Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 118 The Return (29)
Hopkins said, "Exactly. I have some material on him here, and he's a rough, brutal fellow."

"We shouldn't have any difficulty trying to catch him?"

"No. We've been tracking him down, and I've been told he's gone to America. Now that we know the gang is in England, I'm sure they won't escape. All the ports are well aware of it. , we must put a reward on them before evening. But one thing is very strange, since they also know that Madam can recognize their faces, and we can recognize them, why would they do such a stupid thing?"

"One would think that Mrs. Brackenstall must have been killed by the band of robbers, too, in order to silence her."

I reminded him: "Maybe they didn't guess that Madam woke up soon after she fell into a coma."

"That's quite possible. Had they decided she was completely unconscious by then, perhaps they wouldn't have killed her. How much do you know about this Sir, Hopkins? I Seems to have heard some queer things about him."

"When he's sober, he's good-natured; but when he's drunk or half-drunk, he's a real devil. Because he's not dead-drunk, I say he's half-drunk. He just needs a drink Drunk, like a maniac, capable of anything. Although he has a lot of money, as far as I know, he hardly participates in any social activities. It is said that he once dipped his wife's dog in kerosene It took a lot of work to calm down with the fire. Another time, he threw a water bottle at the maid, Theresa Ritter, which caused a bit of a commotion. The two of us Privately, the house is better off without him. What are you looking at?"

Holmes sprawled on the ground, carefully inspecting the knot of the red rope that bound his wife, and then carefully inspecting the rope that had been torn by the robber.

He said, "If the rope is pulled down, the bell in the kitchen will definitely ring loudly."

"No one can hear you at all. The kitchen is at the back of the house."

"How did the robber know about this situation? How could he pull the rope without any scruples?"

"Mr. Holmes, you are quite right. I have been thinking about this question too. The robbers must be very familiar with this place, and understand all the habits of life here. They must know that the servants have the habit of going to bed early, and they know that no one can do it The kitchen bells could be heard. I suppose they must be in collusion with one of the servants here, that's obvious. But there are eight servants in all, and every one of them is a decent man."

Holmes said: "If the situation of every servant is basically the same, then one should be suspicious of the one whose master threw a water bottle on his head. But in this case, her mistress will definitely be suspected. But this is not the point , after capturing Randall, everything will become clear. We need to verify what Madam just said, and we can prove it through the real things at the scene." He came to the window, opened the French window, and saw After a while, he said: "The ground under the window is very hard, and there are no traces left here. The candles on the mantelpiece must have been lit."

"Exactly, they must have gone away by the light of these candles and the candles in the lady's bedroom."

"But did they take anything?"

"Nothing was taken, just six plates from the sideboard. Lady Brackenstall decided that the robbers had been so alarmed by Sir's death that there was no time to rob them. Otherwise, they would have swept the place of."

"There's some truth to that explanation. They're said to have had some alcohol."

"It must be to stabilize the mood."

"Perhaps. Are the three glasses on the sideboard untouched?"

"It hasn't been touched, it's still there."

"Let's go and have a look. Well, what do you think this is?"

Three glasses are placed side by side, each once containing wine, one of which contains the remains of the wine.The wine glass and wine bottle were close together, there was still half a bottle of wine in it, and there was a long and dirty cork next to it. The shape of the cork and the dust on the bottle showed that the murderer had drunk an unusual wine.

Holmes' attitude took a 180-degree turn, his expression was no longer cold, and I saw the light of wisdom and excitement emitting from his piercing eyes.He picked up the cork and examined it carefully.

"How did they get the cork out?" he asked.

Hopkins pointed to a half-open drawer where there were many corkscrews and a few napkins.

"Did Madame mention the corkscrew?"

"No, she might have lost consciousness when the robber opened the bottle."

"Actually, they didn't use a corkscrew at all, they probably used a knife with a helix, which was only about an inch and a half long. It's easy to see, by looking closely at the top of the cork, that the knife had been inserted three times. Just pulled out the cork. In fact, you only need to stick the corkscrew in the cork, and you can pull it out in one blow. When you catch this man, you will definitely find out how many pocket knives he has on him. "

Hopkins replied: "Great analysis!"

"I don't know what these glasses mean. Did Madam really see these three people drinking?"

"Exactly, she remembers that very well."

"Well, that's enough for today, what else? But, Hopkins, you have to admit that these three glasses are very special, don't you see that there is something wrong? Well, Just leave it alone. Maybe this person has some specialized knowledge and skills, otherwise, why doesn't he have to find those complicated methods instead of the simple methods that are within reach. It is also possible that the glass thing is accidental .Well, Hopkins, goodbye. I don't think we can help you here. The case is pretty clear. Let me know if Randall is caught or something new happens. I'm sure the case is very clear. It will be over soon. Let us go, Watson; I think there is much to be done at home."

