The Complete Works of Sherlock Holmes

Chapter 81 Memoirs (10) ([-])
"'I have been standing here for a quarter of an hour, sir,' said the policeman. 'Only one person has passed during this time, a tall old woman with a paisley shawl on her.'

"'Oh, that's my wife,' cried the porter, 'is no one else passing by?'

"'there is none left.'

"'Then the thief must have escaped around the left corner,' cried the fellow, tugging at my sleeve.

"But I didn't believe it, and his attempt to distract me only increased my suspicions.

"'Which way is that woman going?'

"'I don't know, sir, I just noticed her go by, but I had no reason to look at her. She seemed to be in a hurry.'

"'How long has it been?'

"'Ah, not a few minutes.'

"'Less than 5 minutes?'

"'Yes, less than five minutes.'

"'You are wasting your time, sir, and every minute counts now,' cried the doorman. 'Trust me, my wife has absolutely nothing to do with this matter. Go to the left of the street and look for it. Alright. Well, if you don’t go, I’ll go.” As he spoke, he ran to the left.

"But I ran after him and grabbed him by the sleeve. 'Where do you live?' I asked.

"'I live at No. 16 Ivey Lane, Brixton,' replied he. 'I hope you will not be misled by illusions, Mr. Phelps. Let us go to the left of the street and inquire.'

"I thought it wouldn't do any harm to do as he suggested, and the two of us and the police hurried there, and saw people coming and going in the street, all wanting to get home early on this rainy night, and no idler could tell Who of us ever walked.

"So we went back to the Foreign Office and searched the stairs and corridors, but to no avail. The corridors leading to the offices were covered with a beige oilcloth, which made it easy to spot footprints. We checked very carefully, but even a little No trace of footprints was found."

"Has it been raining that night?"

"It has been raining since about seven o'clock in the evening."

"The woman came into the house about nine o'clock in the evening, wearing muddy boots. How could it be possible that no footprints were left?"

"I'm glad you pointed that out. It occurred to me then. The handmaiden has a habit of changing into cloth slippers in the porter's room."

"Understood. So, although it rained that night, no footprints were found, right? This chain of events is indeed very important. What did you do next?"

"We checked the room too. There can't be a hidden door in this room, and the windows are a good thirty feet off the ground. Both windows are bolted from the inside. The floor is carpeted, there's no chance of a tunnel door, and the ceiling It was painted with ordinary whitewash. I guarantee my life that whoever steals my documents can only escape through the door."

"How about the fireplace?"

"There is no fireplace, only a stove. The electric bell is on the right side of my desk. Anyone who wants to ring the bell must go to the right side of my desk. But why should the criminal ring the bell? It is a difficult mystery."

"This is truly extraordinary. What's your next step? I think you've checked the room to see if the intruder left any traces, like cigarette butts, lost gloves, hairpins or whatever Little thing, eh?"

"There is no such thing."

"Don't you smell anything?"

"Well, we didn't think of that."

"Ah, even a little tobacco smell is of great value to us in investigating cases like this."

"I never smoked, and if there was any smell of smoke in the house, I would smell it. But there was no smell of smoke. The only fact that is certain is that the wife of the porter, Mrs. Tangay, was from There was a rush out of the place, and the janitor couldn't explain the incident, he just said that his wife usually comes home at this time. The police and I agreed that if the papers were indeed in the woman's hands, we'd better take advantage of the She caught her without letting go of the file.

"Scotland Yard was alerted at this time, and Detective Mr. Forbes came at once to take up the case. We hired a hansom, and in half an hour we were at the point the porter told us. A young woman opened the door." , she is Mrs. Tangay's eldest daughter. Her mother hasn't come back yet, and she puts us in the hall to wait.

"Ten minutes later there was a knock on the door. That's when we made a terrible mistake and I can only blame myself for that. It was that instead of opening the door ourselves, we let the girl do it. We heard her say 'Mom , two people came to the house and said they want to see you'. Then we heard a rush of footsteps into the hall. Forbes slammed the door open, and the two of us ran into the back room, which is the kitchen, but the woman went first Go in. She looks at us hostilely, then suddenly recognizes me with a look of utter surprise on her face.

"'It's Mr Phelps from the Ministry!' she cried.

"'Well, what do you take us for? Why do you avoid us?' asked my companion.

"'I thought you were second-hand dealers,' she said. 'We have an affair with a dealer.'

"'That is insufficient reason,' replied Forbes. 'We have reason to believe that you have taken an important paper from the Foreign Office, and come here to dispose of it. You must come with us to Scotland Yard to be searched. '

"She protested and resisted, but in vain. We called for a carriage. Before we left, we checked the kitchen, especially the fire, to see if she was taking advantage of her Tossed the papers into the fire while alone. However, there was no trace of crumbs or ash. As soon as we got to Scotland Yard, we handed her over to the lady searcher. I waited with difficulty for the report from the lady searcher, However, it is reported that there is still no whereabouts of the documents.

