Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 111 The Return (22)
"Watson, I always underestimated your ability before. Well, nn is the last two letters of a word. You may know that Johann Faber is the name of the best-selling pencil dealer at present. You should understand now, This pen is only used up to the end of the word Johann." Then he pulled the little table under the lamp again. "I hope he wrote it on very thin paper, then there will be traces of writing on this table, alas, there is nothing, which means that there is no more evidence to be found on this small table. Ok, look at the table in the middle again, I guess this small ball is the black dough you just mentioned. Pyramid shape, hollow in the middle, just like you said, with sawdust on it .ah, that's very interesting. There are still knife marks on the table. It started as a slash and then a small hole from an uneven edge. Mr. Soames, thank you so much for letting me handle this case Yes. Where does that door lead to?"

"My bedroom."

"Did you go in on the day of the accident?"

"No, I went directly to your place after the accident."

"It's better to ask me to check it carefully again. It's so beautiful, your room is full of books! Please wait for a while, and you can come in after I check the floor. Hey, I can't see anything. What is this curtain doing?" Use? Are you hanging clothes behind it? If anyone had to hide here, he would definitely hide behind this, because your bed is very low and the wardrobe is too thin. I think there is no one now. "

The moment Holmes drew back the veil, he was fully prepared, with an expression of alertness and firmness, in case of any eventuality.But after opening it to look, there was nothing at all except a few sets of clothes hanging.He was about to turn around and leave when he suddenly squatted on the floor again.

He said, "Look, what is this?"

It was exactly the same as the black thing in the shape of gold letters on the desk in the study.Holmes took it up in his hand and looked under the lamp.

"Mr. Soames, this fellow has left the same mark on your living room as well as your bedroom."

"But why is he going to the bedroom?"

"It's very obvious. You appeared suddenly, and he didn't know until he got to the door. What can he do? No matter what he does, he will expose himself. He has no choice but to run into your bedroom and hide."

"Oh, dear! Mr. Holmer, do you mean that the servant overheard all my conversations?"

"I think so."

"There is another possibility, Mr. Holmes. I wonder if you have noticed my bedroom window?"

"There are three flowered window lattices with metal frames on the glass, one of which has hinged leaves, through which people can get in."

"That's right, this bedroom is facing a corner of the garden, so you can't see the whole bedroom from the outside. This person may have come in through the window, passed the traces left by the bedroom, and found the door was open, so he went from escaped there."

Holmes shook his head resignedly.

He said: "Let's proceed from reality. You once said that there are three college students here who also use this stone ladder, and they always pass by your door every day."

"There are three students living here."

"So this time, will they all take the exam?"

"Yes."

"Which of these three people do you think is more suspicious?"

Soames hesitated for a long time, not knowing how to answer.

He said: "This question is too difficult, I can't answer you. How can you suspect other people without any basis?"

"Then you speak out your suspicions, and I'll see if I can help you find evidence?"

"Okay, then let me briefly talk about the personalities of these three people. Among the three people, the one who lives at the bottom is called Gilchrist. He is very good at studies, and he is very good at sports. Also played varsity football and cricket, won prizes in the hurdles and the long jump. He was handsome, but his father, Jabez Gilchrist, had a bad reputation, Lord Jabez Gilchrist, who And bankrupt. Now he is very poor, but he is very hardworking, very diligent. He has a future.

"In the middle floor is an Indian called Dorus Russ. He is eccentric and unapproachable. Like many Indians, he is very good at his studies, but not very good at Greek. He is steady and cautious. An orderly person.

"The one on the top floor is called Miles McLaren. If he studies hard, he will be very good. He can be regarded as one of the most talented people in this university. However, he is wayward and has no rules in his life. He was almost expelled for playing poker in his first year, and he has become lazier this semester, so he will definitely be very afraid of this scholarship exam."

"Then you have some doubts about him, don't you?"

"I'm not sure yet, but he's probably the most likely of the three to do it."

"Yes, Mr. Soames, I want to see how your servant is doing."

The servant was short, pale, clean-shaven, and gray-haired. He was probably in his fifties.

Since the test papers were stolen, his peaceful and carefree life was disrupted. He couldn't calm down at all, and the nervousness made his round face twitch constantly and his fingers trembled.

His master said: "Bannister, we are investigating this matter now."

"Yes, sir."

"I hear from your master," said Holmes, "that you have left the key on the door, have you not?"

"Yes, sir."

"The test papers were in the room at the time. Wouldn't it be abnormal if you did this?"

"Sir, it shouldn't have happened. But I forgot at other times."

"What time did you enter the house?"

"It was about 04:30. Mr. Soames was having his tea at that time."

"How long have you been in the house?"

"I saw that he was not in the house at the time, so I came out immediately."

"Then did you see the test paper on the table?"

"No, sir, I really didn't see it."

"Then why did you forget your key on the door?"

"At that time, I was holding the tea tray in my hand. I thought I would come back later, and then I forgot about it."

