The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 36 Four Signatures (20)
We took the Tube to Aldersgate and then a short walk to Coburg Square.In a short while, we arrived at the place where the strange story happened.It is a dilapidated narrow place, surrounded by gray two-story brick buildings, with a fenced-in overgrown lawn in the middle where a few dead shrubs are taking soot and inhospitable conditions growing tenaciously.In one corner of the room there was a brown board and three gilt spheres, with "JABEZ WILSON" engraved in large white letters.This sign indicated to people that this was the pawn shop of our red-haired client.Holmes stood in front of the house, looking at it with his head on one side and his eyes shining brightly.Then he wandered out into the street, and then back around the corner, looking at the houses.Finally, he walked to the door of the pawnshop again, knocked hard on the path in front of the door a few times with his cane, and then went up to knock on the door.Soon, a handsome young man who looked smart and capable opened the door and came out.

"Excuse me," said Holmes. "How do I get to the Strand from here?"

The guy quickly replied, "Turn right at the third intersection, and turn left at the fourth intersection." After speaking, he closed the door.

As we left the pawn shop, said Holmes: "He is a shrewd and able man. In my judgment he is the fourth wisest man in London, and the third for boldness. I know something about his past."

I said, "Obviously Wilson's buddy played a big part in this Redhead mystery. I'm sure you're only asking for directions to see him."

"Not looking at him."

"What are you looking at?"

"Look at the knees of his trousers."

"So, what did you see?"

"I saw what I wanted to see."

"Why do you knock on the path in front of the pawn shop?"

"My dear Watson, this is the time for investigation, not for talk. We are conducting investigations in enemy territory. We have learned about Coburg Square. Now let us explore the places behind it. "

As we turned the corner of the remote Coburg Square, the scene before us was as different from the previous one as the front and back of a painting.It was an important traffic road, there was an endless stream of vehicles on the road, and pedestrians on the sidewalk were also crowded.When we looked at those gorgeous shops and magnificent commercial buildings, it was hard to believe that these buildings were so close to the dilapidated square we had just left.

Standing at a corner, Holmes looked at the row of shops and said, "Let's see. I should remember the order of these houses. Knowing exactly what London is is my favorite thing to do. Here is a shop called Mortieran. Next door is a small newspaper shop, and beyond that is the Coburg branch of the City and Suburban Bank, a vegetarian restaurant, and the McFarlane Carriage Works. It's around the corner, and it's another block away. There you go. , Watson, our work is done, and it's time for some recreation. First we'll have a sandwich and a cup of coffee, and then we'll go to the music hall and listen to some beautiful music. There won't be any red-haired clients to bother us with difficult questions. .”

My friend is a passionate musician who can not only play but also compose.Throughout the afternoon, he sat in the auditorium in a very happy mood, waving his slender fingers to the beat of the music, with a smile on his face all the time, his eyes peaceful as if he had entered dreamland.At this time, he was no longer like the resourceful, decisive, quick and powerful detective.He has two different personalities, which often appear alternately, so I often think that his excitement and quick thinking are probably the reflection of his quiet and poetic demeanor.I see that when he is free, he often curls up in a chair for several days, indulging in his favorite books, looking very lazy.But after a few days, the strong desire to investigate will suddenly dominate him, and at that time, his reasoning ability will be so high that it becomes an intuition.Therefore, in the eyes of those who are not familiar with him, his approach will make people look suspicious and see him as a know-it-all.That afternoon, when I saw him immersed in the sound of music in the concert hall, I felt that the person he was going to investigate might be in trouble.

When we came out from the music, he said to me, "Watson, you must be going home by now."

"Yes, I should go home."

"I've got a few hours to go. You know what happened in Coburg Square is a big case. It's being plotted and I'm sure we can stop them in time. But today is It's a little more difficult on Saturdays. I need your help tonight."

"When?"

"Ten o'clock is enough."

"Then I'll be in Baker Street at ten o'clock."

"Very well. However, Watson, this matter may be a little dangerous, so please put your military gun in your pocket." After speaking, he waved his hand, turned around, and soon disappeared into the crowd.

I think I am no more stupid than my friends, but compared with Holmes, I always feel that my intelligence is far inferior to his.Take this incident as an example, I heard what he heard, and I saw what he saw, but listening to his words, he obviously understood what happened and foresaw what was going to happen .But to me, I find the matter still odd and confusing.I drove back to my home in Kensington, and went over the events, from the extraordinary encounter with the red-headed copyist of the Encyclopedia Britannica, to our own visit to Coburg Square.I felt something ominous in what Holmes said when he parted from me.Where are we going at night?What to do?Why should I go with a weapon?I remember Holmes saying that the handsome chap in the pawnshop was a formidable man who might do amazing things.I tried to get some idea of ​​these things, but couldn't think of anything, so I had to put the matter aside, anyway, it would come out in the evening.

