The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 7 Research on Scarlet Characters (6)
"I will never let the people of Scotland Yard know about it!" cried Holmes, sitting down in his chair. "I have laughed at them enough, and they will not let it go this time. But , even if they find out and laugh at me, I don't care, anyway, I will get my face back sooner or later."

I asked, "What the hell is going on?"

"Oh, I'll tell you about my failure, it's all right. The guy didn't go very far, and he was limping and showing pain in his feet. She stopped suddenly, and called out A passing carriage. I approached her, wanting to hear where she was going. In fact, I didn't need to be so impatient at all, because her voice was already very loud, and she could be heard clearly even across the road. She said aloud, 'Go to 13 Duncan Street, Honzidich.' I thought she was telling the truth. I saw her jump into the back of the wagon after she got into it. That's what every detective has to know So, we moved forward like this. The carriage never stopped all the way until we reached our destination. When we were approaching the gate of No. 13, I jumped out of the car and pretended to be wandering on the road. I saw The carriage stopped, the coachman jumped out of the car, opened the door and waited for the passengers to get off, but no one got out. I went up to the coachman, and saw him groping around in the dark compartment, cursing and swearing, Those are the 'best' words I've ever heard. The passenger is long gone. I don't think he'll be able to get his fare back in time. I'm on the 13th with the driver I went to inquire about it, and there lived a decent papermaker named Keswick, but I have never heard of a person named Suo Ye or Dennis living there." Holmes stated.

I asked aloud in amazement: "Do you mean that the frail, limping old woman was able to escape from you and the coachman by jumping out of the car while it was moving?"

"What old crone?" said Holmes angrily. "Damn it! We are old crones, to have been cheated like this. He must be a young fellow, and a capable fellow at that. Not only that, but he must be a great man." An actor, he played the role impeccably. Obviously, he knew that he was being followed, so he took advantage of my unsuspecting and escaped. This shows that the person we are going to catch now is by no means what I imagined at the beginning. Alone. He has many friends, and they are willing to risk it for him—Hey, Doctor, you look very tired, listen to me, go to sleep."

I was indeed very tired, so I obeyed his advice and retired to my room, leaving Holmes alone by the smoldering fire.In the long silence of the night, I could hear his melancholy piano whispering something, and I knew he was still thinking about the strange case he was facing.

Sixth Baius Gleeson Shows His Skills

The next day, every newspaper published the news about the "Brixton Ludge case" at large length.Every newspaper reported it, and some even wrote a special editorial.And some of them I haven't even heard of.I still have a lot of clippings about this case in my scrapbook.Some excerpts of it are attached below.

The "Daily Telegraph" reported that there is no more bizarre case in the criminal record than this tragedy.The victim used a German name, and no other motive could be found from the scene, and there were vicious words written on the wall.All this shows that this case was committed by a group of desperate political prisoners and revolutionary parties.There are many factions of the Socialist Party in the United States. The deceased undoubtedly violated those unwritten laws, so he was traced here and was brutally murdered.The article is followed by brief references to past cases of the German Secret Court, the Mineral Springs, the Carbonari, the Marchioness of Branvilliers, the Darwinian Theory, the Malthusian Principle, and the Ratcliff Highway Murders and other cases.At the end of the article, the author gives advice to the government, advocating that foreigners in the UK should be closely monitored in the future.

The "Standard" commented that such lawless atrocities often occur in societies under the Liberal Party.These atrocities have occurred because of a wavering popular sentiment and weakened government power.The deceased was an American gentleman who had been in the City of London for several weeks.He had lived at Mrs Charpentier's flat in Tower Querry, Camberwell.He was traveling with Mr. Joseph Stangerson, his private secretary.After saying good-bye to their landlady on Tuesday, the fourth of this month, the two of them went to Euston Station, intending to catch the express train to Liverpool.They were also seen on the station platform at the time, but they have since disappeared.Mr Drebber's body was later reported to have been found in an empty house on Brixton Road, a few miles from Euston station.How he got here and how he was killed is still a mystery.The whereabouts of Stangerson are still unknown.It is gratifying that the famous Scotland Yard detectives Lestrade and Gregson both started to investigate the case at the same time, and it is believed that the case will be resolved soon.

