Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 154 The Last Greeting (16)
"Go on," said Holmes encouragingly.

"Well! His two brothers and his sister were sitting at the table as he had left them, with the cards before them, the wax had burned out, and the poor sister was dead, and the brothers were beside her, and Laughing and shouting and singing, crazy, three people--the dead woman and the two crazy men--their faces had expressions of horror, the kind of terror that people couldn't look at. Except for them No one has been there except Mrs. Putt, the housekeeper and cook. Mrs. Putt said she slept soundly last night, heard nothing, was neither stolen nor turned over. Scaring a woman to death, and scaring two strong men crazy? I can't explain it, but that's the general situation, Mr. Holmes, if you can help us solve the case, you will do a great thing."

Our vacation plans looked like they were going to fail, and I hoped to somehow lure him away and return to our peaceful life for the purpose of recuperation, but seeing his excitement, I couldn't Realized, everything was back to the same way again.

He sat quietly, bowing his head and thinking seriously about this miracle that suddenly broke our peaceful life.

"Let me examine it," said he. "On the face of it, this case is an unusual one. Have you been there yourself, Mr. Runguid?"

"No, I'll come to you with Trekens right away when he comes back to the vicarage and talks about it."

"How far is this strange incident from here?"

"About a mile inland."

"Let's walk together, but before we go, I have to ask Mr. Mortick Trekens a few questions."

Mr. Trekens remained silent, but I could see that his controlled emotions were stronger than the Vicar's rash emotions.There he sat, pale and sad, looking at Holmes with restless eyes, clasping his hands, his pale lips quivering, and a look of terror in his eyes as he listened to the vicar's account of the misery of his family.

"Ask, Mr. Holmes. It is such an unfortunate thing to say that I don't want to dwell on it, but I will certainly answer your question as it is."

"Okay, tell me what happened last night before you left Terry Dannick Vassar!"

"Well, well, I'll have supper with them there, and afterward, as the preacher said, my brother Joss suggested a game of cards. We started playing about nine o'clock, and I left them about a quarter past ten, When I left, they were happily playing cards and chatting around the table."

"Who sent you out?"

"I went by myself. I didn't call the housekeeper because she was already asleep. I opened and closed the door myself. The windows of the room where they played cards were also closed, but the shutters were not drawn. Let's go and see this morning. At that time, the doors and windows were not broken, so it could not be the tragedy caused by outsiders. However, they were still sitting there, my two brothers went crazy, my sister died, with her head hanging on the back of the chair, it was too horrible and miserable Now, as long as I live, I will never be able to get that horrible scene out of my mind." He lowered his head.

Holmes said: "The situation you mentioned is indeed very strange. I don't think you can explain it yourself?" "It must be the devil, Mr. Holmes, it must be!" shouted, as if fire would come out of his eyes.

"It's not of this world," he went on, "something got into that house and extinguished their sanity. Man has no power to do it. It must be the devil!"

"I am afraid," said Holmes, "that if the matter is beyond the reach of man, I certainly cannot do it. But before I am compelled to believe in the theory, I must try to use all the natural explanations. As to you Mr. Trekens, I see you are separated, aren't you? They live together, and you live alone with the parsonage."

"That's right," said Trekens, "but it's over. Our family used to run a tin mine and lived in Redrunes. But we got tired of the risky life right away and sold the business." To another company, out of the business. We both have a lot of money, and we're doing okay, but..."

Mr. Trekens looked troubled, but he went on.

"I admit that for the sake of sharing money, we had disagreements with each other, and there were some small frictions. During this period, our feelings were a little bit at odds. But all this is over, we understand each other, and no one takes it There was a grudge. We became best friends."

"Will you recall the last night you spent, and see if you can find any clues that can explain the tragedy? Think carefully, Mr. Trekens, because all clues will benefit our investigation, and I think you will too. Help us."

"But, sir, I can think of nothing."

"Are your loved ones emotionally normal?"

"Very normal."

"Did they show apprehension that something dangerous would happen? Are they neurotic?"

"Definitely not."

"Have you nothing to say to help us?"

Mortek Trekens thought hard for a moment.

"One thing came to mind," he said. "I was sitting with my back to the window, playing cards with my brother Jos, and he was facing the window. . . Let me think about it."

"By the way, once he looked behind me vigorously, I also turned around to look strangely. The blinds were not down, and I saw something running in the bushes. I don't know if it was a person or an animal, but it was something. Run. I asked my brother what he saw, and he said it was the same as me, and that's all I have to tell you."

"You didn't take a look, what exactly is it?"

"No, I didn't pay much attention to it then."

"Did you feel any ominous omen when you left later?"

"Absolutely not."

"One thing I don't understand. Why did you know the news so early this morning?"

"It's nothing strange. I'm used to getting up early and going out for a walk before breakfast. As I was going out, the doctor came to me in a carriage and said: 'Mrs. talk.'

