Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 110 The Return (21)
After our guests had gone, Holmes' actions attracted our attention.He took out a piece of white cloth from the drawer, spread it evenly on the table, and put the statue he just bought in the middle of the white cloth, then picked up the shotgun and shot a shot on the top of the Napoleon statue, and the statue immediately into pieces.Holmes stooped to examine the fragments carefully, and presently he cried out triumphantly, and I saw in his hand a fragment in which was embedded a dark object like a raisin.

Lethred and I were stunned for a moment, and we applauded in extreme amazement, just like watching a climax in a play.Holmes's pale and colorless face was also slightly flushed.He bowed to us, as if to thank the audience for their kindness.It was only at this time that he temporarily interrupted his rational thinking and showed an expression that he was very happy to be praised by people.Our admiration and praise unexpectedly deeply moved such a person who despises honor and disgrace, has an independent personality, and keeps few words.

He said: "Gentlemen, do you know that this is the rarest and most precious pearl in the world. I am very fortunate, using a series of deduction and induction, that the place where this treasure is lost is the bedroom of Prince Colonna in the Dakur Hotel Started the investigation and went to the head of Napoleon made by the Gelder Company in the Stebani area. Les Reid, you should remember how much the loss of this pearl caused a shock to London! At that time, the police did not find any clues .In that case, they also asked my opinion, but I couldn't do it at all. I suspected the princess's maid, she was Italian, and the London police found out that she had a brother, but they didn't find out the relationship between them. Is the connection close. That maid is called Lucrezia Vannucci. I guess that Pietro Vannucci who was killed two days ago is probably her brother. I also checked the newspaper and the pearl was lost at exactly the right time [-] days before Bebo was arrested. He was caught because he hurt someone, he was caught at Geldel's company, and he was probably working on those statues at the time. You should all understand how this is going Yes. But when I think about this case, I think in reverse. Bepo has indeed got the pearl. He probably stole it from the dead man, and he is probably his accomplice. It is more likely that the dead man and him My sister's go-between. But that doesn't concern us much.

"The most important fact is that he has the pearl to himself. Just as he was carrying the treasure, the police came to arrest him. He ran to his place of work. He knew that time was running out, but he still had to hide the pearl. or they would have been found. There were six plaster statues of Napoleon drying in the aisle, and perhaps one was still soft. He was a very skilled worker, so he immediately made a small hole in it and put the pearl in it. , and smooth out the small hole. The plaster statue is a very good shell, and no one would have thought that the pearl was hidden in it. After he was released, the six plaster statues had been sold to all corners of London. He It was not known which statue the pearl had been placed in. It was useless to swing the statue because the pearl was already stuck to the plaster. So he thought he would have to smash the head to get the pearl out. He was not completely disappointed, he was very pleased. Clever and patient, he kept searching, and found out, through a cousin who worked for Geldel & Co., who had bought the statues. Later he managed to get a job at Mawson Hudson & Co. In order to find out who the three statues were sold to, but the pearl was not among them. Later, with the help of other Italian workers, he found out the whereabouts of the other three. One was at Mr. Harker's house. There he Followed by his accomplices, the man felt that he was largely responsible for the loss of the pearl. In the ensuing fight he stabbed his accomplice Pietro to death."

I asked, "If they were accomplices, why did Pietro have a photo?"

"It is mainly used for tracking, so that he can ask other people about Bebo's whereabouts. The reason is very simple. I guess that Bebo will act more quickly after the murder and will never delay it. He is afraid that the police will discover his so-called secret. , so he had to finish the job before the police chased him. At that time, I wasn't sure he was looking for pearls in the Huck's statue, but I knew he was looking for something, because he walked through the dark with the plaster statue and break it in the garden of the lights. Since the statue Huck bought was one of three, that means there is a one-in-three chance of pearls in it. There are two other busts, Obviously he would go to the one in London first of course. I warned the owner of the house to prevent a second tragedy and we acted and had the best possible outcome. That's when I knew What we were looking for was the Boggs Pearl. The name of the deceased reminded me of two things. So now there is only one statue left in Reading, and the pearl must be in it, so, in front of you bought it back from him."

We sat in silence for a while.

Lesred said: "Mr. Holmes, I have seen you handle many cases, but none of them have been handled so skillfully. We police are not jealous of you, but proud of you. If you go to the police station tomorrow , whether it is the old detective or the young detectives, I am sure all will be happy to shake hands with you and express your congratulations!"