"Is there a latch on the door to the outhouse?"

"No, sir."

"Can anyone get out of this house?"

"Yes, sir."

"Mr. Soames was looking for you as soon as he got back, and you were quite disturbed, weren't you?"

"That's right, sir. I've been here for years and I've never made a mistake like that. I nearly fainted."

"I know about it. But where were you when you first felt uncomfortable?"

"There, sir? What's the matter? It's near the door."

"That's very strange indeed. Why don't you sit in the nearest chair, instead of sitting across a few chairs in the corner chair over there?"

"Sir, I really don't understand. I haven't noticed where I'm sitting at all."

"Does it matter, Mr. Holmes, where he sits? He was pale then."

"Then you have been here since your master left?"

"No, I only sat there for a minute or two, and then I locked the door and went back to my room."

"Who do you think is the most suspicious right now?"

"I don't dare to jump to conclusions lightly. I'm not sure that someone in this university would do such a disgusting thing. Sir, I don't want to believe that there is such a person."

"Thank you," said Holmes, "and that's all for today. Have you mentioned this to the other three gentlemen in your service?"

"No, sir, I never said anything."

"Did you meet them just now?"

"not yet."

"Well, Mr. Soames, will you take a walk in the grounds with me?"

It was getting dark, and the upper floors were flickering with lights.

Holmes looked up, and said, "These three birds are back. Well, what do you see? One of them is walking up and down, and seems very disturbed."

It turned out to be the Indian, whose profile suddenly appeared on the curtain, walking up and down.

"I want to see those three," said Holmes. "Is that all right?"

Soames said: "Of course there is no problem. These rooms are considered the oldest in the academy, and people often come here to visit. Come, I will show you in person."

When we knocked on Gilchrist's door, my friend said, "Don't tell him my name."

A tall, thin, blond-haired young man opened the door.When he learned that we were here to visit, he extended a warm welcome.There were some very rare medieval interior structures, and Holmes was so interested in one of them that he drew it in his notebook.He also broke the point of a pencil, hoping to borrow one from the master, and ended up borrowing a pocketknife to sharpen his own.In the Indian room, he did something similar.Indians are short, with hooked noses and few words.He squinted at us and looked so excited when my friend finished the painting that I couldn't tell if he'd picked up the clues he was looking for in either place.We didn't go in the third place at all. After knocking on the door, no one opened the door for us, and there was a loud scolding sound from inside, with anger, "I don't care who is outside the door, get out, get out! I will have another one tomorrow." It's the exam, don't bother me, do you hear me!"

Soames was so angry that his face was flushed, and he said as he went down the steps: "This man is too rude. Even if he doesn't know who is knocking at the door, he shouldn't be so rude! It seems that this man is suspicious."

My friend's answer surprised us all.

"How tall is he?" he asked.

"I can't say that very well, Mr. Holmes. He is of medium height, taller than the Indian, but shorter than Gilckley. About five feet six."

"This is a very important point," said Holmes. "Well, I wish you good night."

Surprised and disappointed, Soames exclaimed: "My God, Mr. Holmes, how can you just go away like this? You have no idea how difficult my situation is. Tomorrow I have an exam! Tonight I must take the exam." Measures have been taken, otherwise this exam will never be held, and the papers will be peeped."

"At present, things can only go so far. We will talk about other things tomorrow morning. I will tell you what to do then. However, you don't move anything, don't move."

"Well, it is settled, Mr. Holmes."

"You needn't worry at all, we'll get out of this predicament for sure. I'm taking these two things home with me, the black mud ball and the pencil shavings. Goodbye!"

We went out of the yard and looked up at the three windows in the dark.The Indian had been walking up and down the room, and the other two had long since fallen asleep.

Walking down the street, Holmes said: "What do you think of it, Watson? It's just a parlor trick, drawing a card from any three cards, isn't it? It must be one of the three." Yes, who do you think it is?"

"The man at the top has an unclean mouth and bad manners. But the Indian looks very cunning. Why does he keep walking back and forth?"

"This has nothing to do with this case. Some people often keep walking when they are trying to carry something on their backs."

"It's strange how he looks at us."

"If you're preparing for your homework and you have an exam the next day, every minute and every second is precious to you, and someone suddenly comes to you at this time, and you will show impatience. It doesn't mean What. As for the two pens and the knife, there's nothing wrong with it. But I don't understand the man."

"Which one?"

"His servant, Bannister, what part does he play in this?"

"But my first impression of him was that he was a very honest guy."

"Of course I also have this impression, which is the most incredible. But why would an honest person... Hey! There is a stationery store here, let's start our investigation from this store now."

In this city, there are four larger stationery stores.Every time my friend came to a house, he took out the few pieces of sawdust and showed the shopkeeper, and said that he would buy this pencil at a high price.All four said they would order one for him because it was not an ordinary size pencil and was rarely in stock.My friend was not disappointed by this, but just shrugged and showed a helpless expression.

