Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 13 Four Signatures Revealed (2)
"The latter thing is even stranger. It seems that six years ago, on the 1882th of May, 5, I saw an advertisement in The Times asking for my address, and saying that it would be useful to me if I answered him." Good, but there is no byline and address on the ad. I had just arrived at Mrs. Heather Forrest's house as a governess. Taking her advice, I put my address in the newspaper. Even more strange, one day The postman delivered a small paper box, and I opened it to find that there was not a word in the box, but a fine pearl. Since then, I have received the same paper box and the same pearl on this day every year. Other than that , there is no clue of who sent the beads. Experts say that these pearls are very valuable, and they are indeed good, you see." Miss Morstan opened the box she carried with her, and there were six pearls that I had never seen in my life. Fine pearls.

"That's very interesting. Is there anything else?" asked Holmes.

"Yes, that's why I came to you. I received a letter this morning. You can read it yourself."

"Thank you, and give me the envelope too," said Holmes. "Posted [-]th September in the South End of London. Oh, there is a thumb-print here in the corner, but it may have been left by the postman. Very fine paper, Such envelopes, a pack of sixpence. From the paper and envelope, the writer is very particular, and there is no return address. Just read what it says, 'Please be outside the Langham Theater at seven tonight. Wait for me in front of the third pillar from the left. If in doubt, you can bring two friends with you. You will definitely get justice for your grievances. Don't bring the police, or we won't see you. Your unknown friend.' It's so interesting Now, what are you going to do, Miss Morstan?"

"I'm here to ask you to help me out."

"I must go. The letter says that you can bring two friends, you and me. By the way, Watson, he is needed. He and I have been working together."

"But will he go?" she said to Holmes, looking at me with an entreaty on her face.

Immediately I said, "It's an honor to play for you."

"I have no other friends to turn to. I am very grateful to have you two for my help. I will be here at six o'clock, can I?" Holmes said, "Six o'clock at the latest. Is the handwriting the same as the letter?"

"It's all here." Miss Morstan drew out six sheets of paper.

"A client like you is really rare. Among my many clients, you are the most thoughtful one, and you are worthy of many people's learning. Come, let's compare." He spread the letter paper on the table, comparing each Zhang, and then said: "There is no doubt that these six sheets of paper were imitated by one person. You see, the Greek letter e is the most obvious, and the letter s at the end is so curved. I don't want to hurt you, Morstan Miss, I wonder if the handwriting is the same as your father's?"

"No, it's completely different."

"I suppose so. Well, we'll meet you here at six o'clock. Now, at 03:30, will you let me study the research letter again? Good-bye."

"Goodbye." Miss Morstan looked at us tenderly, picked up the box and went out.I stood at the window and watched her disappear into the crowd.

"She is too pretty," I said, turning to Holmes.

He leaned back on the chair, lit his pipe, and said weakly with his eyes closed: "Really? I didn't notice."

I yelled at him, "Machine! You're an impersonal robot."

He smiled and said: "It is the most important not to let a person's image affect your judgment. For me, the client is just a factor, a unit of the problem. Emotional things will affect the brain's accurate judgment. What I have seen The most beautiful woman in the world, who murdered three children for insurance money and was hanged. And a man I know, although he has an uncomfortable face, donates 25 to the poor of London. million pounds."

"But this time..."

"I never make exceptions. There are no exceptions to the rule. Have you studied the characteristics of handwriting? Analyze his handwriting, what do you think?"

I replied, "It was written clearly, and the man seemed to have a strong character, with some business experience."

He shook his head and said: "The long letters written by this person are almost the same height as ordinary letters. The d letter is like a, and the l is like e. A strong-willed person will never write long letters at the same height as ordinary letters. Letter The letter k in the letter is not uniform, and the uppercase is okay. I am going out to investigate some situations. Here is a book for you—Wynwood Rhett's "Chengren Ji", a very good book, and I will see it in an hour. Just come back."

