Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 15 Four Signatures Revealed (4)
"It's so mysterious, I'm even more confused." I said.

He said: "It's not a mystery. A few more details will reveal the truth."

Mr. Thaddeus was still trembling at the door, and we had almost forgotten him when we entered.He suddenly shouted: "All the treasures have been taken away! I helped my brother take the treasures out of that hole yesterday. I remember very clearly that when I went downstairs, he locked the door himself."

"About what time was it?"

"It's like ten o'clock. Now that he is dead, the police will definitely suspect that I killed him. You don't think so? Do you think that if I killed him, would I still do it? My God! What should I do? , I'm going crazy." He yelled frantically while jumping.

Holmes patted him on the shoulder softly and said, "Mr. Sholto, you don't have to be afraid. According to what I said, report the crime first. This will help them investigate. We will always be waiting for you."

The little man didn't know what to do, so he staggered and went downstairs as Holmes said.Sherlock Holmes' deduction
While rubbing his hands, Holmes said to me, "Watson, we have to make good use of the remaining half an hour. Although the truth of the case will be revealed soon, we should not be too confident and be careful of mistakes. It seems that this case is quite simple, but in fact, here There are still many questions."

I couldn't help asking him: "Simple?"

He said like an old professor giving a lecture: "Of course. Don't destroy the footprints, keep the scene, please sit in the corner of the room. First of all, this door has not been opened since last night. How did they get in and out?" Is it from the window?" He seemed to be talking to himself, holding the lamp and continuing to walk towards the window, and said loudly: "The window is so tight, it is impossible to remove it, come and help me open it. It is far away from the roof, and the surrounding Neither. Look, Watson, it rained last night, and there are footprints on the window-sill, showing that someone has stood there. Also, there is a round mud footprint on the floor and on the edge of the table. Excellent, this is best evidence."

I looked at the round mud prints and said to him, "It doesn't look like footprints."

"Yes, but it is more useful than footprints. This mark must be the mark of a wooden post, and the shoe mark next to it looks like a boot with a wide iron palm. What can you think of?"

"A man with wooden legs."

"Indeed, there is another man who is particularly agile. Watson, do you think he can climb over that wall?"

By the moonlight, I stretched out my head and saw the wall clearly. The wall was smooth, maybe six feet high, and there was no place to step on it at all.

"That's impossible," I said.

"That's because of people who don't help, but if someone in the house tied a thick rope to an iron ring on the wall and threw it over the other end, as long as he held on to the rope firmly, even a person with wooden legs could Climb up. Of course, you can also take back the rope, pile it on the ground, close the window and insert it firmly, and go back the same way." He pointed to the rope and said: "Although the person with the wooden leg climbed the wall skillfully, but Not very skillful, and the hands were not very rough, because there was blood on the rope and the end. It shows that when he grabbed the rope, he went very fast, so he wore his hands."

I said, "Sounds right, but who is his companion? Where did he come in? I'm more confused."

Holmes frowned and murmured: "Yes, I think this companion adds to the mystery of the case, and maybe he can set a new record in the history of British crime. Of course, if I remember correctly, similar The modus operandi has been seen in India, it has been seen in Senegambia."

"Where did he come in from? With the door locked and the windows closed, did he come in through the chimney?" I kept asking him.

"I thought so too, but the chimney is too narrow to be possible."

"So what's going on?" I asked.

He shook his head and said, "Just think in your own way! I've told you many times that after you rule out the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how unbelievable, is the truth. You're welcome. Think about it, except for doors, windows, and chimneys, and it is impossible to hide in the house in advance, and there is no place to hide in this house, so what possibility is left?"

"That hole!" I shouted suddenly.

"Certainly! Take a lamp, and let's go up to the room where the treasure is kept."

He climbed up the ladder, grabbed the rafters with both hands, rolled over and entered the room, and taking the lamp, I went in too.The house was about ten feet long and six wide, with a thin plastered plank between the rafters and a peaked roof.There was no furniture at all except for a thick layer of earth.We had to step on every rafter as we walked.