"My dear Watson, we have come to nothing, and the thread is broken, but I am sure we will be able to get the situation right. Good God! It is nearly nine o'clock, and the landlady has said that at 07:30 it will be Make pea soup for both of us. Watson, don't you keep smoking and not eating regularly, I think the landlord will let you check out. And I, of course, are out of luck with you. Anyway, we We must first settle the matter between the anxious tutor, the careless servant, and the three promising students."

It was very late when we ate.He brooded for a long time even after dinner, but he never mentioned the matter to me.Early the next morning, I had just finished washing up when he came to my room.

He said: "Watson, we must go there. Can you skip breakfast?"

"no problem."

"If we don't give Soames a definite answer as soon as possible, he will have trouble sleeping and eating."

"Have you come to an accurate conclusion?"

"of course."

"Have you come to a conclusion?"

"Yes, my dear Watson, I have solved the mystery."

"But have you got any new and stronger evidence?"

"I was up at six o'clock, and could not have done nothing. I had worked hard for two hours, and walked at least five miles. At last I found something to tell, Look here."

He held out his palm to me, and there were three little black mud balls in the shape of a pyramid.

"There were only two of us yesterday, didn't we?"

"Another one this morning. From the source of the third little ball of mud the source of the first two can be concluded. Come, Watson, and I will reassure our friend."

When we got to Soames' room we found him very disturbed.The exam was just a few hours away, and now he was in a dilemma - to tell the truth, or to let that person take the exam for this high scholarship.He didn't know what to do, he couldn't even stand still.When my friend appeared in front of him, he immediately extended his hands and greeted him warmly.

"Thank God you're here! I'm afraid you've given up on finding nothing. What should I do? Should the exam go ahead as planned?"

"Of course, it must be held anyway."

"But what about the thief?"

"He won't be there."

"Did you find him?"

"I think it can be found out. If we don't want the story to get out, we need a private court-martial of some authority. Soames and Watson, one of you sits there, the other sits here, I'm sitting in the center and that's enough to make him fearful. Ring the bell, please!"

Bannister came in, terrified by our majestic presence, and took a few steps back.

"Now close the door, Bannister, and tell us the truth of what happened yesterday," said Holmes.

His face was pale and bloodless with fright.

"Sir, haven't I told you everything?"

"Is there nothing to add?"

"Not at all, sir."

"Okay, then let me remind you. You sat in that chair yesterday to cover up something, didn't you? It's the very thing that says who was in the room."

Bannister's face became increasingly ugly.

"No, sir, absolutely not like that."

"This is only a reminder," said Holmes in a conciliatory tone. "I admit that I have absolutely no proof of the matter, but it is quite probable that when Mr. Soames turned away you let the man in the bedroom go."

Bannister licked his parched lips.

"Sir, there's really no one here at all."

"Bannister, it's wrong for you to do this. When things have developed to this point, not only are you not telling the truth, but you are also deceiving people with lies."

Bannister scowled, as if what had happened had nothing to do with him.

"Sir, there is no one."

"Bannister, tell the truth!"

"Sir, there is indeed no one."

"You don't want to tell us about it, do you? Stay here in the room, please. Stand by the bedroom door. Mr. Soames, please do me a favor and invite Gilchrist here." .”

After a while, the instructor brought the student over.He has a strong physique, a large stature, quick and agile movements, a vigorous gait, and a cheerful expression.He looked at everyone here with an uneasy look, and then stared helplessly at Bannister in the corner.

Holmes said: "Mr. Gilchrist, please close the door! There are no outsiders here, and there is no need for others to know what we are talking about. I hope everyone can be frank. Mr. Gilchrist, like How could an honest person like you do what happened yesterday?"

Hearing this, the young man couldn't help taking a step back, and glanced at Bannister with horror and reproach.

"No, no, Mr Gilchrist, I really didn't say anything," said the servant.

"But you have now," said Holmes. "Mr. Gilchrist, after Bannister's speech, you must be well aware that you have nothing to defend yourself but to tell the truth."

In an instant Gilchrist, controlling his trembling body with both hands, knelt down after him, covered his face with his hands, and burst into tears.

Holmes said gently: "It can't be like this. It is inevitable for people to make mistakes, and no one will blame you for being wicked. Let me tell Mr. Soames what happened yesterday. If there is something wrong in it, you can correct it, so maybe It's easier for you. I'm starting to talk, well, listen, lest I say wrong about what you've done.

"Since you told me, Mr. Soames, that no one here, including your servants, knew that you had papers in your house, a clear idea began to form in my mind. I would never have thought of that." Printer, I think he could have done it in his office if he wanted to see it. There is also that Indian here, he would not do such a bad thing, and the proofs were rolled together at that time. I don't know what it contained. From another point of view, if someone dared to enter this room on his own initiative and happened to see the test paper, such a coincidence is not realistic, so I ruled out this possibility. How did the man who entered the room know that the test paper was there?

(End of this chapter)