I was sitting in front of the window with a book in my hand, but my mind had already flown beyond this good book and to our guest just now—her every move and strange situation.Her father disappeared when she was 17 years old, so she should be 27 years old now, which is the period from childishness to maturity.I sat there thinking about it for a while until my brain gave a red flag.Well, how could I think in that direction?She is just the client of this case, and has no identity other than this.If my future is dark, I should naturally bear it alone, and stop thinking about it, trying to reverse this lonely fate.Misty

Holmes did not return until 05:30.He looked very happy, it seemed that he had found some clues.I poured him a cup of tea, and he picked it up and said, "This case is not surprising, it seems that there is only one explanation for the situation."

"What, have you found out the truth?"

"Can't tell at the moment, but I've found a very useful lead, but some details have to be added. In an old Times I found No. Major Scholto of the 30th Fourth Regiment, who died on April 1882, 4."

"Perhaps I am too stupid, Holmes, to understand what his death has to do with this case?"

"You really don't understand? Let's analyze it this way. Captain Morstan could only find Major Sholto when he returned to London, but Major Sholto said after he disappeared that he had never seen him and did not know that he was in London. Schuerto Alto died four years later, and less than a week after that, Morstan received the first pearl, and once a year thereafter. Now there is another letter like this, and says she has been wronged. Except ten years ago she Why is there any grievance if her father is missing? Besides, why did that unknown person send her something after Shuerto's death? Could it be that Shuerto's descendants knew this secret and used these beads to atone for the sins of their predecessors? You What do you think of this?"

"How can you use this method to atone for your sin? It's incredible, and, after six years, why did you start writing letters now? Besides, he said he wanted to give her justice, how could he give her justice? Give her father back? This It's unlikely, but you don't know what wronged her."

"It is indeed strange and incomprehensible," said Holmes enigmatically. "But you will understand after a walk tonight. Miss Morstan's carriage has arrived. Are you ready? It is getting late, so hurry up and go."

I put on my hat and took my cane, while Holmes put his gun in his pocket.Maybe he thought tonight's actions would be dangerous.

Miss Morstan was dressed in black and tied with a scarf. Although her face was pale, she tried her best to keep calm and restrained beyond the ordinary.Desperately controlling her excitement, she quickly answered Holmes' few questions.

She said: "Major Sholto is often mentioned in Dad's letters. They are very good friends. When they were commanders in the Andaman Islands, they often stayed together. By the way, I found this note from Dad's desk , but do not understand the meaning of the above, perhaps you would like to read."

Holmes slowly unfolded the note, spread it on his knees, and examined it with a magnifying glass.

He said: "This paper is a special product of India. It was nailed to a wooden board in the past. The picture seems to be part of a large building with many rooms and corridors. The red cross is drawn on the middle point, and there are still vague characters. 'From the left 337' written in pencil. The four crosses seem to be connected together to the upper left corner of the paper, full of mystery. Next to it is written very irregularly, 'Four Signatures - Mohmet Singh, Jonathan Small, Durst Akbol, Abdul Khan'. I can't deduce anything from this note, but it is undoubtedly very important. It looks clean on both sides, indicating It was carefully kept in a wallet."

"I found it in his wallet."

"Miss Morstan, please put it away, it may be useful to us in the future. Now I can reconsider this case, it is more complicated and difficult to understand than I thought." He leaned back on the back of the chair as he spoke , frowning, eyes fixed, it can be seen that he is thinking seriously.Miss Morstan and I talked softly about our operation and its possible consequences, but in any case our companions remained silent until our destination.

In the evening of September, the sky darkened before seven o'clock, and the fog covered the whole city.The muddy streets and disturbing black clouds weighed down.On the road beside the London River, which is darkened by fireworks, a little gleam of light illuminates the muddy road, and dots of yellow light shine from the glass windows of shops on both sides of the road.Passing through the diffuse fog, the light has been shining on the road of people coming and going, and on the faces of the endless stream of pedestrians - those expressions are various, some are happy, some are sad, some are haggard, and some are happy. , and who knows how many grotesques and mysteries are hidden there, just like a person's life, always going back and forth between darkness and light.