Holmes leaned on the sloping wall and said to me: "Look, open this secret door, and you can reach the sloping roof outside. This is probably the entrance and exit of the criminal's companion. Be careful to see if he leaves any traces."

The light reflected off the floor, and again I saw the astonishment expressed on Holmes' face.This look made me tremble with fright, and at the same time I clearly saw a string of barefoot footprints left on the floor, which were less than half the size of ordinary people.

"A boy did it, Holmes," I said in a low voice.

He calmed down a bit and said, "I was taken aback at first, too, but it should have been normal, I should have expected it. All right, let's go down."

When I got down, I hurriedly asked him, "What do you think of those footprints?"

He seemed very impatient, and said: "Watson, according to my method, you practice and think carefully, and then we exchange ideas, maybe both parties can gain more."

"I really can't think of a reason."

"It will be clear soon, I think I have to take a look here again." After finishing speaking, he took out the magnifying glass and measuring tape, knelt on the ground, pressed his face to the ground, and began to check and grope in the room like a hound .His movements were silent and quick, and I couldn't help thinking: What a terrible criminal he would be if he used this intelligence and energy to commit crimes.He murmured as he searched, and finally began to cheer: "Watson, what a fortune, there are his little footprints on the creosote flowing out. Look, there is a crack in the oil bottle, and the oil is flowing out. "

"What's the use of that?" I asked.

"We'll be able to catch him right away. Dogs can follow the smell to find food, and they can also find the source of the smell with their sense of smell, let alone a dog that has only been specially trained, and with such a strong smell, the result must be... ah , the police are here."

There was the sound of footsteps, conversation, and doors closing outside.

"Before they come up," said Holmes, "feel his dead body, and see how it feels?"

I said, "Muscles are as hard as wood."

"That's it. It's much harder than the usual 'stiffness after death'. This is a particularly strong 'contraction' reaction. In addition, from the wry smile and distortion on his face, what else can you think of?"

I said: "Being poisoned by plant alkaloids will produce muscle rigidity similar to tetanus."

"As soon as I saw his distorted face, I thought maybe I had been poisoned, so once I entered the room, I was trying to understand how it got in. I saw the thorn, which could easily pierce the body. You see, the dead man seemed to be sitting on this chair at that time, and the hole was just facing the place where the thorn was pricked. Come, take a closer look at this thorn.” I held it and looked When I looked at it, it turned out to be a long and sharp black thorn. There was a layer of shiny things on the pointed end that had dried up, and one end was just scraped off with a knife.

"Is it native to England?" he asked.

"of course not."

"According to these materials, I think you should be able to draw a reasonable conclusion. The rest are not important and easy to deal with." At this time, footsteps came from the corridor.A fat man in gray came in, followed by the sheriff and a trembling Thaddeus Sholto.The fat officer was a big, red-cheeked officer with small eyes that kept blinking.

He yelled: "What kind of decent is this? It's so lively that it's almost becoming a rabbit farm. Who are these people?"

"Do you still know me, Mr. Ethelney Jones?" said Holmes slowly.

"Remember, you are Sherlock Holmes, the great theorist. It was you who explained to us the reasons for the Bishopsgate treasure case and deduced the results. Of course I remember. You did point us in the right direction, but I feel that your This time was just good luck, not because of theoretical guidance at all.”

"That case was too simple."

"Okay, okay, don't be embarrassed to admit it. The fact is that, there is no need to reason about it. It's good luck. When I reported the crime, I happened to come to the branch here because of other things. How do you think he died? of?"

Holmes said coldly: "Don't you need my theoretical guidance?"

"It's really not necessary, but it should be admitted that sometimes, you can really solve the mystery with one sentence. The reporter said: the door is locked, but the treasure of 50 pounds is gone. What about the window?"

"It's very tightly shut, but there's a footprint on the windowsill."

"The windows are closed, and the footprints must be irrelevant to the case, as we all know. The man must have died in a fit of rage, and the jewels were lost. Ah, I think there's a possibility. Schull Mr. Torto, Inspector, you go outside. Doctor, you stay. It may be the case, Holmes, that after Sholto's quarrel with his brother last night, his brother died in a fit of rage, and he took him away. treasure. Do you think so?"

