The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 79 Memoirs (8) ([-])
"After speaking, he opened the door and led me into a room richly furnished, but still lit by a dim lamp. The room was large, and when I entered, my feet were on the carpet, It feels soft, indicating that it is very high-end. I also saw some soft velvet chairs, a tall white marble mantelpiece, there seemed to be a pair of Japanese armor on the side, and there was a chair directly under the lamp. He gestured for me to sit down. The young man went out, then came in suddenly through another door, and led in a man in a baggy pajamas, who walked slowly towards us. When he came under the dim light, I put He could see better, and the way he looked immediately terrified me. His complexion was sallow and haggard, and his large, bright and protruding eyes showed that although his physical strength was weak, he was still full of energy. Except for his emaciated Outside of the body, what shocked me even more was that his face was covered with strange-shaped adhesive plasters, and a large piece of gauze was stuck to his mouth by the adhesive plaster.

"'Have you got the slate, Harold?' cried the middle-aged man, as the queer slumped in the chair. 'Have you let go of his hand? Well, give him a pen. Melas Sir, please ask him to write his answer down. Ask him first, is he going to sign the document?'

"The man glared. 'No!' he wrote in Greek on the slate.

"'Non-negotiable?' I asked, as the scoundrel had ordered.

"'Unless I see her married in the presence of a Greek priest whom I know, there is no room for negotiation.'

"The middle-aged man grinned viciously and said: 'Well, do you know what's going to happen to you?'

"'I don't care about anything.'

"The above questions and answers are just some fragments of our conversation that was written and written. I had to ask him repeatedly whether he would compromise and sign the document, and I got the same angry answer again and again. So, I had A wonderful idea, to add my own words after each question. At first, I asked some irrelevant words, trying to see if the two people in the room understood. Later, I found that they had no Then we began to question more boldly. Our conversation went something like this:

"'It does no good for you to be so stubborn. Who are you?'

"'I don't care. I don't know London well.'

"'Your fate is in your own hands. How long have you been here?'

"'Whatever you want. Three weeks.'

"'This estate will never be yours. How did they torture you?'

"'It will never fall into the hands of thugs. They won't feed me.'

"'If you sign it, you will be free. What kind of mansion is this?'

"'I will never sign. I don't know.'

"'Don't you think of her at all? What's your name?'

"'I'd have to hear it from her own mouth to believe it, Cladet.'

"'If you sign, you can see her. Where are you from?'

"'Then I must not see her. Athens.'

"With another 5 minutes, I will be able to find out everything in front of them. Ask another question, and I may be able to find out the matter. Unexpectedly, the door suddenly opened and a woman walked in. I couldn't see her face clearly, I only felt that she had a slim figure, black hair, and she was wearing a loose white pajamas.

"'Harold,' said the woman in broken English, 'I can't stay here any longer. It's so boring here, there's only... oh my god, isn't this Paul?'

"The woman's last two words were spoken in Greek, and before she finished speaking, the man tore off the adhesive plaster on his mouth and screamed, 'Sophie! Sophie!' and threw himself into the woman's arms. However, they only hugged for a moment before the woman was grabbed by the young man and pushed out the door. The middle-aged man effortlessly grabbed the thin victim and dragged him out through another door. Leaving me alone, I stood up suddenly, thinking vaguely: I should try to find some clues to see where I am. However, fortunately, I haven't done so, because I saw the middle-aged man when I looked up. The man stood at the door, staring at me covetously.

"'Well, Mr. Melas, you see we did not treat you as an outsider to involve you in private matters. We had a Greek-speaking friend who helped us in the negotiations at first, but he has since It is urgent to go back to the East, otherwise we will not bother you. We need to find someone to replace him. I heard that your translation level is very high, and we feel very lucky.' He said.

"I nodded.

"He came up to me and said: 'Here's five pounds, I hope that's enough for your payment.' He patted my chest lightly, giggled and said: 'But please remember , if you tell the story, take care, but tell it to a living man, and let God pray for you!'

"I can't describe to you how disgusted and afraid I am of this wretched-looking man. I saw him better in the light. He was haggard, with a thin and thin beard, and he stretched his face when he spoke. Looking forward, the lips and eyelids were quivering. I couldn't help thinking that his continuous grotesque laughter was also a symptom of neurosis. His terrible thing was also that pair of eyes that shone with cold, vicious, and murderous light.

"'We shall know, if you tell the story,' said he; 'we have means of getting it. A carriage is waiting for you now, and my companion will take you home.'

"I hastened across the hall, and had another look at the trees and garden, and Mr. Latimer followed me without a word. In the carriage, he was still sitting opposite me. We drove for a while in silence. During the long journey, the car windows were still blocked, and the car didn't stop until midnight.

"'Get off here, Mr. Melas,' said my fellow-carriage. 'I am sorry, but this is a long way from your house, but there is nothing else to do. It would be a disservice to you if you attempted to follow our carriage. You are at a disadvantage.'