It was a quarter past nine when I started from home, and I walked through the park and Oxford Street to Baker Street.When I arrived at Holmes' apartment, I saw two carriages pulling up at the door.As I walked into the hall, I heard conversations upstairs.I went into Holmes' room and saw him talking to two persons.One of them I recognized as the police detective, Peter Jones; the other was a tall, lanky man in a shiny hat and a rich overcoat.

"We are all here," said Holmes, buttoning up his jacket and taking down his heavy hunting whip from the rack as he spoke. "I think you should, Watson," said Holmes. Know Mr Jones from Police Scotland. This is Mr Meriwether, and he's going on our adventure with us tonight."

Jones said arrogantly: "Doctor, we are going to hunt together again. Our friend is an expert in hunting. He only needs an experienced police dog. In this way, he will not be afraid of criminals escaping."

Meriwether said bitterly: "I hope our pursuit will not be in vain."

Detective Jones said proudly: "Sir, you have to trust Mr. Holmes. He has his own way of handling cases. With all due respect, this method is a bit too theoretical and whimsical, but he has what it takes to be a detective." I am not exaggerating when I say that he was more accurate than the official detectives in the Sholto murders and the Agra treasure robbery."

"Mr. Jones, I have no problem with your statement. But I missed playing poker today, the first time in 27 years that I didn't play on a Saturday," Meriwether said.

Holmes said: "I think you can still bet to-night. Your bet to-night is bigger than you have ever bet before, and this time the scene is more thrilling. Mr. Merriwether, your bet to-night is worth about thirty thousand." Pound sterling; and Mr Jones, your bet is on who you want to arrest."

Jones said: "John Clay was a murderer, a thief, a robber, a fraud, and although he was young, he was the leader of this criminal gang. Therefore, his arrest is more important than any other criminal in London. His origin Well, his grandfather was a duke of the royal family, and he himself was educated at Eton and Oxford. His mind is as quick as his hand. Although we often find him committing crimes, we don't know where to look for them. This man. He can smash a crib in Scotland one week and raise money for an orphanage in Cornwall the next. I've been spying on him for years, but I haven't met him yet."

"I wish I could introduce this man to you this evening," said Holmes. "I have had a touch or two with this John Clay, too. I agree with you that he is second to none in his profession. Now ten It's past o'clock, and we should set off immediately. You two will go first in the first carriage, and Watson and I will follow in the second carriage."

After Holmes got into the car, he seldom spoke. He leaned back against the seat and hummed the music he had heard that afternoon.Our carriage drove down the road, and we soon reached Farrington Street.

Holmes suddenly said to me: "We are not far from our destination now. Merriwether is a chairman of the bank, and he is personally interested in this case. As for Jones, you know, he is not far from his line of work. Not clever, but once he got the criminal he was as tough as a hound and as tenacious as a lobster, so I called him along. Well, here we are, and they're waiting for us."

We were now in the busy street we had visited in the morning.After sending the carriage away, we followed Mr. Merriwether into a narrow passage.He opened a side door and led us in.There is a small corridor inside, and the end of the corridor is a large iron door.Mr. Merriweather opened the iron gate. After entering the gate, there was a spiral downward stone step, and then there was another gate.Mr. Merriwether lighted his lantern, and led us down a dark and earthy passage, and then opened a third door into a vast vaulted cellar.The basement was full of boxes.

Holmes held up the lantern, looked around, and said, "It's not so easy to break through from above in your basement."

Mr. Merriwether said: "Yes, it is not easy to break through the ground." As he spoke, he tapped the stone slabs on the ground with his cane. Suddenly, he raised his head in surprise and said, "Ouch! Listen to the sound, the bottom is empty. "

Holmes said solemnly: "I really must ask you to be quiet. You are afraid that you will spoil our important business. I ask you to find a box and sit on it, and don't disturb us for the time being."

Mr. Merriwether had to sit on a big box with a very unhappy expression on his face.At this moment, Holmes knelt on the ground, holding a lantern and a magnifying glass to examine carefully the gaps between the stone slabs.It took him only a moment to check, and then he stood up and put the magnifying glass back in his pocket.

He said: "We have to wait at least an hour, because they will not do anything until the pawnbroker is asleep. As soon as he falls asleep, they will do it immediately, because the sooner they do it, the faster they will escape." Take it easy. Watson, as you have guessed, we are now in the basement of a bank branch in London. This Mr. Merriwether is the chairman of the bank. He will explain to you why those daring criminals Would be so interested in this basement."

The chairman of the bank said in a low voice: "It is for our French gold coins, for which we have been warned several times that there are attempts to steal them, or to rob them."

I said, "Your French gold coins?"

