Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 14 Four Signatures Revealed (3)
"Because he was a friend of my father, we talked about it a lot, and often even speculated about what happened to him. But it never occurred to us that this secret could be related to my father - only he knew where Arthur Morstan was .

"However, we seem to be able to feel some father's worries. He hired two boxers as bodyguards because he dared not go out alone. William who sent you here today is one of them. Father has never told us his thoughts, But according to my observation, he was particularly concerned about people with wooden legs. Once, he even shot one such person, which cost us a lot of money. In fact, it was just a peddler. At first, we Neither of us thought much of it, but events later changed our minds.

"In the spring of 1882 my father received a letter from India which seemed to irritate him. He nearly fainted after reading it at the dinner table, and remained ill in bed until his death. Many years ago His spleen was already swollen, and the blow made his condition worse. We only glimpsed the letter from the side, which looked messy and sparse. In April of that year, the doctor let us listen to it in front of my father. will.

"He was leaning against the big pillow, gasping for breath. He told us to lock the door and let us stand on either side. He held our hands, and because of his illness and excitement, he spoke incoherently, but the words were true. Surprised us. Let me try to repeat what he said.

"He said: 'I am going to die, but what happened to Morstan's daughter has made me regret all my life. I have never used those treasures—greed is so stupid! Only with these treasures with me can I eat well and sleep soundly, and I am not willing to share them with others. The pearl necklace next to the cinnamon bottle was originally I wanted to give it to her, but I didn't give it away. Sons, you must give her the half of the Agra treasure that belongs to her. But it must be after my death. Although I am seriously ill, I may get better. .'

"He said again: 'I will tell you the cause of Morstan's death. He had a bad heart, but he never told anyone else. All these years, only I knew. We had an adventure in India, so we got a batch of treasures, and later I brought it back to England. When Morstan came back, he thought that I wanted to return his half. When he arrived here, the old servant Lal Jorda opened the door for him. We had a disagreement when we divided the treasures. During the quarrel, Morstan jumped up from the chair very angrily, then suddenly put his hand on his left chest, and fell backward with a sullen face, hitting his head on the corner of the box. I was frightened and ran over for a while. Look, he's dead.

"'I don't know what to do. I just sat on the chair and couldn't move. At first, I wanted to call the police, but after I called the police, I would definitely be considered the murderer, and the wound on his head was even more harmful to me. In addition, how should I explain it? What about the source of the treasure?

"'Just when I was at a loss what to do, Lal Jorda suddenly appeared at the door, and he came in stealthily and said to me:' "Master, don't be afraid.Hid him, only we know. ’ I said, ‘‘I didn’t hurt him. "'Lal Joda shook his head and smiled at me: "Master, I heard everything. You were arguing, and he fell down."I'm sure not to say, don't worry.The rest are all asleep, let's bury him. His words made me so determined that even my own loyal servants did not believe me, and I couldn't expect twelve jurors to acquit me. We buried the body that night. Later, each The big newspapers have published the story of Morstan's disappearance. You say, is this my fault? I just shouldn't steal the buried body and monopolize the treasure. So, I hope you will return the treasure to his daughter. Earn your ears, treasure at……'

"He suddenly changed his expression, looked straight out, and kept yelling: 'Shoot him out, please...please shoot him out!' I will never forget that tone. When we turned our heads, we saw the glass There was a face, watching us. His nose was white from being squeezed, and two murderous eyes were set in the hairy face, with a fierce look. We rushed to the window, but the man was gone. Disappeared. When I came back to see my father, he was already dead.

"We searched the whole garden that night, but there was nothing but a rather obvious footprint in the flower bed. Without the footprint, we might have thought the face was a phantom, but it was. Really. Later events confirmed this. We found that many people around us were paying attention to us. Early the next morning, the window of my father’s bedroom was opened and the room was searched. A torn piece of paper, on which was written: 'Four Signatures', in scribbled handwriting. We still don't know what it means and who that person is. All we know for sure is that the father's property is not lost. We both think it has something to do with him It has something to do with being careful at ordinary times, but this is really a mystery."

The little man lit the hookah and took a few deep breaths.We all listened attentively to his story at first, but when Miss Morstan heard of her father's death, she suddenly turned pale.I hastened to pour her a glass of water from a Venetian carafe before she fainted.After drinking the water, her complexion improved a little.Holmes was still there with his eyes closed and deep in thought, and I couldn't help thinking: He was lamenting the boredom of life this morning, and now he was challenged by a difficult question.Mr. Thaddeus Sholto glanced at each of us in turn, and seemed proud to find that his story had absorbed us completely.Then he took another deep breath of the hookah and continued talking.

He said: "At first, when we brothers knew that there was a treasure hidden in our house, you can imagine how happy we were. But after several months, we searched the whole garden, but we never found the treasure. My father almost said It's hard to think about it. The value of the necklace shows that the treasures are indeed very precious. Our brothers have also discussed what to do with the necklace. Every pearl is very expensive, and I My brother was a bit reluctant, in this respect he is quite similar to my father. And he also thought that giving away the necklace might cause unnecessary trouble, so I had to convince him. I first found Miss Morstan's address, and then Send her pearls continuously to ensure she maintains a normal life."