On the way back, I noticed a bewildered look on his face.Sometimes he tried his best to drive away the doubts, and he suddenly became enlightened and spoke freely; sometimes he had doubts, his eyebrows were furrowed, and his eyes were confused.He was sure he was thinking of the manor's stately dining room.Just as our train was slowly pulling into a small suburban station, he suddenly jumped onto the platform and pulled me off the train again.

The train turned the corner and disappeared.He said: "My dear friend, I am very sorry to have made you feel so suddenly, for it occurred to me, Watson, that at any rate I must take care of the case, and it was my inner drive to do it. It was all upside down, I am sure of this. However, there are no loopholes in the lady's words, and the maid can give a strong proof, and even some details are very accurate. I don't think those are too important. Three wine glasses, yes, those three wine glasses , if I hadn't taken things for granted, if I hadn't been confused by fabricated facts, if I had looked at everything at this time, wouldn't I have gotten more evidence? I'm sure I would. Watson, let's sit down Wait here for the train to Zisselhast. Now I will tell you what I think, but you must put out of your mind the idea that what the maid and mistress tell is the truth. Never make your own judgment under the influence of that delightful lady."

"If we can reflect calmly, we will find that there are many holes in what the lady said. About two weeks ago, the robbers made a mess at Seaton Ham. Their appearance and activities have been published in the newspapers." , so if anyone wants to make up an incident about robbers, they must be the first ones that come to mind. In reality, the gang of robbers will find a quiet place to enjoy every time they get a large sum of money, and it is impossible to go to Take a second chance lightly. Also, if it was an ordinary robber who robbed, he would never have gone so early, nor would he have injured the woman to stop her from screaming. In fact, when she was beaten, she would definitely Shouting as hard as they can. Also, if the robbers are numerous and can handle fewer people than they are, most of the time they won't kill. They're a greedy bunch and certainly won't take that little stuff Yes. And lastly, the robber must have drunk all his wine, and there is no possibility of leaving some. What do you think of so many extraordinary things, Watson?"

"Together these things make sense, but each has great potential in its own right. I think it's odd to tie the lady to a chair."

"I don't quite know that either. It's obvious, Watson, that they're going to either kill her or take her to a place where they won't be able to escape. At any rate, I don't think she's telling the whole truth, and That wine glass is suspect."

"What happened to the glass?"

"Have you figured out what happened to the glass?"

"I've figured it out."

"Those three people all drank from cups. Do you think it is possible?"

"Why is it impossible? These three glasses are all full of wine."

"Yes, but only one glass has sediment in it. Have you ever noticed that? What do you think of it?"

"There's a good chance there was sediment when the last glass was poured."

"No, the bottle is full of wine, so it is impossible to imagine that the first two glasses are very clear, but the third glass is very cloudy. There are two possibilities for this. One is to shake the bottle vigorously after pouring two glasses, so the third glass is cloudy. Sediment, but I don't think that's very likely. Yeah, it's definitely not like that."

"Then how do you explain that?"

"That is, only two cups have been used, and then all the sediment in the two cups is poured into the third cup, so this has the false appearance that three people have been drinking here, so all the sediment is in In the third cup. Yes, I think it must be. If I can find evidence of these details, it will show that the master and servant are lying to us, and there is no credibility in what they say. The case, therefore, is going to be a very peculiar one. They must be covering a serious criminal, so we must get to the bottom of the matter on our own, never on them, and that is my plan. Watson, We must go to Seatonham, the train is coming."

The people at Grange were very surprised at our return.Hopkins had already returned to headquarters to make a report.Holmes entered the dining-room, locked the door inside, and examined it for two hours with great care, seeking strong evidence for his theory.He carefully checked every corner, like a student watching the professor's demonstration movements with concentration.I followed closely behind, where I checked in minute detail.No place was missed, such as windows, curtains, carpets, chairs, ropes, etc., were checked one by one and thought carefully.Sir's body has been removed, and everything else remains as we saw it in the morning.What surprised me most was that Holmes climbed onto the strong chimney-beam.Only a few inches of the broken red cord was still attached to a wire, hanging high above his head.He looked up at the end of the rope, and to get a better view of it, he knelt on one foot on a wooden pallet, which put him within inches of the rope, but it wasn't the rope that he was focusing on. It was the tray itself, which he finally jumped off with satisfaction.

He said: "Well, Watson, our case is settled, and this is the most extraordinary one. I was too slow to make such a serious mistake! Now, except for a few very small details, I have not understood it. , the whole process of the matter is already clear.”

"Have you figured out who the criminal is?"