I'm not an emotional person, but tonight's atmosphere and the unknown things that will be experienced make me very excited.I saw that Miss Morstan seemed to feel the same way as I did.Holmes was hardly affected by any influence, and he wrote something in his notebook while playing with a flashlight.

At the entrance of the Langham Theatre, the audience huddled together, and various carriages continued to come.Gentlemen and ladies got out of the car one by one in their best attire.As soon as we reached the third pillar, a strong, ordinary-looking man in the clothes of a coachman approached.

"Are you with Miss Morstan?"

She hurriedly said: "I am Miss Morstan, and they are my friends."

The man stared at us and insisted, "Excuse me, but you have to make sure that there are no policemen among your friends."

"I promise," she answered, and he whistled once, and a wagon came up to us.Dressed in homeless clothes, he opened the car door.The person who greeted us sat on the driver's seat, and before we got into the car, the car began to rush forward quickly on the smoky street.

It's really suspicious.We were sitting in the car, not knowing where we were going, let alone what would happen. It was impossible to say that we were being joked. We always felt that we could get some clues this time.Miss Morstan remained unhurried, and I was trying to comfort her, telling her about the dangers I had experienced in Afghanistan.In fact, I talked in a mess, because I was also worried about this environment and unpredictable fate, and I was extremely uneasy.To this day, she still laughs at the stories I told her: how I killed a double-barreled gun in a tent with a tiger cub.At the beginning, I could still recognize the places we passed, but later, due to the long distance and fog, and the unfamiliarity of London's geography, I lost my way.In short, I only remember walking a long way, and know nothing else.Holmes was very familiar with the road conditions, and murmured the names of the places he went as he walked.

He said: "This is Vincent Square, Lost Road. Now we seem to be taking the Walker Road, the Surrey District." In this way, we came to a bridge deck and saw the river flashing.

We could see the Thames under the lights, but the car kept going and soon brought us to a more disorienting street on the opposite bank.

Holmes added: "Wadsworth Road, Larkhall Alley, Abbey Road, Robert Street, Cold Wind Alley, I am afraid we are heading towards the ghetto."

We have indeed arrived at a dire place.Dark gray brick houses are scattered on both sides of the street, and there are some low-key bars in the corners. There are several rows of two-story buildings at the back, and a small garden in front of the buildings. New buildings made of bricks are interspersed here.This is an extension of the suburbs of the City of London.Finally, the carriage stopped in front of the third door of the alley.It seemed that only the house in front of us was inhabited in this neighborhood, and in this house there was only a glimmer of light from the kitchen window, and the rest was dark.After knocking on the door, an Indian man quickly appeared in front of us. He was wearing a yellow turban, a fat white coat, and a yellow belt around his waist.This oriental servant did not fit at all with this ordinary third-class suburban dwelling.

"The master is waiting for you." Before he finished speaking, he heard someone calling him: "Please come here directly, Jitmutja." The death of the captain

We followed the Indian through a passage.This is a very common corridor, not very clean, the light is weak, and it is very cold.We were standing by the right door, and he opened the door, and there was a small man with a pointed head under the smoke.His head was bald except for a ring of red hair around it, like a ring of fir trees.He stood there rubbing his hands, with a changing expression on his face, from smiling to frowning.With his naturally drooping lips showing a row of yellow teeth, he was as ugly as he could be.Although he's bald, he's actually only around 30, so he doesn't feel very old.

"Miss Morstan, I am willing to serve you." He kept shouting loudly: "Gentlemen, I am willing to serve you. Miss, come to the house. Although the house is not big, I like it very much. Because the southern suburbs of London are relatively barren , so it’s like an oasis here.”