"That's when I began to realize how dire my situation was. So far, I've been too concerned with thinking. I've been convinced that the agreement will be found quickly, so I haven't thought about what will happen if I don't. But now that I am at my wit's end, I have time to consider my situation. It is too dreadful. Watson may have told you that I was a timid and sensitive creature at school. I think of the same thing as my uncle What was my personal victimization of this very bizarre accident compared with the disgrace to my colleagues in his cabinet, to myself and to my family and friends? The important thing is that diplomatic interests are at stake. No accidents allowed. I'm ruined, hopelessly shamefully ruined. I don't know what I've done. I think I must have magnified things. I only vaguely remember some Colleagues surrounded me and tried their best to comfort me. One of my colleagues took the train to Waterloo with me and sent me to the train to Woking. I believe that if my neighbor Dr. Colleagues would have been sending me home. The doctor took good care of me, and I owe it to him, because I passed out once at the station and was almost an incoherent maniac before I got home.

"You can imagine when the doctor rang the bell to wake my family from their sleep and they saw me in this state. Poor Anne and my mother were almost heartbroken. Dr. Ferrier recounted what the detective had just heard at the station. I told my family all about it, but it was useless. Everyone knew that my illness would not be cured in a short while, so Joseph was forced to move out of this beloved bedroom in a hurry and put it in a safe place. It has been changed to my ward. Mr. Holmes, I have been lying here for more than nine weeks, unconscious and extremely deranged. If it were not for the careful care of Miss Harrison and the doctor, I don't think it would be possible for me to be with you now. Speaking. She took care of me during the day and hired another nurse to watch over me at night, because I can do anything when I'm insane. My mind is gradually clearing up, but only in the last three days, my memory has fully recovered. Restoration. In fact, at times I even wished it hadn't been revived. The first thing I did was to send a telegram to Mr. Forbes who was handling the case. tried to find a way, but could not find any clues; checked the janitor and his wife by various means, but failed to clarify the matter. So the police again fell on the young Gorot as the target of suspicion, that is, after work that night The man who lingered in the office for a long time. There are really only two things suspicious about him: one is that he left late, and the other is his French name. However, before he left, I hadn't started to copy the agreement. ;though his ancestry was of Huguenot origin, he was as English in habits and sentiments as you and I are. In any case, no conclusive evidence of guilt could be found against him. So the case The case has thus gone nowhere. Mr. Holmes, I have placed my last hopes in you. If you fail me, my honor and my position will be ruined forever."

The nurse poured him a sedative as the patient reclined tiredly on the cushion from talking too long.Holmes tilted his head back, closed his eyes slightly, and remained silent.To a stranger it seemed listless, but I knew it meant he was thinking seriously.

"You have made it very clear," he said at last. "I have few questions left to ask. But there is one more important question to be clarified. Tell me about your particular mission. Anyone ever?"

"I never told anyone."

"For example, didn't you tell Miss Harrison here?"

"No. I did not return to Woking between my orders and my mission."

"Didn't any of your friends happen to see you?"

"No."

"Does anyone in your family know the route to your office?"

"Yes, I have told them the path there."

"Of course, if you haven't spoken to anyone about the agreement, then there's no need for these inquiries."

"I never said anything."

"Do you know the gatekeeper?"

"All I know is that he turned out to be a veteran."

"Which group is it from?"

"It's from the Colstream Guard, I hear."

"Thank you. I'm sure I can get the details from Forbes. Officials are very good at gathering facts, but they don't often make use of them. Ah, what a lovely thing roses are!"

He walked across the couch to the open window, and held up a low-hanging rose branch to admire it.It still seemed to me a new aspect of his character, for I had never before seen him display a strong love for natural objects.

"Nothing in the world needs reasoning more than religion," he said, leaning against the shutter. "It may be gradually established by reasoning scholars as a delicate discipline. According to reasoning, it seems to me that our understanding of God The highest belief in benevolence is placed in flowers. Because our ability, desire, food, all of these are first of all for the needs of survival, but this flower is different. Its fragrance and its color are life. An embellishment, not a condition of existence. Only kindness can produce these extraordinary characters. So I repeat, human beings have great hopes in flowers."

Percy Phelps and his nurse watched Holmes during his argument with amazement and profound disappointment on their faces.Holmes was lost in thought with the rose in his hand, and after a few minutes the silence was broken by the young woman.

"Do you see any hope of resolving this mystery, Mr. Holmes?" she asked in a somewhat raspy voice.

"Ah, this mystery?" Holmes was taken aback, before returning to real life, and replied, "it would be foolish to deny that this case is complicated and incomprehensible. But I can promise you that I will go deep into it. Investigate this matter and tell you all I know."

"Do you see any clues?"

"You have given me seven clues, but of course I must examine them before I can judge their value."

"Who do you suspect?"

"I doubt myself."

"what?!"

"I suspect I'm jumping to conclusions too quickly."