"There was only one criminal, Watson, but he was a formidable man. He was as strong as a lion, and could bend a blow-rod at one blow. He was about six feet, as nimble as a squirrel, and his hands were very dexterous, and his mind quite Clever, only he can make up such ingenious things.

"What we have encountered is such a special person's ingenious work. But the bell rope is still exposed, and there shouldn't be any flaws there."

"What's going on here?"

"Watson, where do you think the bell-rope will break when you pull it? It must be where it joins the wire. And why did the rope break three inches from the wire?"

"Is there any wear and tear in that place?"

"Yes, the end we were able to find was frayed. This man was very cunning and frayed the end of the rope with a knife, but the other end was not frayed at all. You can't see it here. You go to the mantelpiece. If you look up there, you'll see that the end is cut fairly evenly, with no signs of fraying at all."

"You can see how it happened. The man needed a rope, but he didn't break it because he was afraid the bell would sound the alarm. What did he do? He jumped on the mantelpiece. , but still couldn't reach it, then knelt down on the tray with one leg, the dust on which proved it, and cut the rope with a knife. I couldn't reach that place at all, it was three inches away, so I guessed that he was bigger than me. Three inches high. What do you see on that rafter chair?"

"Blood."

"That's right, and it shows that the lady wasn't telling the truth. If she was sitting in that chair when the robber killed her, where did the blood come from? She definitely sat there after her husband's death." Yes. I am sure she has the same blood on her black dress. Watson, we have not lost at all, but have won, and indeed began with defeat and ended with victory. I will have a word with her maid , we have to be very careful with what we say in order to get what we want."

The no-nonsense Australian nanny stands out in particular, with her seldom spoken, suspicious nature and lack of manners.My friend was very friendly to her, listened to her speech gently, and won her trust after a while.She hated the dead master very much, and she didn't hide it at all.

"Yes, sir, he threw the water-bottle at me, and I heard him call my mistress once. I told him he wouldn't dare to do anything if the mistress's brother was here. So he took He would throw the water bottle at me. If the hostess hadn’t stopped him, he would have thrown it at me many times. He abused the hostess, but the hostess never wanted to quarrel with him for the sake of face, and the wife didn’t Don't tell me how she was abused. You saw the scar on the lady's arm this morning. These ladies never want to tell me, but I know it was with a pin, the bloody monster. This It's good to be dead, God forgive me! He was well when we first met him, but that was eighteen months ago. We masters and servants have felt it for eighteen years, when The mistress has just arrived in London. She has never left her hometown before. This is the first time in her life that she has gone out to play. Sir has conquered the mistress's heart with his London style-money and hypocrisy. Mistress has taken a wrong step, and now The punishment was killing her. We met him the second month we were in London and they got married last January. Now that she's down, she's sure to want to see you, but it's better to ask fewer questions , because all this is enough for her."

The maid came to the living room with us, and the lady was still leaning on the couch, feeling much better.The maid again applied hot compresses to the injured eyes of the hostess.

The lady said: "I hope you are not here to question me again."

Holmes said in a very gentle tone: "No, madam, I will never bring you unnecessary pain and trouble. My only wish is to give you peace, because I understand that you must have suffered too much now. If you want to consider me a friend, the facts will prove everything, and what I say will not fail you."

"what do you want to do?"

"Tell me the truth."

"Mr. Holmes?"

"Mrs. Brackenstall, it's no use disguising. You may have heard a little of my reputation. I swear what you've said before was all fabricated."

Mrs. Brackenstall and her maid stared at Holmes. Mrs. Brackenstall's face was pale and her eyes were frightened.

The maid shouted: "You are shameless! Why do you say my mistress is lying?"

Holmes rose from his chair.

"Have you nothing to say to me?"

"I've said it all before."

"Madam, please think about it and be honest."

After a while, the lady's beautiful face took on a look of indecision, then a look of determination, and finally sank into a kind of stupor."I've told you everything I know," she said blankly.

Holmes took up his hat, shrugged his shoulders, and said: "I am sorry." We left the drawing-room and the house without further words.

There was a pool on the other side of the courtyard, and he walked towards it.The pool was completely frozen at the time, but a hole was made in the ice in order to raise a swan.Holmes took a good look at the sink, and then continued towards the gate.He hastily wrote Hopkins a letter by the door and handed it to the doorman.

He said: "Things may succeed, but they may also fail. In order to prove that we did not come in vain the second time, we have to help Hopkins do something, but at present I can't tell you what we should do. I think now It is necessary to go to Adelaide, to the office of the Southampton shipping company, which is probably at the end of the street. There is more than one route from England to Australia, but we should go to the larger one first. company."

(End of this chapter)