Miss Morstan said to him sincerely: "Good man, I am so touched by your behavior."

The little man said disapprovingly: "Actually, we are just the custodians of your wealth. But my brother doesn't think so. Although we have a lot of money, he still wants more. God doesn't want to monopolize the property of the young lady." Allowed. I appreciate the saying 'greed is not enough to swallow an elephant'.Due to disagreements, we had to separate.I led the Indian servant and William out of the villa.But yesterday I discovered an important situation: the treasure was found, so I immediately wrote to Miss Morstan.Now we can go to Norwood to ask him for your share back.I told him my opinion last night and he finally agreed to let us go. "

After Thaddeus Sholto finished speaking, he sat there twitching his fingers.We were all considering what to do next when Holmes suddenly stood up and said: "Sir, you have done an admirable job from beginning to end, and perhaps we should repay you by telling you something you did not know. But it was too late." We can't waste any more time."

After finishing the hookah, the little man took out a long and thick coat with a sheepskin collar.Although it wasn't cold at night, he had already wrapped himself up very tightly, and finally put on a rabbit fur hat to cover his ears, revealing only his thin face.He said as he walked, "I can only treat myself as a patient because my physique is too poor."

The car was already ready outside, and as soon as we sat down, the car started to go.Thaddeus talked on and on, his voice louder than the carriages.

He said: "My brother is very clever. Do you know how he found the treasure? He finally concluded that the treasure was in the house, and calculated the capacity of the whole house, even the corners. He measured us The height of the building is 74 feet, and the height of each room is measured at the same time. Finally, he used the drilling method to determine the thickness of the floor slab, plus the height of the interior, the total is only seventy feet, a total difference of four feet. This difference The only way to find it was to go to the roof. He made a hole in the ceiling of the room on the top floor, which was all made of lath and plaster. Fortunately, there he found a closed attic room that no one else thought of. Treasure chests with jewels worth at least £50 were placed on the two rafters between the ceilings."

Everyone was stunned by this astronomical figure.If the treasure hunt is successful, Miss Morstan will quickly go from a poor governess to Britain's richest heir.Her friends will be happy for her, but I am ashamed, but I feel particularly uncomfortable, maybe because of my selfishness.After congratulating her symbolically, I just leaned there and didn't speak, and then I couldn't even listen to what they said.Our new friend was obviously suffering from depression, and I vaguely remember him listing many symptoms and taking out many secret recipes from his wallet, as if he wanted me to explain.I wish he had long since forgotten the answer I gave him that night.Holmes later said that he had vaguely overheard me admonishing him not to exceed two drops of castor oil, as it was dangerous, and advising him to take large doses of strychnine As a sedative.In any case, I was finally relieved when the carriage stopped and the coachman opened the door for us.Mr. Thaddeus Sholto helped Merry Morstan out of the car and told her: "The Sakuranum Villa is here." The Tragedy at the Sakuranum Villa
We arrived at our destination just before eleven o'clock.The pervasive fog dissipated, and the warm west wind blew away the dark clouds, revealing half of the moon.Thaddeus Sholto held a headlight to illuminate us, though he could see things in the distance.

Yingnuma Villa stands on a square, surrounded by towering stone walls, and there are pieces of broken glass inserted on the walls to prevent theft.There was only a small entrance door, still nailed with iron splints.Our guide knocked twice.

"Who?" A shout came from the room.

"It's me, McMurdo, and who's going to be here now?"

A stalwart man walked out from inside. He was holding a lantern. The faint yellow light reflected on his face, showing his suspicion even more.

"Who are these, Mr. Thaddeus? I won't let them in without the master's permission."

"they are my friends."

"He hasn't left the house all day, let alone told me. You know his temper very well. Why don't you let your friend wait outside for a while, and you come in first."

Thaddeus Sholto didn't expect this to happen, and stared at him and froze.He shouted: "It's outrageous! How can you make a lady wait outside in the middle of the night? I guarantee you the head office, right?"

"I'm sorry, Mr. Thaddeus," insisted the porter, "but I don't know if they are my master's friends. I am responsible to my master, and I don't know any of them."

Holmes said slowly, "Don't you know me? McMurdo, do you forget that four years ago an amateur boxer fought you three rounds, in your personal bout at Allison?"

He suddenly said: "My God! You are talented but why did you stop midway? If you continue to practice, you may become a champion."

"Watson, do you see? I can't lose my job. Let's go in." Holmes said to me with a smile.

"Come in, everybody," said Boxer. "Excuse me, Mr. Thaddeus, but you know the master's habit of letting in only friends."

A winding gravel path leads directly to the ordinary big house.The branches and leaves around the house are dense, and only a gleam of moonlight shines on the windows on the top floor through the branches and leaves.For such a big house, this dark appearance makes people look a little scary.Thaddeus Sholto, too, was visibly disturbed, and his hand that held the lamp trembled.

He said, "What's the matter? My brother knows we're coming tonight, but why haven't the lights been lit? I don't understand!"

"Is he often like this?" asked Holmes.

