Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 116 The Return (27)
"Yes, Watson. Now the telegram is so important to our solution that our attention must not be distracted. We have gone to Cambridge University to find out what the purpose of the telegram is. How we are going to investigate is not quite clear, but There must be a conclusion before dark, at least some progress."

When we came to this ancient university town again, it was already very late.Holmes hired a cab at the station, and told him to take us to Dr. Leslie Armstrong's.After a while, our carriage walked up the bustling street and stopped in front of a luxurious house. A servant led us in. After waiting for a long time, we were brought into the consulting room, where a doctor sat at the table later.

I really don't know the name of this doctor, which also shows that I have too little contact with people in the medical field.Until now, I know that he is not only one of the heads of Cambridge University, but also has deep research in many disciplines and is a very famous scholar.Even if a person doesn't know much about his achievements, when you see him, he will leave a deep impression on you, with his big square face, those gloomy eyes hidden under thick eyebrows, and his stubborn chin like Carved out of marble.I see him as a man who is cold, sharp, hardworking, ruthless, and difficult to deal with.He was still holding the business card that my friend handed over to him, and he looked up, with no expression of joy on his face.

"Mr. Sherlock Holmes, I have heard your name, and I know your calling very well, but I do not approve of your calling."

My friend said calmly: "In this way, you have virtually voted for every criminal in the country."

"You are in the business of stopping crime, which will undoubtedly be supported and helped by any reasonable person in society, but I think it would be better to leave it to the authorities. But what you do, I really can't understand it, and I can't accept it. You search for private secrets, the privacy of your family life, which should be kept secret, and you tell them, and you often bother people who are much busier than you. For example, I should be writing a paper now instead of talking to you .”

"Doctor, you are very reasonable, but the facts are enough to prove that our speech will be much more important than your paper. Let me mention to you by the way that I completely disagree with your accusations. We will do our best to make everyone Privacy is kept to the outside world, and if the matter is to reach the police, it will be publicized. I am like an unofficial vanguard, ahead of the regular army. I have come here to ask you about Goffley."

"What's up with him?"

"Don't you know him?"

"Yes, he is my good friend."

"He's missing, do you know about that?"

"Is it true?" There was no change in expression on that fat face.

"After he left the hotel last night, there was no news."

"He'll definitely be back."

"College football was about to start and he wasn't there."

"I don't like this kind of game at all. I care about Staunton because I know him and I like him very much. I don't care if there is a football game or not."

"I'm looking into Mr. Staunton right now, and I'd like your help. Do you know where he is?"

"I do not know."

"Have you not seen him since yesterday?"

"No."

"Is he in good health?"

"Very robust."

"Have you ever been sick before?"

"As if it had never been."

Suddenly, Holmes took out a slip and put it in front of him, "Then please explain to me, this slip is for thirteen guineas. It was issued by you at your place last month, and I have it on his desk." found in some documents."

The doctor was flushed with anger.

"Sir, I don't think it's necessary to explain."

Holmes put the slip back into the diary again.He said: "If you're going to explain it in front of the crowd, you just have to wait. That day will come. I told you that other detectives will definitely spread the story, and I will Cover it up. If you were wise, you would have told me all of this."

"I do not know anything."

"Has he written to you from London?"

"No."

Holmes sighed resignedly and said: "Well, here comes the matter of the post office again! He sent you a telegram from London at [-] last night. Needless to say, this must have something to do with his mysterious disappearance. But the post office So negligent! Didn't you receive it? I'll have to go to the post office and ask them about it."

Dr. Armstrong stood up suddenly from behind the desk, his face turning from black to purple with rage.

He said: "Sir, please don't say anything." He rang the bell angrily, "John, quickly, send these two gentlemen away!" A fat butler solemnly led us out of the gate.Holmes could not help laughing as we came out into the street.

He said: "Armstrong is too stubborn. I think he is the most suitable to solve the problems left by the famous scholar Dr. Moaty. Watson, we have no one in this town now, but we will not understand the case until we understand it." Go back. That little hotel across from Armstrong's is the most suitable one. You go and book a room facing the street, and then buy some food and things for the evening. I'll check."

However, this investigation took much longer than he thought, and he didn't come back until nine o'clock in the evening.He was pale, depressed, covered in dirt, tired and hungry.The food on the table was already cold.He ate, lit his pipe, and was about to give me his humorous and philosophical opinion—as he always did when things were not going well—when the sound of carriages made him rise, and we While looking out the window.Under the dim gaslight, a four-wheeled carriage driven by two gray horses stopped at the door of the doctor's house.

Holmes said: "The carriage leaves at 06:30 every day, and returns three hours later, so he can walk ten or twelve miles. He goes out once a day, and sometimes even twice."

"Doctor's visits are very common."

