than coffee, trimmed with narrow strips of purple plush on the collar and sleeves. Her gloves are light gray, frayed on the index finger of her right hand. What shoes does she wear? I didn't notice it. She was a little stout, with dangling gold earrings, and she looked very comfortable and well-to-do."

Holmes clapped his hands lightly and said with a smile, "Watson, I'm not flattering you. You have made great progress. Your description is very good. Although you have overlooked some important things, you have mastered the method. You The eye for color is especially keen. Don't rely on general appearances, old friend, but concentrate on details. For a woman, I look first at the sleeve, and in a man, at the knee of his trousers. As you see That way, this woman has plush on her sleeves, which is the most useful thing to show marks. A little up her wrist, those two lines are obviously the marks of pressing on the table when typing. Using a hand-operated sewing machine also Will leave a similar mark, but only on the left arm, and on the side farthest from the thumb, instead of across the widest part like the typing mark. Then I pay attention to her face, and see the sides of the bridge of her nose Both had pince-nez dents, so I daresay she was short-sighted, and worked as a typewriter. It seemed to surprise her."

"I'm surprised too."

"But it was obvious. Then I noticed her feet, and I was surprised and interested to see that although the two boots she was wearing were identical, they were not actually a pair. There is a patterned foreskin, the other does not. And one boot has only the bottom two buttons out of five, while the other has the first, third, and fifth buttons buttoned. When you see a A woman, neatly dressed, but going out in mismatched boots, which are only half buttoned, suggests that she must have left the house in great haste."

Holmes' thorough reasoning often arouses my strong interest, and I ask, "Is there anything else?"

"I also found out that she wrote a note before she left the house, but it was written after she was dressed. You observed that the index finger of her right glove was broken, but you didn't notice that both the glove and the index finger were broken. Stained with purple ink. She wrote in haste, and dipped the pen in too deeply. It must have happened this morning, or the ink would not have remained clear on her fingers. Simple as these things are, But it is very interesting. But I must get back to the point now, Watson, and will you read to me the advertisement in the newspaper for Mr. Hosmer Angel?"

I put the little piece of newspaper in front of the lamp, and read: "Missing notice: On the morning of the fourteenth, a gentleman named Hosmer Angel disappeared suddenly. He was about five feet seven inches tall, of strong build, Fair complexion, black hair, slightly bald on the top of the head, bushy whiskers and short mustaches, light-colored glasses, and a soft voice. Before disappearing, he was wearing a black velvet jacket, a black vest, gray pants, and brown boots on his leather boots A gold Albert chain on his waistcoat. This man used to work for a firm on Leadenhall Street. If anyone..."

"Well," said Holmes, "there are a few letters," he continued, glancing at them, "that are of no interest. Except that he quotes Balzac once, they have nothing to do with Hosmer. A clue, sir. But there is one thing worth noting, which will no doubt surprise you."

I said, "The letters are all typed."

"Not only that, even the signature is also typed. You can see the neatly typed 'Hosmer Angel' at the end of the letter. It has the date of writing, but the address is not 'Leydenhall Street'. Nothing else, it's pretty vague. In fact, the signature is telling and a decisive point."

"why?"

"My old friend, don't you see that this signature is the crux of the case?"

"I don't dare to say that I have seen it. Maybe he planned it in advance. He wanted to deny his signature once someone sued him for his repentance."

"No, that's not the problem. I'm going to write two letters now so that it can be sorted out. One to a firm in London and the other to her stepfather, Mr. Meet us here at one o'clock. We may as well deal with the male relatives. Well, Watson, we have nothing to do until that reply arrives, so we will put this little question aside for the time being. put."

I had good reason to trust my friend's fine reasoning and superior mind.I know that he has found the crux of the problem, so he can solve the whole case with confidence.I know he's only failed once, in the case of the King of Bohemia and the Irene Adler photo.But when I thought about the strange things in the "Four Signatures" and the unusual situation in the "Study in Scarlet Letters", I thought that he would not be able to solve such a complicated case, but I didn't expect him to figure it out clearly. I have to admire his intelligence.

When I left my friend he was still smoking that black clay pipe, and I am sure when I return to-morrow night I will find that he has many clues as to Miss Mary Sutherland's bridegroom. The truth is missing.