"He opened the car door as he spoke. As soon as I jumped out of the car, the driver drove away with a whip. I looked around in amazement. It turned out that I was in the wilderness, surrounded by dark bushes. A row of houses in the distance , with lights flashing in the windows, and the red signal lights of the railway on the other side.

"The carriage that carried me was gone. I was standing looking, trying to figure out where I was, when I saw someone approaching me in the dark. When he came up to me, I just saw that he was a railway porter.

"'Can you tell me where this is?' I asked.

"'This is Wandsworth Heath,' said he.

"'Is there a train coming into town here?'

“‘If you walk a mile or so to Clapham Junction, you can just catch the last train to Victoria,’ he said.

"This is the end of my adventure. Apart from what I have just told you, Mr. Holmes, I know neither where I have been nor with whom I have spoken. I do not know anything else. But , I knew that a dirty business was going on. If I could, I would help the unfortunate man. I told Mr. Mycroft Holmes the situation next morning, and I made a report to the police."

We sat in silence for a while after hearing this queer twist and turn.Afterwards Sherlock looked at his brother.

"What steps have been taken?" asked Sherlock.

Mycroft picked up a "Daily News" on the table, which reported:

Today there is a Greek gentleman named Paul Cretides who came from Athens and does not speak English; there is another Greek woman named Sophie.Both of them are missing, and if someone informs them of their whereabouts, they will be rewarded heavily. X two four seven three.

"The advert is in every major newspaper today, but they still haven't heard from it," said Mycroft.

"Does the Greek embassy know?"

"I asked, and they didn't know a thing."

"Send a telegram to Athens Police Headquarters."

"You will make every effort to clear this case. If there is any good news, please let me know," said Mycroft, turning to me. "Sherlock has the most energy in our house."

"Okay." My friend stood up and replied, "I will definitely tell you the result, and I will also tell Mr. Melas. If I were you, Mr. Melas, I would be very careful, because When they see these ads, they know you've betrayed them."

We walked home together, and Holmes sent several telegrams at a telegraph office.

"You see," said Holmes, "we have done well to-night. Many of the great cases which I have dealt with have come into my hands through Mycroft. The case which we have just heard, although only An answer, but still with some character."

"Do you have any hope of solving it?"

"We know so much, it would be a strange thing if we couldn't find out the rest. You must have had some idea of ​​what you have just heard."

"Yes, but it's not very clear."

"What do you think?"

"It seems to me that the young Englishman, Harold Latimer, has abducted the Greek girl."

"Where did it come from?"

"Perhaps from Athens."

Sherlock Holmes shook his head, and said: "The young man can't speak a word of Greek. The girl can speak English fluently. From my inference, she has been in England for some time, and the young man has not arrived." through Greece."

"Okay, then, let's assume she's visiting England, and it was Harold who persuaded her to run away with him."

"It's quite possible."

"Then her brother came from Greece to intervene, because, I think they must be relatives. He had the audacity to fall into the hands of the young and middle-aged man. These two seized him, tortured him, and forced him to sign some documents. , in order to transfer the girl's property to these two persons. Her brother, who may be the trustee of the property, refused to sign the transfer. In order to negotiate with him, the young and middle-aged people had to go to an interpreter, so that Mr. Melas was chosen, and another interpreter may have been used before. They did not tell the girl of her brother's arrival, and the girl only learned of her brother's arrival by chance."

"Excellent! Watson," cried Holmes, "I do not think that what you say is far from the truth. You see, we are sure of our success, and the only fear is that they will suddenly tear it up. If they give us enough time, we can certainly succeed." Catch them and bring them to justice.”

"But how are we to find out where the dwelling is?"

"If we surmise correctly that the girl's name is or was Sophie Cletti, we shall have no difficulty in finding her. This is our chief hope, since her brother is a complete stranger. Harold had evidently been associated with the girl for some time, at least a few weeks, and her brother had come here after hearing the news from Greece. During this time, if their place of residence had changed, it might have Someone has an answer to Mycroft's ad."

We talked all the way, and we came back to the Baker Street apartment without knowing it.Holmes went upstairs first, and opened the door with a start.I looked over his shoulder, and saw that his brother Mycroft was smoking in an arm-chair.

"Come in! Sherlock. Come in, sir," said Mycroft, smiling kindly at our astonishment, "you don't think I have such energy, do you? This case fascinates me."

"How did you get here?"

"I overtook you in a chariot."

"Any new developments?"

"My ad is echoing."

"what!"

"Yes, the echo came just a few minutes after you left."

"what's the result?"

Mycroft Holmes took out a sheet of paper and spread it out.

He said: "See, the letter is written with a broad-pointed pen on yellowish printing paper by a middle-aged man, who is infirm."

teacher:

After reading your advertisement today, please reply as follows.I know the situation of this girl very well, if you come here in vain, you should tell her the tragic history in detail.He now resides in Myrtles, Beckham.

Yours faithfully J. Davenport
"He is writing from Lower Brixton," said Mycroft Holmes. "Sherlock, why don't we drive to him now and learn more about it?"