"Later, the dead man got up and plugged the door again."

"Yes, it may not make sense. But Mr. Sholto was with his brother last night and had a quarrel, and then his brother died and the jewelry was gone. You know, Sholto left No one has seen his brother since then, and no one has slept in his bed. The last person to see the deceased was Sholto. Now he must be very scared, and it is common sense that he will confess after a little interrogation."

Holmes said: "You don't seem to have fully understood the situation. This is a thorn taken from the dead man's scalp, and the scar is still visible. I guarantee that the thorn is poisonous. In addition, there is a piece of writing paper on the table, and there is a strange log next to it. Great, and tied with a stone. What do you think it is?"

"Others can kill with this stinger, and so can Thaddeus. This piece of paper is nothing more than a gimmick to distract us, that's quite possible. But where did he come from? Oh, By the way, he can climb out of the hole in the roof." With great difficulty, he climbed up the ladder, squeezed through the hole, and climbed into the room on the roof.Soon, everyone heard him shouting excitedly when he saw the secret door.

Holmes shrugged his shoulders and said: "Occasionally he finds some evidence, and sometimes he has something to say. The French say: 'It is harder to live with a fool who has no thinking.'"

After climbing down, Ethelney Jones said: "I have already proved my point. The secret door above can lead to the outside, and it is still half open."

"The door I opened."

"It seems that you also know the secret door. In any case, this must be the passage for the murderer to escape. Sheriff!" He said a little discouraged.A voice from the passage said, "Yes, sir."

"Bring in Mr. Sholto. Mr. Sholto, it is my duty to tell you that now that your brother is dead and what you have said is completely against you, I am going to arrest you on behalf of the government."

"How? How? It's not what I expected!" Sholto looked at us helplessly with his hands raised.

"Don't worry, I will clear your name, Mr. Sholto," said Holmes.

"Don't talk too much, theorist, it's not as easy as you think."

"Even so, Mr. Jones, I will give you some characteristics of the criminal. Last night, there were two men lurking in this room. One was probably called Jonathan Small. Flexible, with a wooden leg on his right leg, and a boot on his left foot, with an uneven square forefoot and an iron palm on the heel. A piece of the wooden leg has been worn off on one side, about middle-aged, dark skinned, formerly He's been guilty of crimes, too. He's got a lot of skin off his palms, which may help you. The other..."

"Very well, what about the other one?" Although Ethelney Jones somewhat approved of this, he continued to ask mockingly.

Holmes turned back and said, "This man is indeed very strange. I will tell you who he is in a moment. Please come here, Watson, and I will have a word with you."

At the stairs, he said to me: "I almost forgot, the main purpose of our coming here."

I said: "Yes, Miss Morstan should be sent back first, and she should not be left in this horrible place."

"Go at once. She lives not far from here at Mrs. Heather Forrester's in Charcamberwell. If you want to come again, I'll wait for you here, but are you tired?
"It's okay. I want to come back and find out the truth. Honestly, I've been through some dangerous and wonderful things before, but I've never been in a situation like tonight. Help you solve this case."

He said, "Great, then you come back and help me. Let's do it ourselves and leave Jones alone! When you come back, please stop by the third door from the right of the taxidermy shop and find a man named Sherman." , tell him I'd like to borrow his Toby. There's a picture of a weasel catching a rabbit on his window."

"Is that the dog's name?"

"Yes, a mongrel dog with a particularly sensitive nose is more useful than all the police in London."

I said, "It's exactly one o'clock now. If I change to a new horse, I can definitely bring it back before three o'clock."

