The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 75 Memoirs (4) ([-])
"It's not a dog, it's not a cat, it's not a monkey, it's not anything else we're familiar with. I've managed to trace the animal to the size of its paw prints. You see, here are four of them standing still. Paw prints, at least fifteen inches from forepaw to hindpaw. Add to that the length of the head and neck, and you can deduce that the animal was at least two feet long, and if it had a tail, it might have been longer. Still, , and now let us look at other dimensions. The animal has walked, and we have measured the distance it takes, and each step is only about three inches. You can deduce that this thing has a long body and short legs. There is no hair left, but its general shape must be the same as what I said, it can climb the curtains, it should be a carnivore."

"How did you figure it out?"

"Because there was a canary cage hanging in the window, it climbed up the curtains and seemed to be trying to catch the bird."

"What kind of beast will it be?"

"It would be very helpful if I could tell what animal it was. All in all, it could be a weasel or something, but much bigger than any I've ever seen."

"But what has it to do with this case?"

"That's not clear yet. But we know a good deal. We know that, because the curtains were drawn and the house was lighted, a man stood on the road and saw the Buckleys arguing. We also know that he ran across the lawn and into the house with a strange animal, and that he may have struck the colonel, or that the colonel, seeing him, fell down in fright and hit his head on the stove. The corner was on. Finally, we also learned of a curious circumstance that the intruder took the key with him when he left."

"These discoveries of yours seem to have made things even more confusing than before," I said.

"Yes, these circumstances do suggest that the case is more complicated than first supposed. I have considered the matter carefully, and I think that I must approach the case from another angle. But, Watson, I have kept you from sleep. , on the way to Aldershot tomorrow, I can tell you the rest of the situation in detail."

"Thank you, you have already mentioned the most interesting part, which aroused my curiosity."

"That's right. Mrs Buckley and her husband were on good terms when they left the house at 07:30 in the evening. As I said before, although she was not gentle and considerate, the coachman heard her talking to the Colonel in a friendly tone." Now, it is equally certain that, on her return, she went into the early-morning sitting-room where she was unlikely to see her husband, and, as a woman is often in the heat of the moment, ordered the servants to prepare her tea. When Colonel On entering, she suddenly reproached the Colonel with agitation. So, something must have happened between 07:30 and [-] o'clock in the evening, which completely changed her attitude towards the Colonel. But Mrs. Buckley during this hour and a half Inside, she was with Miss Morrison all the time, so it is absolutely certain that, despite Miss Morrison's denials, she must in fact know something about the matter.

"At first I suspected that maybe Miss Morrison had something to do with the Colonel, but she has now confessed to the Colonel's wife. That would explain why the Colonel's wife came home in a rage, and why Miss Morrison denied that it ever happened. This conjecture did not entirely contradict what the servant had heard. But Mrs. Barclay's mention of David, and the fact that the Colonel was known to be faithful to his wife, were not at odds with this. In line with, let alone the intrusion of a third party, of course, this is even less connected with the above speculation. It is difficult to choose the right direction, but, in general, I am inclined to the Colonel and Miss Morrison The idea that there is no relationship between them, I am more convinced that this girl knows the reason why Mrs. Buckley hates her husband. My solution is very simple. I will call on Miss Morrison and explain to her. I am absolutely sure that she knows this facts, and convinced her that if she did not speak of the matter, her friend Mrs Buckley would be tried as a suspect.

"Miss Morrison was a small, demure girl, with tender eyes, fair hair, and a great deal of wit. After I had said this, she sat, thought for a moment, then turned to me, Attitude asserts something very noteworthy. I will briefly tell you about it.

"Miss Morrison said: 'I once promised my friend to keep the matter secret, and since I have promised, I should not break my oath. But my poor friend was charged with such a serious crime, and she herself If I can help her by telling you what happened on Monday night without reservation, I think I will break my oath.

"'About a quarter past eight in the evening we came back from the Watt Street Charity. Our way home was through Hudson Street, which is a very quiet avenue. There is only one street lamp in the whole street, which is on the left side of the street. .As we approached this street lamp, I saw a man walking towards us. The man was bent very badly, and he carried what looked like a small box on one shoulder. He looked disabled, For his whole body was stooped with his head bowed down, and his knees were bent when he walked. As we passed him, he looked up at us. When he saw us, he stopped and let out a terrible startle. Phew: "My God, it's Nancy! "Mrs. Buckley's face turned pale. If it hadn't been for the man with the horrible face to support her, she would have fallen to the ground. I planned to call the police, but Mrs. Buckley spoke unexpectedly politely to this man.

"' said Mrs Buckley in a trembling voice: "For thirty years I thought you were dead, Henry. "

"'"I am dead. said the man. The tone of his voice was frightening. His face was sullen, and his eyes I still dream of. His hair and beard were gray, and his cheeks were shriveled.