The furnishings in the room made us quite strange. At first glance, it seemed that a dazzling pearl was embedded in the copper support.Because such a building does not match the furnishings.Oriental style vases and delicate mirror cabinets are exposed from the luxurious curtains and tapestries. The black and amber soft carpet is very comfortable to walk on. There are two large tiger skins on the carpet, and a The big snuff bottle made in India makes the whole room more oriental.There is also a golden thread faintly passing through the roof, and a silver hanging lamp is hung at the end.When the hanging lamp was lit, a fresh fragrance permeated the whole room.

The little man smiled and said anxiously: "I am Thaddeus Sholto, and your name is Morstan. Where are these two gentlemen?"

"This is Mr. Sherlock Holmes, and this is Dr. Watson."

"Ah, doctor!" He said excitedly: "Have you brought the stethoscope? Can you listen to me? Excuse me, maybe there is something wrong with the heart valve of my heart, but the aorta is fine, please check my heart Valve."

I could hear nothing wrong with his heart, but he was trembling with fright.I said, "Don't worry, your heart is fine."

He said lightly, "Forgive me, Miss Morstan. I often feel bad, so I suspect that there may be something wrong with my heart. I'm glad the doctor said it's all right. Miss Morstan, if your father can control his emotions and protect his heart, Maybe now he's still alive."

How could he speak so unscrupulously? I was so angry that I really wanted to beat him hard.Miss Morstan sat down pale and said, "Actually, I knew my father was dead."

"Don't worry, I will tell you the truth and give you justice." He said, "No matter what my brother Bartholomew says, I will tell you. I am very glad that these two friends accompanied you. Now they can not only protect You, and will be your witness. There is no need for the police or the authorities to interfere, the three of us can deal with my brother. There is no need for others to get involved, we can settle this matter satisfactorily. Bartholomew certainly does not want to make this public Son." He stared at us with tear-filled blue eyes, and leaned back in his chair as if imploringly waiting for an answer from us.

"I can promise not to reveal a word," replied Holmes.

I also nodded.

"Excellent! Excellent!" he said. "Miss Morstan, would you like some champagne? May I open a bottle? You don't mind if I smoke? The oriental scent is pleasant. I want Smoke to calm my nerves." When the hookah was lit, smoke rose from the rose water.The three of us surrounded him with our necks outstretched and our hands on our chins, sitting in a semicircle.The little man with a light head and a tense expression started chattering while smoking a cigarette in embarrassment.

He said: "Actually, I was going to write to you with the address, but I was afraid that you would bring the police. Therefore, I had to let my servants go to see you first. I have great confidence in his ability to respond. I let him Get rid of you if you find that the situation is wrong.

"Please forgive me for my arrangement and rude behavior. I am a very introverted person, and the last thing I want to do with others, especially the police. I think the police are the most reckless, and I never want to be with rude people. You see, I I like the elegant atmosphere that surrounds me. It’s Salvatore Rosa, it’s a Gorot landscape, some might think it’s a fake, but the Bouguelo one is real.”

Miss Morstan said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Sholto, it's getting late, and I wish we could be more direct."

He replied: "I'm afraid we need to delay some time to go to Norwood to find my brother. I hope to win him. We argued for a long time last night. I think he is right and he is wrong. Therefore, he is not right about my actions." Satisfaction. It is very unreasonable when one is angry!"

I couldn't help saying: "Then let's hurry up to Norwood."

He laughed and said, "I'm afraid it's not appropriate. If we go there so suddenly, I don't know what he will tell you. I have to tell you about my family first. But I don't quite understand it either." , do your best.

"As you may know, Major John Sholto, who was stationed in India, is my father. He made a fortune in India, and 11 years ago, he retired, bringing a lot of money and valuable antiques and some Indian servants back home. , and bought Sakura Marsh Villa in Upper Norwood, and lived a leisurely and comfortable life in his later years. He only had us as twin brothers.

"The case of Captain Morstan's disappearance, I still remember some of the circumstances at that time, and we also read the detailed introduction in the newspaper.

(End of this chapter)