"But Dr. Armstrong is by no means an ordinary visiting doctor. He is a lecturer and a consultant. Ordinary diseases, if he does that, will hinder his research work, but why does he go so far away so patiently? , and who are you going to see?"

"His coachman..."

"Dear Watson, you may not have guessed that I wanted to know something about this coachman? I don't know whether it was because of his shamelessness or because of his master's instigation. He let the dog bite me, and neither man nor dog liked it." The way I look, things have clearly failed and the relationship has become deadlocked, and the investigation cannot proceed. I have obtained some information from a friendly and kind local man who works at this hotel. It is he who told My doctor's living habits and daily outings, when we were talking about these, the carriage came to the door, which can prove that what he said is very reliable."

"Didn't you follow up and take a look?"

"Excellent, Watson, we have the same ideas. You must have seen a bicycle shop next to our hotel, and I hastened in there to hire a bicycle. Fortunately, the carriage did not go too far. I tried my best to finally catch up with it, keeping a certain distance from it. I followed behind, followed out of the city, and then walked a long section of country dirt road, when an embarrassing thing happened to me , the carriage stopped suddenly, the doctor came down, walked quickly to the place where I parked, and talked to me in a mocking tone. He said that the road ahead was very narrow and would hinder my car! He used words very cleverly. I I had no choice but to overtake the carriage, and rode a few more miles on the main road, then stopped. When I looked back, the carriage had disappeared without a trace, and it was obvious that it had turned into another fork in the road. I continued to ride back, But I still haven't seen it. Now it seems that it arrived after my return. Originally, I didn't connect the disappearance of Godfrey with the doctor's going out. I followed him only to pay attention to some things related to him. However, I Now I find that he is very cautious about his going out, which means his going out must be very important, I have to figure it out, otherwise, I will not feel at ease."

"We'll follow him up tomorrow."

"Are we going? It's not as simple as you think. Do you know the geography here? It's very difficult to hide here. The roads I walked this evening were all smooth and neat, and the people we were following were Very clever, he's shown it tonight. I've got to send a telegram to Overton to let us know if there's anything new going on in London. Meanwhile we're keeping an eye on Armstrong, the man It was the kind lady at the post office who let me know from the stub. I swear he absolutely knows about Staunton's whereabouts. If he alone knows, and if we can't figure it out, it's our own incompetence. Now decide The winning card is in his hand. Watson, you also know that I am not a person who gives up halfway."

The next day, we still couldn't solve the mystery, and things really weren't going anywhere.After breakfast, someone suddenly brought us a letter. After reading it, Holmes handed it to me with a smile.

teacher:

I can tell you with certainty that there is no point in following me.You should have seen a window in the back of the wagon last night, so if you're willing to walk an extra twenty miles, I don't care.I must tell you that your voyeurism will not do Godfrey Staunton any good, and if you really want to help him, the only way to do it is to go back to London and tell your client that you can't find him at all.You're wasting your time staying here.

Leslie Armstrong
Holmes said: "He was very frank and outspoken. That intrigued me even more and I had to figure it out before I could leave."

I said, "His carriage is at the door now, and he seems to be getting into it, and I see him looking towards us. How about letting me ride and follow them to check?"

"Don't go, my dear Watson, don't go. No matter how clever and brave you are, I'm afraid you are no match for this doctor. I think I can try it out by going alone. You can walk around here by yourself. If you are in a quiet place Two furtive strangers in a small village must be against us. There are places of interest in this place, and you can walk around, and I hope to bring back good news in the evening."

But he still failed this time.In the middle of the night, he dragged his tired body back to the hotel in frustration.

"Watson, today I took another trip in vain. I had a general idea of ​​where the doctor was going, so I stayed in the village in that area. I talked a lot with the local innkeeper and the newspaper seller. In the meantime I've been to places like Chesterton, Heathon, Waterbeach and Auchinton, but I'm really disappointed. In this peaceful country, if you can see two horses a day A wagon drawn by a horse will certainly not go unnoticed. The doctor has won us again this time. Is there a telegram from me here?"

"Yes, I opened it, and it said:

'Ask Ponpe from Girham Dixon of Trinity College. '

I don't understand what this means. "

"The telegram is very clear, it was from our friend Overton, and he answered a question of mine. I can only make progress by writing to Mr. news?"

"Today, the local evening paper has a detailed report. Oxford won one game by one point, and two games were tied. The last part of the report is: Because the world's top player Staunton failed to participate in this game, the team's strength was weakened , the forward line coordination is not good, the offense and defense are too weak, so the team wearing the light blue jersey will lose."

Holmes said: "Overton's prophecy has really come true. Personally, I think with Armstrong. Rugby has nothing to do with me. Watson, we have to rest early today, and I promise that there will be many things tomorrow."

The next morning, I watched my friend sit by the fire with a hypodermic needle in hand.I was taken aback.Seeing the dope made me think about his terribly poor physique and worry about what was going to happen.Seeing my surprised expression, he couldn't help laughing, and put the needle back on the table.