"Then go back to London and test your conclusions."

"Your suggestion is very good, Miss Harrison," said Holmes, rising. "I think, Watson, that we can do no better. You must not expect too much, Mr. Phelps. Things are very confusing."

"I am eagerly waiting to see you again," the diplomat exclaimed.

"Okay, although it may not bring you any good news, I will take this bus to see you tomorrow."

"God bless you," cried our client, "I know that steps are being taken, and that gives me new strength. By the way, I have just had a letter from Lord Holdhurst letter."

"What did he say?"

"He spoke coldly, but not harshly. I decided it was because I was seriously ill that he didn't criticize me. He repeated that the matter was top secret, and that unless I regained my health and had a chance to make amends, it would be a shame to be fired. For sure."

"That is reasonable and considerate," said Holmes. "Come on, Watson, we have a whole day's work in town."

Mr. Joseph Harrison drove us to the station, and we were soon on a train for Portsmouth.Holmes had been deep in thought, and remained silent until we had passed Clapham Junction. He said, "I am very happy that no matter which railway line you take to enter London, you can see such houses from a commanding height."

I thought he was joking, because the scenery was so unsightly, but he immediately explained: "Look at the big isolated houses, they stand on top of the bluestone, like an island of bricks and tiles in a sea of ​​lead gray generally."

"It was some boarding schools."

"That's the lighthouse, my fellow! The lighthouse of the future! Each lighthouse is filled with a thousand bright little seeds that will make England richer and stronger in their generation. Phelps can't drink wine? "

"I don't think he can drink."

"I think so, too, but we ought to expect everything. The poor man is in a difficult position, and the question is whether we will be able to get him ashore. What do you think of Miss Harrison?"

"She's a strong girl."

"Yes, but she was a good person, or I was mistaken. She and her brother were the only two children of an ironworker near Northumberland. On a trip last winter, Phelps and her Betrothed, her brother accompanied her to see the Phelps family, and as this unfortunate incident happened, she stayed to look after her fiancé, and her brother Joseph Harrison, who found it quite comfortable, also stayed. You see, I've done some separate investigations. But today, I have to do investigative work."

"My medical..." I began.

"If you feel that your medical affairs are more important than my case..." Holmes said sharply.

"I just want to say that my medical treatment might as well be delayed for a day or two, because it's the lightest time of the year."

"Very well," said Holmes, regaining his cheerfulness, "then we shall examine the case together. I think we should start by interviewing Forbes. He will probably give us all the details we want, and we will proceed to the matter. Know where to approach the case.”

"You mean, you already have a clue?"

"Yes, we've got a few leads, but we'll have to investigate further before we can test their worth. Cases without a criminal motive are the hardest to solve. But this case is not without a criminal motive. The good? The French ambassador, the Russian ambassador, the man who can sell the agreement to one of the ambassadors, and Lord Holdhurst."

"Lord Holdhurst?!"

"Yes, it is conceivable that a politician, out of necessity, could take the opportunity to destroy such a document without regret."

"Isn't Lord Holdhurst a cabinet minister with an honorable record?"

"It is not impossible, and we cannot ignore it. We are going to visit the lord today to see if he can tell us something, and in the meantime I am making inquiries."

"Already done?"

"Yes, I sent a telegram from Woking Station to the evening papers in London. Every evening paper will carry such an advertisement."

Holmes handed me a piece of paper, torn from a diary, on which was written in pencil:

At 23:221 p.m. on May [-], a passenger alighted from a carriage at or near the entrance of the Foreign Office on Charles Street. If you know his whereabouts, please inform the number of the carriage to [-]B Baker Street. A reward of ten pounds.

"Are you sure that the thief came in a carriage?"

"It doesn't matter if it isn't. If Phelps is right that there is no hiding place in either the office or the corridor, then the man must have come in from the outside. And if he came in from the outside on a rainy night like this, there is no Wet footprints in the oilcloth, then he came in a carriage very likely. Yes, I think we can conclude that he came in a carriage."

"That sounds plausible."

"That's a clue as I said. It leads us to certain conclusions. Of course, there's the ringing of the bell, which is the most peculiar aspect of the case. Why ring the bell? Is it the burglar's bluff? Someone was with the burglar. Come in, ring the bell on purpose to prevent thieves from stealing? Or by accident? Or..." He fell back into the tense thought just now, and he must have suddenly thought of some new possibility.

By the time we reached the terminal it was already [-]:[-] in the afternoon, we had a hasty lunch at the bistro and headed straight to Scotland Yard.As Holmes had already telegraphed Forbes, he was waiting for us.This man is short in stature, has wicked eyebrows and mouse eyes, and has a bitter and mean attitude. Especially after hearing about our intentions, he is even more indifferent to us.

"I have heard of your methods of handling cases, Mr. Holmes," he said bitterly. "You are very good at taking advantage of all the information the police have given you, and trying to close the case yourself, to the disgrace of the police."

(End of this chapter)