"'"Please go first, dear, don't be afraid, I want to talk to this man. ’ she tried to speak lightly, but she remained pale and her lips trembled.

"'I did as she asked, and they talked together for a few minutes. Then she came out into the street with angry eyes, and I saw the poor cripple standing by a lamppost, waving his hand in anger. On the way back, she didn't say a word, until at the door of my house, she took my hand and begged me not to tell others what happened on the road.

"'"This is an old friend of mine, now down and out. said she. I swore to her that I would keep her secret, and she kissed me, and I have never seen her again. I have now told you all I know. The reason why I refused to I told the police because I didn't know what was going on with my dear friend. I know now that it would only be in her interest to tell the whole story."

"That's what Miss Morrison told me, Watson. It was to me like a light in the dark. Everything that had previously been disconnected was at once connected. My opinion of the case During the process, I have vaguely seen some clues. Next, I must find the person who left such an unusual impression on Mrs. Buckley. If this person is still in Aldershot, it will not be difficult to find him There are not many people in the place, and a handicapped one would certainly attract attention. I spent a day looking for him, and in the evening, which is this evening, Watson, I found him. His name His name is Henry Wood, and he lives in the street where the two women met him. He has only been here five days. I pretended to be the registration officer, and I learned something about this man from the landlady. This man is a A juggler, who goes to the various privately run soldiers' clubs every day after dusk to perform a few shows. He often carries a small box with him, which contains an animal. The landlady seems to be afraid of this thing. She has never seen anything like it. According to the landlady, he used to perform several tricks with the animal. That's all the landlady knew. She added that it was true that a tortured man like him survived. It was a miracle. Sometimes the man said strange things, and the last two nights the landlady heard him crying in the bedroom. He was not short of money, but when he paid the deposit, he handed the landlady a coin like a Rollin's silver coin. She showed me, Watson, an Indian rupee.

"My dear friend, now you know why I came to you. Apparently, after the two women broke up with this man, he followed them at a distance. When he saw the quarrel between the couple from the window At that moment, he broke in, and the animal he kept in the small wooden box ran out. But what happened in that room, it seems that he is the only one in the world who can tell us."

"Are you going to ask him?"

"Yes, but a witness must be present."

"Are you asking me to be a witness?"

"Of course, if you like. It would be the best if he could make it clear. If he won't, then we'll have to ask for his arrest."

"But how do you know he won't leave when we get there?"

"I've taken some steps. I've sent a boy I employ in Baker Street to keep an eye on him. Wherever the man goes, he can't get rid of the boy. We'll find him in Hudson Street tomorrow." .If I delay you from going to bed any longer, I shall be committing a crime."

At noon we arrived at the scene of the crime, and, guided by my friend, proceeded at once to Hudson Street.Although Holmes was good at concealing his feelings, I could see at a glance that he was trying to suppress his excitement.I myself felt curious, amusing, and extremely excited, which I experienced every time I investigated a case with him.

"That's the street," said Holmes, as we turned into a short street lined with two-storey brick buildings. Haha, Simpson is reporting."

A little waif came running towards us, and called out, "He's in there, Mr. Holmes."

"Very well, Simpson!" said Holmes, patting the waif on the head. "Come, Watson, this is the house."

Holmes handed over a business card, declaring that he needed to come.We immediately meet the person we are interviewing.

Although the weather was so hot that the small room was as hot as an oven, the man was still curled up by the fire.The man, hunched over and huddled in the chair, gave an impression of indescribable ugliness in a way.But when he turned his face, we saw that though thin and swarthy, it must have been quite handsome at one time.He glared at us suspiciously. He neither spoke nor stood up, but pointed to two chairs for us to sit down.

Holmes said pleasantly, "You are Henry Wood, who was in India, I suppose. We are here in connection with the death of Colonel Barclay."

"How would I know?"

"That's all I've got to get to the bottom of it. I think if I don't get this out, your old friend Mrs. Buckley is likely to be tried for murder."

The man was startled.

"I don't know who you are, or how you know this, but can you swear that nothing you told me was true?" he yelled.

"Of course, they're going to arrest her when she regains consciousness."

"My God! Are you a policeman too?"

"No."

"What does this matter to you?"

"Justice is everyone's responsibility."

"You can take my word for it, she's innocent."

"Then you are the murderer?"

"No, not me."

"Then who killed Colonel James Buckley?"

"His crimes are unforgivable, and death deserves more than justification. However, please remember, if I get my wish, blow his head off and let him die by my hands, he will only deserve what he deserves. If he didn't have a guilty conscience, he would Fell to his death, I swear I'd kill him. You want me to talk about it. Well, I don't have to hide it, I have a clear conscience about it.

