Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 158 The Last Greeting (20)
The American handed him the package without saying a word, and V. Poka opened it, and he saw a little blue book.He felt strange, and sat there in a daze, as if he was thinking about something. There was a gold letter on the cover of the book - "Practical Handbook of Beekeeping".Just when the spy chief was dumbfounded by the title of the book that had nothing to do with espionage, a large, solid and cold hand stretched out and grabbed his neck, and placed a sponge soaked in chloroform on his distorted face .

"Let's have a toast, Watson!" said Holmes, holding up a bottle of Imperial wine.

The man at the table hastily handed him the glass.

"Good wine, Holmes."

"Good wine, Watson, this friend lying on the sofa told me that this wine must have come from Franz Joseph's special wine cellar in Schönbrunn Palace, please open the window, the smell of chloroform It hinders our wine tasting."

Standing in front of the half-opened safe, Holmes slowly took out the volumes, leafed through them carefully, and packed them neatly into F. Poka's bag.The German was lying on the sofa, soundly asleep.His arms were bound behind his back with a thick rope, and his feet were bound with a leather strap.

"Don't be afraid, Watson, no one will bother us. Ring the bell, will you? There is no one else in the room but Mercy. She is too useful. I admire her courage. I have dealt with this matter at first." case, and told her all about it. Oh, Mercy, good luck and all the best, you'll be glad to hear that."

A smiling, healthy old lady appeared in the passage, curtseyed to Holmes, smiled knowingly, and cast a slightly disturbed glance at the distorted face lying on the sofa. German.

"It's all right, Mercy, don't worry, he's not hurt."

"Well, sir, as far as his knowledge is concerned, he is an easy-going master. He even sent me and his wife to Germany yesterday, but that doesn't suit your actions, does it?"

"That's right, Mercy. Because you are here, I am very relieved. We waited for your signal at night, and we waited for a long time."

"Sir, the secretary is here."

"I know. His car just passed us."

"I thought he wasn't leaving, sir. I think it will be difficult for me to cooperate with you if he stays here."

"Yes, we waited for about 40 minutes before we realized that there was a light in your room, and then we knew that there was no obstacle. Mercy, when you arrive in London tomorrow, you can report to me at the Claridge Hotel."

"Yes, sir."

"I guess you're going to go."

"Yes, sir, he sent seven letters today, and I have written down the detailed addresses."

"That's great, Mercy, I'll have a look at it tomorrow, good night, and good luck, ma'am." After the old lady left, Holmes said again: "These documents are not important anymore, because the German government has already mastered the documents provided. The original information cannot be sent abroad at all.”

"Then these are worthless papers."

"You can't say that, Watson; it at least proves what is known and what is not. I have sent many of these documents through my hand, so it is not reliable at all. To see a A German cruiser sailed in the Sauron Sea according to the minefield plan I provided, and that was the honor of my old age. How about you, Watson—” He threw away the work at hand, turned to support his old friend, and said kindly: “I Haven't seen your "true face of Lushan Mountain", how have you been these years? Is everything okay? It looks like you are still the lovely, cheerful child you used to be."

"I think I seem to be twenty years younger, Holmes, when I got your telegram asking me to drive to Harwich to meet you, and I was seldom so excited. But you, Holmes - you have not changed much, either. It's still the same, except your cute goat mustache looks funny."

"This, Watson, is what I have done for my country," he said, stroking his manly moustache, "but tomorrow will be an unpleasant memory, when I have my hair cut and dressed, tomorrow When I make an appearance at the Claridge, it's definitely going to be back to the way I was before I played the American, and before I played that role - sorry - I didn't speak English for a long time."

"Holmes, but you have retired. I heard that in a small pasture in the southern grasslands, you live with bees, flowers, refreshing air and books. Like a fairy, you live in seclusion freely."

"Yes, Watson, this is the achievement of my free life - the culmination of my years!" He picked up the book from the table, and read out the full name with air: "A Practical Handbook of Beekeeping and On Isolating Queen Bees" Research". "It's the result of my hard work, watching those industrious little bees as carefully as I once watched the criminals in London."

"Then why did you continue your work?"

"Oh, that puzzles me too. A mere foreign secretary is all I can handle, but even the Prime Minister is about to come to the cottage--well, Watson, the gentleman on the sofa is a real treat to our people." Good. He has a large group of people. Many of our things have failed, but we can’t find the reason. We have also suspected spies and arrested some, but in fact, things are not as simple as we imagined. There is a secret army among them Core strength, it is very necessary to expose it, I have to take this responsibility, so I come out of the 'jianghu' again. Watson, I spent two years preparing, but two years is not without interest, I am now I'll tell you the details, and you'll see how complicated it is. I traveled from Chicago, joined an Irish secret society in Buffalo, caused a lot of trouble for the police in Skibaron, and went through a lot of twists and turns. , and finally attracted the attention of the spies under V. Boca. He thought I was smart, quick-witted and brave, and recommended me as a spy. Most of the plans went awry, and the most important thing was to put five of his most powerful spies in prison. I watched them all the time, matured one, and I eliminated one. Until the end, he still didn't know. Well, Watson, you are all right, I hope you are doing well."