"I got into the carriage, sat beside him, and started on the road. When we got there, we both looked at the house full of horrors, it was terrible...

"The candles and the fire were extinguished a few hours ago. The three of them had to stay in the dark for a long time until dawn. The doctor said that Broda had been dead for at least six hours, but no trace of violence was found. She was leaning back in her chair, her face full of fear. Joss and Okun were sang spooky ballads in fits and starts, and murmured something in panic. I've got to think.

"They were like two big horse monkeys at that time. It was terrible! It frightened me! The doctor's face was as white as death, and he was not angry at all. He almost fainted, gasping for breath, and fell to the chair Li, almost asked us to rescue him."

Holmes stood up, holding his hat. "It's simply inexplicable. I think I should go to Terry Dannick Vassar immediately. To be honest, I have rarely seen such a strange case."

On the first morning, we found nothing, except at the beginning, when an unexpected incident made the most ominous impression on us.

It happened that we were in a winding alley leading to the scene of the tragedy when we suddenly heard a series of broken carriages.

We just stood aside to make way for it, and inadvertently, I glanced at the carriage, and saw a distorted face peering at us, with wide-open eyes and jagged teeth Flashed, like a devil.

"Dear brothers!" cried Mortek Trekens.His face completely changed, "They must have been sent to Colston."

We watched the black carriage drive away with utter terror.Then, he went to the house where the tragedy happened.

It was a small cottage, bright and spacious, with a large and beautiful garden and lawn around it, and Kenish had a warm climate, so it was full of spring.The bedroom windows are facing the garden.According to Mortick Trekkens, when the devil appeared in the garden, his brothers were frightened mad.Lost in thought, Holmes walked up and down the garden, examining the path, which led us into the gatehouse.

We went in, and there we met the old housekeeper, Mrs. Putt, who had a little girl as an assistant, and who answered Holmes' questions with enthusiasm.

She told us: She didn't hear any movement at night, the hosts have always been in a good mood, never seen them so excited.However, when she walked into the house this morning, such a horrible thing happened, she was frightened and fainted...

After waking up, she opened the window to get some air.She later ran into an alley and entrusted a child to find a doctor.If we want to see the poor wretch who died, she's upstairs in a big bed, and the brothers got some strong men to get them into a carriage and take them to a mental hospital.She couldn't stay here for a moment, and was going home that afternoon.

We went upstairs and examined the body. Although she was middle-aged, she was still beautiful; although she was dead, her delicate face was still beautiful.There was an abnormally terrified expression on her face, which was the last bit of her human expression.

We walked out of her bedroom and went downstairs to the scene of the tragedy. The ashes of the previous night were still there, and there were traces of four burnt candles on the table, and a pile of cards was scattered on the table.

Holmes walked up and down the room, sat down in the three chairs and replaced them in their places, and looked again at the garden.Then, we get to work.

He checked the floor, ceiling and fireplace.But I never noticed that his eyes flashed suddenly, nor did he close his lips tightly. If I saw that expression, I was sure that there was a breakthrough in the case.

"Why a fire?" he asked. "Do they have fires in the house on spring evenings?"

Mortek Trekens explained that it was very humid that night, as was the house, and that they had to light a fire to keep warm.Then he asked Holmes: "Now, what are you going to do?"

My friend smiled at him, put his hand on my left arm and said, "I think we should do some research, Watson."

"What research?" we asked in unison.

"It is the study of tobacco poisoning, which you have so often criticized and which is very justified," he said. "Gentlemen, if I may, I must go back to our house now."

I asked: "Why?"

"As there is nothing new here to attract my attention, I must take the situation seriously. Good-bye, Mr. Trekens."

"If something happens, I will notify you and the pastor right away. Good morning, both of you!"

When we returned to Peel Lake House, Holmes was soon silent.

He huddled in the armchair, surrounded by smoke, and the green smoke covered his haggard face, making it difficult to see clearly. I vaguely saw his eyebrows furrowed, and his eyes showed a helpless expression.It was a long time before he put down his pipe and stood up, and we looked at each other, and he could not conceal his delight.I know that he must have got a clue after thinking hard.

"Watson, come on, let's go for a walk on the cliff together." He said cheerfully.

"cliff?"

"Yes, looking for Flint's arrow. Rather than looking for clues to this case, we should look for Flint's arrow. If we don't have enough materials and use our brains blindly, it's like letting an engine keep idling. debris.

"Not only must there be air in the sea, sunshine, but also a hundredfold patience, Watson, you should believe that as long as you have these, you will have everything else.

"We have to calm down now and determine our situation."

We walked along the cliff, and he went on: "We have to hold on to the bits of usefulness we get, so that we can fit into what's new.

"First of all, neither of us believes that the devil disturbs the world. We need to get rid of this idea now and then go to work.

"It is certain that the three were met by some sudden attack of horrific human action, intentional or unintentional.

"As to the time of its occurrence, if the information given by Mr. Mortick Trekens is correct, it is evident that the horror occurred shortly after he left the room.