"Yes, a few months ago we borrowed [-] French gold coins from the Bank of France in order to consolidate our reserves. But the gold coins were not circulated after they were borrowed. Therefore there are rumors that the gold coins are still in the same box. in the basement. There are two thousand French ducats in the box I'm sitting in now, and they're packed in layers of tinfoil. Since we've been storing more cash in our branch lately than in the past, there's no It is necessary to circulate. Our gold reserves are now much larger than a branch ordinarily holds, and the directors have been concerned about this matter."

"Their apprehensions are quite justified," said Holmes. "I think the truth will come out in an hour. We have to prepare, Mr. Merriweather, and I think we must now put the lampshades up."

"Sit in the dark?" Meriwether said.

"I am afraid so," said Holmes. "I have a deck of cards in my coat-pocket, and I thought that the four of us would have a good time to play. But now, I think, our enemies are ready, and we cannot risk the light. Now first of all, we should choose a good hiding place. These people are daring guys. Although we can attack them when they are not prepared, if we are not careful, we will inevitably be hurt by them. I will hide behind this box, You are all hiding behind those boxes too. When I shone the light on them, you immediately crowded around. Watson, if they shoot, you will shoot them down without mercy."

I went behind a box and put my loaded pistol on the wooden box.Holmes quickly covered the light with the shade in his hand, and we were plunged into complete darkness.I've never been in such a dark place before.The smell of hot metal assured us that the light was still on and would flash on at the signal.And so we waited, nervous.The basement was cold and damp, and in the dark, it made people feel oppressed and depressed.

"They have but one course of retreat," said Holmes in a low voice, "and that is to the house in Coburg Square. Jones, I suppose you have done what I ask you to do?"

Jones replied, "I have two policemen and an inspector at the door of the pawnshop."

Holmes said: "Then, we have blocked all the roads, and there is no fear of their escape. Now we should wait quietly."

Time passed very slowly. Afterwards, we counted and waited for an hour and 15 minutes, but I felt that it seemed a long time, as if it had been a whole night, and even the sky seemed to be bright.

Because I didn't dare to move my position casually, my hands and feet were numb and painful, but my nerves were tense to the extreme, and my hearing became extremely sharp. Not only could I hear the breathing of my companions, even the heavy breathing of Jones. I can clearly distinguish the light breathing sound of the chairman of the bank.My position was useless, but suddenly, my eyes caught a glimmer of light.

At first, it was just a little light leaking from the cracks in the ground, and then the light gradually became brighter, and suddenly it became a beam of yellow light.Suddenly there was a crack in the ground, and a white and tender hand like a woman stretched out from it, groping.Unexpectedly, after sticking out of the ground for a minute or two, it suddenly shrank back as it appeared.The beam of light also disappeared, leaving only a little gleam of light from the beginning, still shining through the gap.

I was wondering why it suddenly disappeared again.But after a while, the sound of the stone slab being moved was heard again, and in an instant, a large white stone slab was flipped aside, revealing a square gap, from which bright lights shot out immediately.I stared intently, and saw a young man with a handsome face sticking his head out of the gap. He seemed to look around quickly, then put down the lamp, put his hands on the gap, and lifted himself up. Standing up, his shoulders and waist touched the ground one by one, and then he stepped up one foot first, and finally he was completely standing beside the hole.There was another person in the cave, and the boy pulled him up. That person was similar in build to the boy, both thin and small, but he had fiery red hair.

The boy said in a low voice, "Everything is going well, we can start. Where did you put the chisel and the bag? My God, it's bad! Jump, jump, Archie, I'll take care of the rest!"

At this time, Holmes had jumped out, ran over and grabbed the boy by the collar.His accomplice sprang swiftly into the hole, and at the same time I heard the sound of clothes being torn, for Jones had only grasped the clothes of the fleeing man.Suddenly I saw the barrel of the pistol flicker in the light, but Holmes' hunting whip had struck the man on the wrist, and the pistol fell to the slate.

"John Clay," said Holmes, "resistance is futile. You cannot escape."

Clay replied very calmly: "I already know. But I think my partner will be safe and sound. I saw you only tore the hem of his clothes."

"You needn't cheer him up," said Holmes. "Three people are waiting for him at the door over there."

Clay said, "Really? You guys are really thoughtful, and I have to salute you."

Holmes said: "I also pay tribute to you. Your plan of the Redhead Society is very original and effective."

Jones interjected, "You'll meet your mate shortly. He's quicker in the hole than I am. Hold out your hands and let me cuff them."

When the handcuffs were on the prisoner's wrists, he said: "I ask you not to touch me with your dirty hands. You should know that I am of noble blood. I also ask you to use 'sir' when you speak to me." and the words 'please'."

Jones widened his eyes, suppressed a smile and said, "Okay, sir, please go up the steps now, there is a carriage outside that can take you to the police station."

John Clay said calmly: "That's a good way to say it." After he finished speaking, he made a quick bow to the three of us, then turned and walked out in silence.

(End of this chapter)