"I'll stay here a little longer," said Holmes, "and see if I can make any new discoveries. As for Mr. Jones' sarcasm, I reckon we'll have to listen to it later. Goethe said long ago: 'There are people who like to talk to them. We should get used to talking about things we don’t understand.’ You see, how concise and concise. Thaddeus said that there is a servant living in the attic next door, and I need to find him and the housekeeper’s wife for further information. "Tracking the Murderer

Miss Morstan is such an angel.When she realized she was in danger and there were weaker people around who needed attention, she always tried to stay calm.She was still with the terrified housekeeper when I went to pick her up, but once back in the car she was gone.At first she almost fainted, and then she kept sobbing, and the calmness she had when she was around the housekeeper had long since disappeared.She even complained about me afterwards, saying that I was really cold-blooded at the time.But in fact, she didn't know my difficulties, because at that time, I was also engaged in a fierce ideological struggle in my heart.I not only felt sympathy for her, but also cared for her, and through the experience that night, I realized that she is simply a brave and kind woman.I suddenly had the urge to propose to her immediately, but considering two reasons at the time, it was difficult for me to speak.First of all, she is in a difficult situation and has no one to rely on. If I propose to her at this time, it seems to be a bit of a danger; A poor doctor with a salary, at this time, people will definitely think that I am up to no good.I didn't want her to make me small by thinking I was a vulgar gold digger.It is these treasures that hinder my progress.

It was just before two o'clock in the morning when we got back to Mrs. Heather Forrester's house. Only the lady was waiting for Miss Morstan, and the rest of the servants were asleep.She was worried about Morstan and came out to open the door for us in person.To my relief, Mrs. Heather Forrester, a well-mannered middle-aged woman, put her arms around Miss Morstan very warmly, and continued to comfort her.It was evident that Miss Morstan was here more as a well-respected friend than as a hired governess.After a brief introduction, Mrs Forrester cordially invited me in to tell her what had happened tonight.But because I still had something to do, I couldn't stay, so I had no choice but to promise her that I would come back to introduce the progress of the case to her when I had the opportunity.After taking my farewell and boarding the car, I couldn't help but glance back, and vaguely saw their silhouettes standing on the steps holding hands, the glass reflected the soft light, from which I could vaguely see the weather gauge and stair handrails hanging.When you are depressed, it is very refreshing to see such a harmonious and peaceful British family.

On the way back, I thought about this bizarre case again, and the more I thought about it, the more confused I became.Today, the death of Captain Morstan, the pearls sent, the advertisements in the newspapers, the strange letters received by Morstans, we basically know all these things, but even these very clear things still can't bring us any clues. , which is more confusing.For example: Indian treasures; strange pictures in Captain Morstan's luggage; the strange appearance of Major Sholto when he died; Keep the words with the same handwriting on the drawing.

Everything seems to be connected, but it is so intricate that it is really unpredictable.Presumably, except for people with special talents like Sherlock Holmes, ordinary people will never know the mystery of this.

At the end of a street in the Lembeth district stood a row of dilapidated two-storey buildings.After I stopped in front of No. [-] door, I knocked for a long time before there was an answer. Then the lights in the room came on, and a head poked out from the window.

He yelled: "Get out of here, you drunk, or I'll let 43 dogs come out and bite you."

I said, "You let it out, I came here just for one of them."

The voice continued to shout: "Go away, there is a hammer in this bag, be careful I will hit you."

I said, "I don't want a hammer, I just want a dog."

"Stop rambling, stand away from me, count to three, and I'm going to throw the hammer."

I hurriedly shouted: "Mr. Holmes..." As soon as I said these words, it was really effective. Within a minute, the door was opened.What came out was a thin, hunchbacked man with protruding veins on his neck and a pair of blue light glasses on his nose. This was Sherman.

He said: "As long as you are a friend of Sherlock Holmes, I am very welcome. Come in, sir, and beware of badger bites." At this moment, another weasel with a pair of red eyes poked its head out from the cage, and he hastened to say : "Don't be naughty, you can't catch this gentleman. Oh, sir, don't be afraid, this is a snake lizard, it has no fangs, and it eats beetles here. There are naughty children playing here, and I often Awakened, I thought you too... I'm sorry, I was rude just now. Oh, what's the matter with Sherlock Holmes?"

"He wants to lend you a dog."

"Must want Toby."

"Yes, that's it."

(End of this chapter)