"My dear Mycroft, saving that brother's life is more important than knowing about his sister. I think we should go to Scotland Yard with Sheriff Grayson and go directly to Beckham. You know, the man Your life is at stake!"

"Better take Mr. Melas along," I suggested. "We may need an interpreter."

"Yes," said Sherlock Holmes, "order your servants to find a carriage quickly, and we shall set off at once." As he spoke, he opened a drawer of the table, and I saw him tucking his pistol into his pocket.Seeing me looking at him, he said: "I should say, from what we know, we are dealing with a very dangerous criminal."

It was quite dark when we reached Mr. Melas's house in Pall Mall.A gentleman had just come to his house and asked him to go away.

"Can you tell us where he is?" asked Mycroft Holmes.

"I don't know, sir," answered the woman who opened the door for us. "I only know that he went away in a carriage with that gentleman."

"Has the gentleman given his name?"

"No, sir."

"Is he a young handsome black big guy?"

"Oh, no, sir. He's a short man with spectacles and a thin face, but he's good-natured, for he laughs all the time he talks."

"Follow me!" cried Sherlock Holmes suddenly. "The situation is critical."

"Those men took Melas away," said he, as we made our way to Scotland Yard. "The night before last they found Melas courageless, and frightened him as soon as the villain appeared before him. Those people undoubtedly asked him to be an interpreter, but after the translation is over, he may be killed for leaking the news."

We hope to arrive at Beckham as soon as possible by train, and strive to arrive earlier than the carriage.However, when we arrived at Scotland Yard, it took us more than an hour to find Sergeant Gregson and go through the legal formalities of allowing entry to the private house.At a quarter past nine in the evening we reached London Bridge; at 10:30 in the evening the four of us arrived at Beckham Station and drove another half mile to Myrtles.It was a big, bleak house backed by the road.After sending the carriage away, we walked together down the drive.

"The windows are all black," said the inspector. "The house does not appear to be inhabited."

"They have escaped," said Sherlock Holmes.

"Why do you say that?"

"It was less than an hour before a carriage left with a full load."

The sheriff smiled and said, "I saw the ruts under the door light, but they still have luggage. How did you know that?"

"You could see the rut where the same car was going the other way, but the rut going out was very deep. So we're pretty sure there's a load on the car."

"You observe more carefully than I do." The sheriff shrugged his shoulders and said, "It's very difficult for us to break in, but we can try, if we call the door and no one answers."

The sheriff beat the knocker hard and rang the bell desperately, but no one answered.Sherlock Holmes walked away, only to return some minutes later.

"I have opened a window," said Sherlock Holmes.

"It is a good thing you are in favor of breaking and entering, and not against it, Mr. Holmes," said the Inspector, seeing my friend so deftly unlatch the window. "Well, I think that in the circumstances we can do without Please come in."

After filing in through the windows, we came to a large room, which was evidently where Mr. Melas had been the last time.The sheriff lit his lantern, and by its light we saw the two doors, the curtains, the lamp, and a pair of Japanese armor that Melas had told us about.On the table were two glasses, a blank brandy bottle and some leftovers from food.

"What noise?" asked Sherlock Holmes suddenly.

We all listen carefully.From somewhere above our heads came a low moan.Sherlock Holmes hastened to the door and into the hall.The low voice came from upstairs.He ran up the stairs, the sheriff and I following, and his brother Mycroft, in spite of his size, as fast as he could.

There are three doors facing us on the second floor.The desolate voice came from the middle door, sometimes it was as low as a whisper, and sometimes it was a loud wail.The door was locked, but the key was still outside.Sherlock Holmes quickly opened the door and rushed in, but immediately put his hand over his mouth and nose again, and withdrew.

"The coals are burning inside," cried Sherlock Holmes. "Wait a moment, and the gas will dissipate."

We looked inside and saw dark blue flames emanating from a small copper tripod in the middle of the room.In the shadows, we see two indistinct figures crouching against a wall.As soon as the door was opened, there was a terrible poisonous gas, which made us choked and coughed.Sherlock Holmes ran to the top of the building for a breath of fresh air, then rushed inside, opened the window, and threw the tripod into the garden.

"Wait a little longer, and we can go in," said Sherlock Holmes, running out quickly again, panting. "Where is the candle? It is unlikely that a match will be struck in this air. Mycroft, You stand at the door with a lamp, let's get them out!"

We rushed to the two poisoned men and dragged them into the brightly lit vestibule.They were all unconscious, with blue lips, swollen faces and bulging eyes.Their faces had grown so much that, were it not for the black beard and fat figure, we would have hardly recognized one of them as the Greek interpreter who had parted from us only a few hours before at the Diogenes Club.His hands and feet were tightly bound, and there was a scar on one eye from a severe beating.The other man was tall, his hands and feet were bound like him, and he was already emaciated and out of shape, with some sticking plaster on his face in a strange shape.When we put him down, he had stopped moaning, and I could tell at once that he was beyond help.Mr. Melas was alive, however, and we gave him some ammonia and brandy, and within an hour he opened his eyes.I know I have brought him back from the abyss of death.

(End of this chapter)