"Thank you very much!" said Holmes, and turning his back to us, I never saw him so excited by human tenderness.After a while, he thought seriously again, and then said: "Watson, put this treasure in the safe, and bring out the Conker-Singleton forgery papers. Good-bye, Lethred, If you encounter a new problem that cannot be solved, I will try my best to help you solve it." The student peeking at the test paper

In 1895, a number of connected events led Holmes and I to stay for several weeks in that famous university town.What I'm talking about happened at that time.Although the matter is not big, it has deep educational significance.To get rid of the painful gossip, it is best not to let the reader tell which house it happened to and to whom, so I will try to avoid using the words that are easy to attract when telling this story. Phrases of conjecture and conjecture, but a careful retracement of the matter itself, in order to illustrate by it some of my friend's eminent qualities.

We were living in a furnished flat near the library at the time, and he was busy studying the early charters of England.His research in this area is very fruitful, maybe it will become my future topic.One night our old acquaintance Hilton Soames visited.He was a tutor and lecturer at St Luke's College.He is tall and burly, quiet, but he is easily nervous and excited. I know he is not a steady person, but at this time he is even more excited, and he can't control it at all. It is obvious that something has happened.

"I am sure, Mr. Holmes, that you will sacrifice an hour or two of your precious time on my behalf. A very unfortunate incident has just happened at St. Luke's, and I do not know what I should do if you were not here."

My friend replied: "I'm so busy right now that I don't have any time. Besides, I don't want to distract myself from other things. The best way is to go to the police."

"No, dear sir, this kind of matter must never be brought to the police. If I hand it over to the police, I will never be able to withdraw it. The incident that just happened is related to the reputation of the college and must not be spread. Your ability is There is no one like him, and he is so careful with his words, that this service can only be done by you. Mr. Holmes, I sincerely beg you to do my best to help me."

Since leaving the lovely surroundings of Baker Street, my friend has been in a bad mood, and has become rather bad-tempered.He felt uncomfortable away from newspaper scrapbooks, chemicals, and an untidy living quarters.He shrugged resignedly, and our guest hastened to tell the whole story.He was even more excited when he told this story.

"Mr. Holmes, tomorrow is the first day of the Fitzhill Scholarship Examination. I am one of the many examiners, and Greek is my main subject. The first question in the test paper is a large section of Greek, and the students are required to write it down. Translated into English, this passage has not been read by the students, and it has already been printed on the test paper. Once some students have prepared for it, it will benefit a lot. Therefore, I attach great importance to the confidentiality of the test papers.

"At about three o'clock this afternoon, the printing factory sent over the proof of the test paper. The first question is to ask the students to translate a part of Thucydides' works. I read the proof carefully. Since the original text must be completely correct, so Until [-]:[-] in the afternoon, I haven't finished reading. But I have promised a friend to drink afternoon tea in advance, so I put it on the table and left the room. It took more than half an hour to come and go Hour.

"You should realize, Mr. Holmes, that our house has double doors, the green-faced door on the inside, and the oak-wood door on the outside. When I saw a key on the outer door, I paled with horror. For a moment, I thought I had left the key there because of my panic. At the same time, I subconsciously touched my pocket. The key was still there. I knew very well that the other key was in the hand of my servant Bannister. Here, he has been cleaning my house for ten years and is completely trustworthy. The key is indeed his. I guess maybe he has been in this house, maybe he wants to ask me if I want tea and leave I probably left the key here by accident, and maybe I just went out for a while when he came. If it weren't for today's special day, it wouldn't be a big deal even if he left the key here, but today will have unforeseen as a result of.

"I glanced at the table, and I knew that someone flipped through my papers just now, and the three proofs were put together, but now, there is one on the floor, one on the table by the window, and one in the same place."

Holmes became interested in the matter, and said: "The first must be on the floor, the second on the table by the window, and the third in its place."

"Mr. Holmes, I admire you so much. Why do you know so clearly?"

"Please finish this interesting story."

"At first, I thought it was my servant who did it. His behavior disgusted me. But he denied it. I am sure he is telling the truth. Another explanation is: Maybe someone happened to pass by here. Finding that I was not in the house and the key was hanging on the door, I dropped in to read the paper. This is a very high scholarship, and a lot of money is involved, so a person who is not ashamed may want to risk peeking at the paper , in order to surpass his classmates.

"The incident made the servant sleepless. When we were sure the paper was going to be turned over, he was so frightened that he nearly fainted. I gave him a little brandy, and sat him down in a chair to rest. He seemed paralyzed." I was almost motionless when I began to examine the room again. Besides the crumpled scroll, I found some other marks. On the table by the window there were chips of wood from sharpening pencils, There's also a broken pencil in there. Apparently the guy was in such a hurry to copy the papers that he broke the nib and had to resharpen it."