The next day, being so busy with a serious patient that I was not free until nearly six o'clock, I hopped into a hansom and drove straight to Baker Street, somewhat apprehensive that I might not be able to catch up with the miracle if I arrived too late. The case helps.When I saw Holmes, he was alone at home, his slender body curled up in a sunken armchair, his eyes closed.There are rows of flasks and test tubes on the table, and the fresh and pungent smell of hydrochloric acid shows that he has been immersed in his favorite chemical experiments all day.

I asked as I walked in the door: "Has that problem been solved?"

"Solved, it's barium bisulfate."

"No, no, I'm talking about the case."

"That's what you're talking about. I thought you were asking me about the salt of the experiment I just did. As I said yesterday, there is nothing mysterious about this case, just a few interesting details. The only shortcoming of the case is that I fear there is no law that can punish that scoundrel."

"Who is the villain? Why did he abandon Miss Sutherland?"

No sooner had the question come out of my mouth than Holmes had time to answer it, when we heard heavy steps in the passage, and a knock at the door.

"It is Mr. James Windibank, the girl's stepfather," said Holmes. "He has written back today that he will be here at six o'clock. Come in!"

The man who entered was a solidly built man of medium height, fair complexion, clean-shaven, in his thirties, but with a flattering air and sly gray eyes.He glanced at both of us suspiciously, put the shiny round hat on the shelf next to him, bowed slightly, and sat sideways on the nearby chair.

"Mr. James Windibank," said Holmes, "is it from you, Mr. James Windibank, that you have agreed to meet us at six o'clock?"

"Yes, sir, I'm afraid I'm late, but I can't help it. I'm sorry Miss Sutherland has troubled you with such a trivial matter, which I think is better kept private. She I don't agree with coming to you. You've seen that she is an irritable and impulsive woman. When she decides to do something, she will never be stopped. Of course I don't like you. Mind, because you guys don't get in touch with the police, but it's not pleasant to have this kind of family troubles spread out in the society. Besides, I think it's useless for us to study this matter, because how do you go to Huo What about Small Angel?"

"On the contrary," said Holmes calmly, "I have every reason to believe that I will find Mr. Hosmer Angel."

Mr. Windibank gave a jerk at this, dropped his glove, and said, "I am glad to hear that."

Holmes said: "This is a strange thing. Typing can also express a person's personality like handwriting. Unless the typewriter is new, the words typed by two typewriters will not be exactly the same. There will always be a few people. Some letters are more worn than others, or some are only worn on one side. Please read your own letter, Mr. Windibank. '' tails are also somewhat missing. There are fourteen other more distinct features."

"Our company's correspondence is all typed with this typewriter, and it will naturally wear out." The visitor said, and his bright little eyes glanced at Holmes quickly.

Holmes went on: "Mr. Windibank, I now want to tell you a really interesting study. I want to write a paper in a few days on the relationship between typewritten letters and crime. This is something I am quite interested in." A topic to note. I have four letters on hand, all from the missing man, all typed. In these letters, not only the letter 'e' is blurred, but the letter 'r' is also missing the tail , if you will take a look with my magnifying glass, you will see that the other fourteen features I have mentioned are also evident."

Mr. Windibank sprang up from his chair, took up his hat, and said: "Mr. Holmes, I cannot waste my time listening to such nonsense. If you can get the man, get him, When you succeed, please let me know."

Holmes stepped forward, locked the door, and said: "Then, I will tell you that I have him now."

"What, where is it?" cried Mr. Windibank, his lips white with terror, and he blinked at Holmes like a mouse in a mousetrap.

"Well," said Holmes mildly, "it's no use to cry, it's no use at all, and there's no way you can get away with it. Mr. Windibank, it's all too plain. You say I can't solve so simple a problem." , that's very disrespectful to me. Please sit down and let's talk."

The guest slumped on the chair, his face was pale, cold sweat broke out on his forehead, and he stammered: "This... this is not enough to file a lawsuit."

"I am afraid, Mr. Windibank, it is not so far," said Holmes. "But, we say to each other, this is the most selfish and cruel trick. Now let me tell the whole story, and I will not tell you. It can be refuted."

(End of this chapter)