"Dear friend, you don't have to worry about me. In times of stress, taking some stimulants is not a drug at all, but the key to solving the puzzle. I put all my hopes here. I just went to check a Now, everything is business as usual. Watson, have a good breakfast, today we should track down Dr. Armstrong, I have been following him, and I will never stop until I reach his lair."

We went downstairs together, and when we were in the stable yard, he opened the door and let out a dog.The fellow was fat and short, with drooping ears, yellow and white, and might have been a hound or a foxhound.

Holmes said: "Come here and get acquainted with Pompey. He is the most famous tracking dog in the area. He runs fast and is a tenacious tracker at the same time. Don't run too fast, Pompey. I'm afraid we won't be able to catch up." You, there is no choice but to wear a belt around your neck. Okay, Pompey, go, today I'm all up to you."

Holmes led the dog to the door of the doctor's house opposite.The dog sniffed around for a while, then ran down the street screaming loudly, with us chasing desperately.After about half an hour, we were out of the city, running on a country road.

"What are you going to do, Holmes?" I asked.

"That's the old way. I came to the doctor's yard early this morning and sprinkled a needle of fennel seed oil on the back wheel of the carriage. As long as the hound smells of fennel seed oil He will chase me all the way to the sky. It is absolutely impossible for him to get rid of Pang Bei. This doctor is really cunning! The night before yesterday he drove me behind the village."

The dog turned suddenly from the main road to a weedy path, and we walked about half a mile until we came to another broad road.Turn right here to go back into town, the main road goes north to where we started, and we turn south.

"We've been tricked by this loop," said Holmes. "It's no wonder that we can't get anything out of the village. The doctor is very good at tricks, but I'd like to know why he has planned this deception so carefully. We must be on the right of the village of Trumpington." , The carriage is coming! Watson, hurry up and get out of the way, lest we be discovered!"

Holmes pulled Pompey and jumped into a fence gate, and I followed closely.No sooner had we ducked under the fence than the carriage rumbled past.I saw Dr. Armstrong in the car, his shoulders hunched forward, his head resting on his hands, with a dejected look on his face.Holmes saw it too, as could be seen from the seriousness of his countenance.

He said, "I think we may well be in for misfortune. Here it will be clear, Pompeii. Come, and go to that thatched cottage in the field."

Obviously, we're at the terminal.Pang Pei was running back and forth outside the thatched hut, still shouting all the time, from here the wheel marks of the carriage could be seen, clearly there was a path leading to this lonely hut.Holmes tied the dog to the fence, went to the door of the house, and knocked on the humble little door, but no one answered for a long time.But the house is by no means unoccupied, because the two of us heard a low voice from inside, which seemed to be a kind of painful moaning and weeping, which made people feel very sad.Holmes hesitated for a moment, then glanced back at the road he had just traveled.The doctor's carriage is coming this way.

My friend shouted: "The doctor is here again. This time we can completely solve the problem. We must find out the truth before he comes."

He opened the door and we walked down the passage.The sound seemed to grow louder again, turning into a whimper.The sound came from above, and my friend hurried up, followed by me.He pushed open a door that was ajar, and we were horrified by the sight.

A beautiful young woman lies in bed, dead.Her face was quiet and pale, and her dull blue eyes stared upward in matted blond hair.A young man was kneeling by the bed, his face buried in the sheets, shaking with tears.He was so lost in his grief that he didn't raise his head until my friend put his hand on his shoulder, feeling someone coming.

"Are you Mr. Godfrey Staunton?"

"Yes, but you are late, and she is dead."

The young man was heartbroken and heartbroken. He didn't understand that we were not doctors who came to see a doctor.Holmes spoke to him some words of comfort, and explained to him our purpose of coming.At this time, footsteps were heard on the stairs, and Dr. Armstrong appeared, with a painful, serious and questioning expression on his face.

He said: "Gentlemen, you have achieved your purpose at last, and have come to disturb us at this unfortunate time. I must not quarrel with you in the presence of the dead, but I tell you that if I were young, I would never I will forgive your despicable behavior."

"I am sorry, sir. I think there may be some misunderstanding between us. You should come downstairs and we will talk about this unfortunate incident," said Holmes very seriously.

After a while, the doctor came downstairs with us with a serious expression.

He said, "Speak, gentlemen!"

"First of all, you must understand that I am not at all entrusted by Sir Mount James, and I object to his approach to this matter. We just want to find out the whereabouts of the missing man. It's just that things went beyond Since there is no crime here, of course we are willing to silence the rumors rather than let it spread. There is nothing illegal about this matter, and I assure you that it will never be announced to the outside world."

Dr. Armstrong took a few quick steps forward, and firmly grasped my friend's hand.

(End of this chapter)