"Yes, he has kept my father's habits. My father loves him very much. Sometimes I think that my father has told him far more than I have. Bartholomew's window is illuminated by the moon, but the lamp is not lit."

"Yes," said Holmes, "but there is a light in the little window by the door."

"That's Mrs. Burnstone's room, the housekeeper. She can tell us everything. But she doesn't know you're all coming, so we'll wait here so as not to frighten her. Oh! what?"

He raised the lamp up, and the light trembled.Our hearts beat harder, and Miss Morstan gripped my wrist.In that dark room, there were waves of desolate and mournful female voices.

Thaddeus said: "It seems that Mrs. Burnstone is calling, let me go and see." He knocked twice on the door habitually.A tall woman welcomed him in as if meeting a relative.

Faintly through the closed door she was heard saying: "It is very good! You are here, Mr. Thaddeus."

By the light of the lantern, Holmes took a slow and careful look at the rubbish around him.Miss Morstan was still standing beside me clutching my hand.Love is sometimes difficult to describe. The day before, we didn't know each other, we didn't even say a word, but now we stand together to deal with the dangers of the future.Later, whenever I think of this involuntary action, I feel very warm.She also said later that being next to me gave her support and strength.We held hands, calm about the potential danger.

"It's strange here!" she said, looking around.

"I've only seen it on the hills near Ballarat, like prospecting and digging up piles of stuff like this, it seems like all the moles in the UK are here."

Holmes said: "How many times have they dug for this treasure! They have been searching for six years, how can it not be like a bunker!"

Suddenly Thaddeus ran out from the door with both hands outstretched, shouting as he ran, "I'm scared to death, I can't bear it, something must have happened to Bartholomew." It couldn't be stopped, the muscles on the bloodless face kept twitching, like a child eagerly waiting for help.

"Come on, let's go in," said Holmes firmly.

Thaddeus pleaded: "Go in, I don't know what to do."

We went with him into the house of the housekeeper, who was walking up and down restlessly.Seeing Miss Morstan, she seemed to have found a savior, and said excitedly: "My God, what a sweet face God has given you! It's a miserable day for me, but it's good to see you."

Miss Morstan comforted her while patting her, and the old lady regained her spirits after a while.

Mrs. Burnstone said: "I waited here all day for my master, and he locked himself in and didn't say a word. He used to be like that. I looked at him through the door an hour ago, Thaddeus. Sir, you might as well look for yourself. For more than ten years, I have never seen him with such an expression."

Holmes led the way with a lamp, and I helped Thaddeus upstairs, while the housekeeper and Morstan waited downstairs.As he walked, Holmes took out his magnifying glass to examine the mud prints on the stair carpet.

There are three doors on the left of the third staircase, an Indian rug hanging on the right wall, and a long passage.Holmes was still watching carefully, and we followed, stopping at the third door.Holmes could not knock or push the door open, but it seemed to be locked.Holmes glanced at the lock. The key had been turned inside, so that the lock was not completely closed.He looked through the aperture and immediately gasped.

I've never seen him like this.He said to me: "Come and see, Watson, it is indeed frightening."

I looked through the hole, and quickly shrank back in fright.Under the hazy moonlight, only one face can be vaguely seen, and the bottom cannot be seen.He seemed to be looking at us, too, with the same bald head, red hair, bloodless cheeks, unnaturally exposed teeth, and a hideous grin on his stiff face.The face was so identical to our friend Thaddeus' that I couldn't help but want to see if he was with me.But it suddenly occurred to me that they were twin brothers.

"It's too frightening. What shall we do?" I asked Holmes.

"Open the door first." As he said that, he slammed into the door, using almost all his strength to deal with the lock, but the door only rang a few times and failed.So, we both bumped into each other at the same time, and with a bang, the door finally opened.We rushed in.

This room is exactly like a chemical laboratory.Gas lamps, stills, and test tubes filled the table, and there were some glass bottles on the opposite wall. There were several bottles of acid liquid in the corner. Some black liquid flowed out of a broken bottle, smelling like tar. Scattered all over the house.Over there, leaning against the wall was a pair of ladders, a mess of planks and plaster, with a hole in the ceiling to get in and out, and a long rope coiled wildly on the ground beside it.

Bartholomew, with his head tilted to the left, smiled wryly and sat in the armchair by the table.Perhaps he had been dead for a long time, because the body had stiffened.Not only does he have a strange smile, but his curved limbs are also very special.One of his hands was resting on the table, and beside it was a strange tool—a heavy brown wooden stick with a stone tied to it with thick twine, sort of like a hammer.A few words were scrawled on a torn piece of paper that looked like it had been torn from a notepad.Holmes showed it to me.I saw the three words "four signatures".

"My God, what's going on?" I asked loudly.

While looking at the corpse, he said to me: "Murder, as I expected." He found a long black thorn from the ear of the corpse, which pierced directly into the scalp of the deceased.

"Looks like a thorn," I said.

"Indeed, the thorn is poisonous, you pull it out slowly."

As soon as I took out the thorns, the dead man's wound quickly closed, and nothing could be seen except for a little blood.

(End of this chapter)