The Daily News reported that it was definitely a political crime.Because of the despotism of the Continental governments and the hatred of Liberalism, many have been deported to our soil.These individuals stand a good chance of becoming good citizens if their past actions are tolerated and ignored.There are so-called strict "rules" among these exiles. Anyone who violates them will be executed.In this case, every effort must now be made to locate Stangerson, the secretary of the deceased, in order to ascertain certain features of the deceased's habits of life.The London address of the deceased was known, and this made the case a big step forward.This discovery is all due to the wit and ability of Mr. Grayson of Scotland Yard.

Holmes and I read through the reports over breakfast, and he seemed to be very interested in them.

"I told you a long time ago that no matter what, the credit always belongs to these two men, Lestrade and Grayson." Holmes laughed.

"It also depends on the result." I said injustice.

"Oh, man, what does it matter. If the murderer is caught, of course it's because of the dedication of the two of them; Yes, the bad is always someone else's. No matter what they do, someone will praise them. There's a French saying: 'A fool is stupid, but there are stupider fools to applaud him.'”

As we were talking, there was a sudden sound of chaotic footsteps in the corridor and on the stairs, mixed with the complaints of the landlady, and I couldn't help shouting: "What's going on?"

"This is the Baker Street Unit of the Detective Squad," said my companion with seriousness.Just as I was talking, I saw six street urchins rushing in. I have never seen such dirty and ragged children.

"Attention!" Holmes sternly shouted, and the six children stood in a line like six ugly little clay figurines. Wait in the street. Got it, Wiggins?"

A boy replied, "No, sir, we haven't found it yet."

"I reckon you haven't found it either. You must keep on looking, and it's not over until you find it. Here's your wages." Holmes gave them each a shilling. "Well, go now. I'll report to you next time Hope to hear good news from you.”

Holmes waved his hand, and the group of children descended the stairs like a swarm of little mice.Then came their shrill din from the street.

"These little fellows, alone," said Holmes, "do more work than a group of official detectives. When the official figures show up, they shut up. But these little fellows can go anywhere and do anything." Find out. They're smart, they're as seamless as the tip of a needle. They just lack organization."

"Did you hire them for this Brixton Road case?" I asked.

"Yes, there's one thing I'm trying to figure out, and it's only a matter of time. Ah, now we're going to hear some news. You see, Grayson is coming down the street toward us. He's got such a smug look on his face, I know he's coming to us. Look, he stops. That's him!"

The doorbell rang loudly, and in the blink of an eye, the blond detective jumped upstairs in three steps at a time, and broke into our living room directly.

"My dear friend," he cried, pressing Holmes' hand firmly, "congratulate me! I have made the case as clear as daylight."

I seemed to see a trace of anxiety flitting across Holmes' face, which was so good at concealing expressions.

"You mean you've figured it out?" he asked.

"Yes! Really, my brother, even the murderer has been caught!" Grayson replied excitedly.

"What's his name?" demanded Holmes.

"Arthur Charpentier, a lieutenant in the Royal Navy," cried Grayson haughtily, puffing out his chest, rubbing his fat hands triumphantly.

Holmes breathed a sigh of relief when he heard this, and could not help smiling.

"Sit down and have a cigar," he said. "We'd love to know how you did it. Would you like some whiskey and water?"

"Drink what you want," replied the detective. "It's been a lot of work these two days, but I'm exhausted. You know, the physical exertion is not much, but it is exhausting." Mental power. You know the hardships involved, Mr. Holmes, for it is all mental work we do."

Holmes said solemnly: "You have been honored! Let us hear how you have achieved such a gratifying result?"

The detective sat down in the armchair, smoked his cigar contentedly, and then slapped his thigh and exclaimed happily: "It's ridiculous, Lestrade is a fool who thinks he's smart, But he was quite mistaken. He was looking for the whereabouts of that secretary, Stangerson. That fellow had as little connection with the case as an unborn child who had nothing to do with the world. I dare say he is now Probably caught that guy already."

When he talked about this, he couldn't help laughing triumphantly, until he couldn't breathe.

"How, then, did you get your clue?" continued Holmes.

Grayson replied: "Well, I will tell you all. Of course, Dr. Watson, this is absolutely confidential and can only be discussed between us. The first difficulty that must be overcome is to find out the identity of this American." Some people may choose to advertise and wait for someone to report, or wait for the relatives and friends of the deceased to come and automatically report some news. But Gleason's working method is not like this. Do you remember the person next to the deceased? Is that hat?"

"I remember," said Holmes, "that it was from John Underwood & Sons, 229 Camberwell Road."