The case gradually attracted Holmes, and his manner softened.He said: "Great! You are so lucky to have a good chance of solving this case."

"There are other traces here. I have a new writing-desk with a top of red leather. My servant and I assure you that the top was smooth and free from stains before. However, I now find that there is A very distinct knife mark, about three inches long, definitely a knife mark. I also saw a small ball of black mud on the table, maybe a ball of dough, but there There are many spots like sawdust on it. I am sure these are left by the person who peeped at the paper, but I can't find any footprints or other evidence to identify the person. I don't know what to do, remembering that you still Here, no, I'm coming to you. Dear sir, you must help me at any rate, and I'm sure you know my situation very well by now. Either find this person, or postpone the exam, Wait for the new test questions to be printed. Changing the test questions requires a clear explanation, but this will cause disgusting rumors. This will not only affect the reputation of this college, but also the reputation of the university that leads this college. Most importantly, I hope the issue can be resolved properly."

"I will be more than happy to attend to the matter, and will do my best to help." Holmes got up and put on his coat. "The case is quite interesting. Has anyone entered your room since you got your papers?"

"Yes, there is an Indian student named Daulat Ras. He lives in the same upstairs as me, and he wants to ask how the exam will be conducted."

"Did he come to your house just for that?"

"Yes."

"At that time, was the paper on your desk?"

"Yes, but I remember it was rolled up."

"Can you see that it's the proof paper?"

"It's also possible."

"Was anyone else in your house at that time?"

"Nothing."

"Then who knew that a proof sample would be delivered to you today?"

"I think only the printer knows."

"Was Bannister aware of this?"

"He didn't know it at all, and no one else knew."

"Where is your servant now?"

"He is very ill and is slumped in a chair. I came to you in a hurry."

"Is your door still locked?"

"It's locked, I locked the test paper too."

"Mr. Soames, it is probable that the person who peeped at the paper came across it by chance, and was not aware of it at all."

"I think so too."

Holmes smiled, but I could not understand his smile.

He said: "Okay, let's go and see first. Watson, this is not your occupation. It is not a physical problem, but a psychological problem. However, if you want to go, then go with us." Now, Mr. Soames, give your orders."

Soames' sitting room looked out onto the moss-grown grounds of the old college.The windows of his house are large and low, with flowered window lattices on them.Behind the Gothic arch lies a ladder in disrepair.His room is on the first floor, and there are three other college students, each living on the first floor.When we arrived at the scene, it was already dark.Holmes stopped and looked carefully at the sitting-room window. Then he approached it slowly, lifted his feet on tiptoes, and craned his neck to peer inside.

Our client said: "The man must have entered by the gate. There is no other exit than this window."

Holmes looked at the mentor, smiled a little strangely, and then said: "If you don't understand anything here, let's go into the room and have a look."

Soames opened the door and let us into the room.While we stood at the door Holmes examined the carpet.

He said: "I don't think there will be any traces of it. The weather is too dry and it will be difficult to find. Your servant's physical condition should be better? You said you once let him sit on a chair to rest, yes, yes Which one?"

"It's the one by the window."

"It's the one near this little table. Come in now, I've checked the carpet, and look at this little table again. We know exactly what happened. The man came into the room, and the I flipped through the test papers on this table, and took them to the table next to the window. Because if someone walks from the garden, they can see it at a glance from here, making it easier to escape.”

Soames said: "But in fact he can't escape at all. I came back by the side door."

"That's better! Anyway, it's just his idea. I'll check the three proofs again, and there's no fingerprints! He must have copied the first page first. How long will this take? Quick copy." It took about 15 minutes, and then I threw away this one and picked up the second one. At this time, you came back, and he was in a hurry to escape, so there was no time to organize the test papers and put them back where they were. Did you hear hurried steps on the stairs when you entered?"

"No, I didn't hear it at all."

"In his haste to copy, he accidentally broke the point of the pencil and had to sharpen it again. The most interesting thing, Watson, is that this is no ordinary pencil. It is thick, soft lead, and has a dark blue barrel. the maker's name is white, and it's only an inch and a half left. Mr. Soames, if you can find the same pen, you will find the man. I must tell you that he used The knife is big and blunt, isn't this another clue?"

Mr. Soames was bewildered by my friend.He said: "I can understand everything else, but the length of the pencil..."

Holmes showed him the little piece of pencil sawdust, on which the letters "nn" were written.

"No, I still don't get it."

(End of this chapter)