"The way it is, sir. You see me bent now, with crooked ribs, but in those days Corporal Henry Wood was one of the handsomest men in the [-]th Infantry. We were then stationed in one of Burti, India. In the barracks. Buckley, who died a few days ago, was a sergeant in the same company as me, and there was a beautiful woman in the regiment at that time, Nancy DeVoy, the daughter of a marine sergeant. Two people loved her then, and She only loved one of them, and that poor fellow you see now curled up before the fire. You will be amused when you hear me say that she loved me because I was handsome.

"While she loved me, her father wanted to marry her to Buckley. I was a desperate teenager, and Buckley was an educated man about to be promoted to an officer. But the girl was still loyal to me. , if it hadn't been for the Indian rebellion, and the whole country was in turmoil, maybe I could marry her.

"At that time we were all trapped in Burti, our regiment, half an artillery battery, a Sikh company, and many civilians and women. At this time ten thousand rebels surrounded us. The second besieged We ran out of drinking water on Sunday. At that time General Neil's column was moving inland, and since we couldn't rush out with all the women and children, making contact with them was our only way out. I volunteered to break out and go to Neil My request was granted, so I consulted with Sergeant Buckley. He knew the terrain better than anyone else, so he drew a road map for me so that I could follow the route indicated by the map. Crossing the rebel line. I set off at ten o'clock at night. There are a thousand lives waiting to be rescued, but when I climbed down the wall that night, I only thought of one person.

"I was going to pass through a dry river. I originally hoped that it could cover me from the enemy's sentry post, but when I crawled to the corner of the river, I fell into an ambush of six enemy troops. In an instant, I was knocked out and my hands and feet were bound. But what really hurt me was not in my head, but in my heart. Because when I woke up, I heard their conversation, although I could only understand a little bit of their language , but it was enough to see that my companion, who had arranged my route, had betrayed me to the enemy through a native servant.

"Well, I don't need to go into that part. You now know what James Barclay did. The next day, General Neal came to relieve Burti, but as the rebels retreated, they took I took it with me. For many years I was tortured and managed to escape and I was caught and tortured again. You can see how they tortured me. At that time some of them took me to Nepal , and later turned to Darjeeling. The mountain people there killed the few rebels who brought me, so I became their slave before I escaped. However, I did not flee south when I escaped, but I was forced to flee north to Afghanistan. I wandered there for a few years and finally came back to Punjab. Most of the time there in Punjab I lived among the natives and learned to juggle and survive. Like me Why should such a poor cripple go back to England and let some of my old friends know of my condition? Even if I longed for vengeance, I would not go back. I would rather Nancy and my old friends think that Henry Wood's dead and don't want them to see me limping around with a cane. They're convinced I'm dead, and I want them to. I've heard Buckley married Nancy and was promoted in the regiment Soon, but even so, I don't want to tell the truth.

"However, when people reach their old age, they miss their hometown. Over the past few years, I have often dreamed of seeing the green land and countryside in England. Therefore, I decided to take a look at my hometown again in my lifetime. I saved up the travel expenses and came to Where the troops are garrisoned. Because I know the lives of soldiers and how to make them happy and keep them alive."

"Your story is very touching," said Sherlock Holmes. "I hear that you met Mrs. Barclay, and that you both recognized each other. You followed her home, I suppose, and looked out of the window. When she and her husband quarreled, Mrs. Barkley may well have reprimanded him to your face for his behavior towards you. You couldn't help running across the lawn and into the house."

"That's right, sir, but when he saw me, he turned pale with horror, such as I've never seen before. Then he fell backwards, hitting his head on the stove guard. In fact, he was falling He was dead before he fell. I could tell he was dead from his face. When he saw me, it was like a bullet had been shot in his heart, the heart that had done something wrong."

"and after?"

"Later Nancy fainted, I hurriedly picked up the key to open the door from her hand, and planned to open the door to call for help. But at this time I thought it would be better to leave, because this matter seemed to be very bad for me. If I was caught Stop, and my secret is exposed. I hastily pocketed the key, and dropped my stick to catch Teddy, who had climbed up the curtain. I caught it, put it back in the box, and fled as fast as I could. room."

"Who is Teddy?" asked Holmes.

The man leaned forward and opened the door of a cage in the corner of the room.Out of the cage slipped a beautiful little reddish-brown animal.It had a small, soft body, with weasel-like legs, a long thin nose, and beautiful red eyes, such beautiful eyes as I have never seen in any other animal.

"It's a mongoose," I yelled.

"Yes, some call it that, and some call it a mongoose," said the man. "I call it a snake-catcher, and Teddy catches cobras with astonishing speed. I have a snake here with its fangs removed, Teddy. Di performed snake catching in the soldiers club every night.

"Sir, are there any other questions?"

(End of this chapter)