His last words were addressed to V. Pocca.After gasping and blinking, he had no choice but to lie there quietly and listen.He growled like a beast now, cursing incessantly in German.He was trembling with rage, and Holmes looked quickly at the papers while he swore.

"Although the German language is not pleasant at all, it is very expressive," teased Holmes when V. Poka stopped, tired of cursing. "Hello! Hello!" he went on, his eyes fixed now on a facsimile that was about to go into the box. "There should be another one. I don't know that the good-natured chief accountant is a complete rogue. Although I have been watching people for a long time, Mr. Ver Poka, you have to answer many questions for me."

The German, who had been sleeping for a long time and yelled and cursed for a long time, struggled to sit up. He looked at his captor with a strange expression, full of surprise and resentment.

"Ari Timon, I tell you, I have to compete with you," he said slowly, very solemnly, "even if there is a huge risk, even if it takes all my energy I have to compete with you too."

"Here comes your old tune again, and I'm tired of hearing it. Only the dead Professor Moraiati would like to sing it, and Colonel Sedastien Moran also likes it. But the sixth man you believe in so much A spy is still alive, he also worked hard for you, and he is living a happy life now! He raises bees on the southern grasslands, and lives a life of freedom and seclusion that makes you jealous." Holmes said leisurely.

"I curse you, you shameless traitor! Damn you!..."

"Mr. V. Poca, I tell you that Mr. Alitimon of Chicago does not exist at all. I only borrowed it for a while. He has disappeared now."

"Then who are you?"

"It's not important. If you are interested, it's okay to tell you. This is not the first time I have dealt with people in your family. In the past, I did a lot of business in Germany. Maybe you are familiar with my name."

"I would like to know," said the German dryly.

"I was the one who separated Ellie Ayteri from the ex-King of Bohemia when your cousin Henrich was Reich's envoy; who rescued your mother's brother from the clutches of the nihilist Kripman People are me too, and I—”

Von Poca stood up in amazement.

"It's the same person," he cried.

"That's right," laughed Holmes.

After hearing this, V. Poka sighed a long time and fell back on the sofa. "Most of that information came through you," he yelled. "What's that, look, what have I done? Destroyed myself, forever."

"It's certainly unreliable. It all needs to be carefully checked, but you don't have the time and energy to check it. Your admiral may have discovered that the new cannon is much bigger than he thought, and the cruiser must be faster." Holmes said. .

V. Poka clutched his throat in despair.

"Of course the rest of the details will be cleared up in due time. But, Mr. V. Poka, you have a quality that is rare among Germans: you are a good athlete. When you realize that you are an outwitted When I was outwitted, I didn't mean any ill will to me, anyway, you did your best for your country, and I did my best for mine, which is only natural," he laid his hand on the subdued Vladimir. Polka said politely, "It's better than losing at the hands of some vile and shameless enemies. Watson, the papers are all ready. If you can help me deal with this prisoner, I think we will immediately We can go to London now."

It was not easy to move V. Poka, he was strong, with thick hands and feet, and he struggled. Finally, we grabbed his tied arms behind his back and let him walk slowly up the garden path.A few hours earlier, he had walked proudly down the path to be congratulated by the diplomat.Although he struggled desperately, we finally carried him and stuffed him into the car, with his expensive bag next to him.

"If conditions permit, we shall try to make you as comfortable as possible. Mr. F. Poca, it would be considered rude if I lighted a cigarette for you and put it in your mouth?" said Holmes after all had been arranged.

But all care was in vain on this furious German.

"Mr. Sherlock Holmes, you should understand that what you have done to me, if it is the will of your government, is an act of war," said he.

"Oh, really? And how does your government explain all this? I should like to hear, Mr. V. Poka," said Holmes, patting the expensive bag beside him.

"You can only represent yourself, so you have no right to arrest me. This matter is absolutely illegal."

"Absolutely?" asked Holmes.

"You kidnap German citizens."

"Also stole his personal papers."

"Hmph, you guys are doing a good job, you know it in your heart, just wait and see, I will definitely call for help when I pass by the village."

"Sir, if you are so ignorant, perhaps you will provide us with a signpost - 'The Hanging Prussian,' and thus extend our two limited rights to country inns. Well don't mess with them, you'd better be honest and come with us to Scotland Yard, where you can send for your friend Baron von Heller, though you'll find it impossible for you to fill him up for you at the embassy There is a vacancy reserved among the suite. You, Watson, continue your old business with us, and come, let us stand on the steps for a while, and this may be our last quiet conversation."

The two good friends talked for a while, recalling the past, and their captive tried to escape at this time, but in the end he still failed.As they walked towards the car, Holmes pointed at the silent moonlit sea behind him and shook his head thoughtfully.

"Watson, it seems that the east wind is blowing."

"I don't think so. It's warm now."

"Oh, brother! You are such a constant hour in uncertain times, and the east wind will blow soon. The wind will be cold, but after the storm, it will be purer, and our good and strong country will Standing in bright sunshine. Watson, we must be on our way, drive. I must hurry to cash a check for five hundred pounds, and if the man who wrote it stopped paying, he would, don't you think? "

(End of this chapter)