"That's a crucial point, like it happened within a quarter of an hour of him leaving and the cards were still on the table. It wouldn't have happened after bedtime because their positions hadn't changed and the chairs hadn't been moved. Under the table, obviously still playing cards. I repeat, it happened shortly after he left, no later than eleven o'clock at midnight.

"The next thing we're going to do is try to find out what they did after Mr. Mortick Trekens left.

"There was not the slightest difficulty in this, and it never aroused anyone's suspicions.

"Perhaps you will not forget my method, and you should guess that my clumsy trip over the watering can was in fact a trick of mine, by which I got his footprints more clearly than I could have otherwise many times.

"His footprints just happened to be on the wet sandy path, which is wonderful!
"You know, it was also very humid last night, so with the footprint specimen, it is not difficult to find his whereabouts based on other people's footprints, so we can know that he walked in the direction of the vicarage.

"If Mortick Trekens was not there, but someone outside frightened the card players, how are we to verify that man? How do we express this horror? Mrs. Putt should not be implicated. , she is innocent. Is there any proof that someone climbed up the window and created a horror scene that drove those who looked at him crazy?

"This idea was pointed out by Trekens alone, who said it was strange that his brother had noticed the movement in the garden first. It was raining, the clouds were thick, and it was so dark that if anyone deliberately frightened them, they would definitely be there. Before others found out, they put their faces on Lili, but there were no footprints. It’s unbelievable. How can people outside make a terrible impression on the people in the house? We have never found out what the purpose of this weirdness is. You found out Where is our difficulty, Watson?"

"Of course, there is no more obvious difficulty than that," I replied.

"However, if the material is more sufficient, we will find the difficulty easy to solve. I think you should be able to find a little vague answer in your extensive case file, Watson.

"We're putting the case aside for the time being, and we'll deal with it when we have enough materials. There's still some time, let's track down the people from the Neolithic Age, let's go, let's start!"

I'm also going to talk about my friend's amazing tenacity to think hard.And yet, on this beautiful spring morning, he talked on and on for more than two hours about stone tools, stone chisels, arrowheads, and broken china, looking at ease, as if there was no sinister secret waiting to be revealed.I am very puzzled by this.

We didn't return to the villa until the afternoon.

A visitor has been waiting for a long time.He immediately brought us back to our thoughts, a tall man with a serious face wrinkled, fierce eyes, bulbous nose, gray hair, gray beard around the cheeks-the beard near the lips is blond of.This leads us to think that he resembled the great lion hunter and explorer Dr. Leon Steddale.Because everyone knows him well, he has been around, we have heard many times that he has been seen on country roads, he did not come near us, and we do not intend to come near him, because everyone knows that he likes to hide, Live a lonely and simple life.Whether during his travels or at rest, he never cared about his neighbours, as always.

It was in this way that I was surprised to hear him ask Holmes in such an enthusiastic tone whether the case had progressed.

"The county police are useless at all," he said, "but you have more experience. Maybe you have some clues, and I have nothing else to ask but you to consider me a confidant, because I have been passing by a lot." Here, I am familiar with the Trekens family. To tell you the truth, my mother is from Cornish. In this way, I am still related to them. Their misfortune makes my heart hurt. I was going to Africa, and I have arrived in Plymouth. Today When I heard the terrible news in the morning, I hurried back."

Holmes looked up at him.

"Didn't you delay the trip like this?"

"fine."

"Ah! I'm so touched, you're too affectionate!"

"Didn't I tell you? We are relatives, really relatives."

"Oh, yes, yes—a distant relation of your mother's."

"Is your luggage on board?"

"No, it's still in the hotel."

"Understood, but this matter hasn't been published in the newspaper yet, right?"

"No, sir, I have a telegram."

"Telegram? Can you tell me who sent this telegram?"

Both Holmes and I noticed that a shadow had cast over his already threatening face.

He murmured, "Sir, aren't you a bit inquisitive?"

"I'm sorry, but I hope you can answer me positively. This is what my job requires."

Dr. Steddale collected himself and calmed down. He subconsciously wiped the sweat off his forehead with a handkerchief.

"Well, it's all right to tell you," he said, "it was from the pastor, so you're satisfied now."

"Thank you, Dr. Studdale," said Holmes. "That's all I know at the moment, and I'll tell you now. Listen carefully."

"I have not yet grasped the subject of the case. But there is still good hope for some conclusion. Still, it is too early for more clarification!"

"If your suspicion has been specifically directed, then my friend, you will not be willing to tell me? Do you think so?"

"No, it's hard for me to answer that."

"Then I'm wasting my time, goodbye!" The famous doctor left very disappointed. Five minutes later, Holmes stared at him, and he didn't come back until night, he dragged his heavy steps and looked very haggard.I don't think he's making any progress with his investigations. He read a telegram for a moment, threw it into the fireplace, and turned away.

(End of this chapter)