Upon hearing this, Grayson immediately showed a very depressed expression on his face. He said: "I didn't expect you to notice this. Have you been to that hat shop?"

"No," replied Holmes.

"Haha!" Grayson felt relieved, "No matter how unlikely the possibility seems, you should never let go of any chance."

"Nothing is insignificant to a great man," said Holmes, as if quoting some wise words.

Grayson went on: "Well, I found the owner, Andrew, and I asked him if he had ever sold a hat of this size and style. He looked in the sales book and found it quickly. , this hat was sent to Monsieur Drebber, who lives at Charpentier's apartment in Tower Querry, so I found out the address of this man."

"Beautiful, well done!" Holmes murmured.

"I then called on Madame Charpentier," went on the detective, "and found her very pale and very disturbed. Her daughter was also in the room--she was a very pretty girl." When I talked to her, her eyes were red and her lips were trembling. Naturally, these things could not escape my eyes. So I began to doubt. You understand, Mr. Holmes, when you find the correct What kind of energy was there when I got a clue. I just felt so comfortable that I was shaking. I asked: 'Have you heard about the assassination of your former tenant, Mr. Drebber of Cleveland? ?'

"The lady nodded. She seemed to be at a loss for words. Her daughter was crying. The more I watched, the more I felt that they knew something about the case.

"I asked: 'What time did Mr. Drebber leave you for the station?'

"'At eight o'clock in the evening,' she replied, swallowing her saliva, with suppressed excitement, 'his secretary, Mr. Stangerson, says there are two trains for Liverpool, one at nine-fifteen and the other. It's eleven o'clock, and he catches the first train.'

"'Is this the last time you'll see each other?'

"As soon as I asked the question, the woman suddenly turned pale. It took a while before she replied, 'It's the last time.' But when she spoke, her voice was hoarse and unnatural.

"After a moment's silence, the girl spoke, and she appeared much calmer and much more articulate.

"She said: 'It's no good lying, mother, we'd better confess to this gentleman. We did see Mr. Drebber again afterward.'

"'May God forgive you!' exclaimed Madame Charpentier, spreading her hands, and leaning back in her chair. 'You have killed your brother!"

"'Assure would like us to tell the truth, too,' replied the girl firmly.

"So I said, 'You'd better tell me all you know now, and it's better not to talk about it like this. Besides, you don't know how much we know.'

"'It's all your fault, Alice!' cried her mother, turning to me again, 'I'll tell you all, sir. Don't think that my anxiety at the mention of my son is because he and the He is perfectly innocent. My concern is that he would appear suspect to you or others. But that is absolutely impossible. His nobility, his His career, his past prove it.'

"I said: 'You better tell the truth. Believe me, if your son is innocent, he will never be wronged.'

"She said: 'Alice, you'd better go out and let us talk.' And her daughter went out. She went on: 'Well, sir, I didn't mean to tell you this, but I My daughter has already spoken, and now there is no other way, so I have no choice but to speak out. Since I intend to speak, I will not hold back anything.'

"I said, 'That's really smart.'

"'Mr. Drebber has been staying with us for nearly three weeks. He and his secretary, Mr. Stangerson, have been traveling on the Continent. I see Copenhagen stamped on every case of theirs. was the last place they had been. Stangerson was a taciturn, well-bred man, but his master—too badly, was a different man altogether. The man behaved wildly and indecently. On the day they moved in In the evening, Drebber got so drunk that he didn't wake up until twelve o'clock the next day. His frivolous and obscene behavior towards the maids was extremely annoying. The worst thing was, he used the same He treated my daughter Alice with the same attitude. He talked nonsense to her more than once. Fortunately, my daughter is still young and not sensible. Once, he actually held my daughter in his arms and hugged her tightly looking at her. He behaved so lawlessly that even his secretary called him obscene and impersonal.'

"'But why do you put up with all this?' I asked. 'I think you can get your lodger out if you like.'

"Mrs. Charpentier blushed when I asked him this question, and she said: 'It would be nice if I refused on the day he came! But it was because of an attractive point. They Rent is £[-] per person per day, £[-] a week. Besides, it's the low season when there are few guests. I'm a widow, and my son is in the Navy, and he's costing a lot. I can't bear to let it go for nothing. I put up with it as much as I could. But this last time, he's been making such a fuss that I've made up my mind to get him out, and that's why they're moving away.'

"'and after?'

(End of this chapter)