Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 166: Investigating Strange Cases (8)
"I don't know what's wrong with it. The veterinarian said it was a kind of paralysis, maybe the brain and spinal cord was damaged. But recently the symptoms seem to be lessening, maybe it should be alive and kicking soon."

The puppy seemed to agree with the owner, and moved its tail slightly. It probably understood in its heart what we were talking about its illness. Its eyes were full of resentment, and it hovered beside the three of us.

"How did this symptom occur?"

"That's it all at once, it seems to be overnight."

"When?"

"Probably four months."

"It was quite inspiring to me."

"Inspiration? Do you think the puppy's illness has anything to do with—"

"It confirms a hypothesis of mine," said Holmes flatly.

"What kind of hypothesis is it? What have you proved, please tell me quickly? I can't bear it for a moment, the matter is not on you, of course you can be as calm as playing a riddle game. But this is related to my wife's Morality, my son's safety, Mr. Holmes, please don't take this as a joke?"

"How can I take the case I have taken on as a joke?" said Holmes, pressing his arm. "Please calm down. I have not yet reached a final conclusion, so I cannot give you a definite answer. But you must be reasonable. Be prepared, no matter what the final answer is, it will be a blow to you and will definitely bring you pain, I will try to minimize your pain, but it may be inevitable, before I leave, everything will come to light."

Mr. Ferguson murmured: "I just hope to know the answer soon. Pain, isn't the pain I suffer now less?"

"I'm so sorry, I--"

"It's okay, you sit down first, I'll go upstairs to see how my wife is doing."

Ferguson returned to the living room a few minutes later, his face somber, probably not well.Behind him was a tall, thin maid with big eyes.

Ferguson said to the maid: "Dolor Ryan, please serve the hostess. The snacks and dinner are ready."

The maid's big eyes were full of anger, and she cried out, "She's sick! It's not a matter of eating. She's very sick, and she needs a doctor, a doctor! Otherwise, she'll be tortured to death sooner or later."

Ferguson hesitated, then turned his eyes to me: "Watson, you—"

"I am happy to do my duty as a doctor."

"Is your mistress willing to see Dr. Watson? Is it necessary to consult her?"

"I can just take him there, there is no need to ask for it, I just know that she urgently needs a doctor."

"I am willing to serve my wife."

So I followed Dolor Rain up the stairs, and down a long corridor with a bit of history.At the end of the corridor, I saw a very solid iron gate.Therefore, if the hostess does not want to see people, it is absolutely impossible to force her way in.Doloreen took out the key and opened the heavy door.After I walked in, she immediately followed and locked the door neatly.

The light in the room was dim, and when I approached the bed, I saw a woman with a flushed face lying on the bed, who obviously had a severe fever.When she saw me, she immediately opened her eyes wide, with anxiety and horror in her eyes.I saw this woman with a pretty face and a dignified expression, and I thought to myself: Could she suck the blood of her own son?
I lowered my head, and when she saw that I was a stranger, she seemed relieved and closed her eyes again.I comforted her a few words and asked her if she would let me treat her, and she agreed.

I took her temperature and pulse.His body temperature was indeed high, and his pulse was very fast.She had a severe fever.It can be clinically shown that she is a neurological condition, not infectious.

She asked me, "Did my husband send you here?"

"Yes. He would love to see you."

She cried: "No! I don't see him."

Later, her sanity seemed to start to blur, and she could only hear her whispering: "Like a devil, so vicious, what should I do?"

"Do you need my help?"

"You can't help me, no one can help, no one else can do anything. It's over, it's over."

Was she talking about Ferguson?But I really can't think of it, how could Ferguson look like a vicious devil?He is so righteous and is suffering mentally right now.

I said to the hostess: "Mrs. Ferguson, you must know that your husband loves you very much, and it is because of this that he is very painful about the relationship between you."

The hostess was much more awake, and she looked at me with gentle, beautiful eyes.

"Pain? Who doesn't suffer? He loves me, don't I love him? I love him to the point where I would rather sacrifice myself than break his heart. Isn't that enough? But what about him? How could he think of me like that, say that about me, What do you think?"

"He can't explain these things!"

"He can't explain, but he doesn't trust me. Shouldn't he trust me?"

"Then just meet him and explain to each other."

"No, I don't see him. Can't explain, what he said, I will never forget, and the look on his face, like hell, can I still see him? Please go back, thank you for your kindness , but you can't help me. Please help me to pass a message to him, the child is mine, I have the right to have my own child, I want a child, that's all I say." She turned her face away as she spoke. I closed my eyes and never spoke again.

So I went down to the drawing-room and told Holmes and Ferguson what had just happened.

Ferguson said: "She wants a child? How can I give the child to her? What if there is that strange behavior again? I saw her stand up from the child's cradle with blood on her lips. I can rest assured Is it? No, the baby is only safe if it stays with the nurse," he said at last, firmly.

At this time, a young and beautiful maid brought in snacks and tea, and she added a sense of the times to the manor.Behind her, followed by a teenage boy, fair skin, blond hair, light blue eyes sparkling, very attractive.

As soon as he saw Ferguson, the boy rushed forward immediately, with a look of excitement and joy in his eyes. He wrapped his hands around the neck of the host, and hugged his father affectionately.At this time, we also saw his limping right leg.

He said: "Good dad! You are back at last. I miss you so much. Do you miss me?"

Ferguson stroked his son's hair and said lovingly: "My baby, of course I miss you. Come and meet Dad's old friend Watson and the great detective Mr. Holmes."

"Is that 'Detective' Holmes?"

"Yeah, every little boy adores him, you don't hurry to meet him."

"What is he here for?" The boy was evidently not as welcome as his father, and it seemed to me that he looked at Holmes with hostility.

Holmes ignored him and said to Ferguson, "Mr. Ferguson, I would like to see your little son."

Ferguson called out: "Mrs. Mason, bring the baby!"

Hearing his words, a tall, yellow-skinned woman came in with a baby in her arms.The little baby was a beautiful mulatto, with dark eyes and fair hair, and was very lovable.

Ferguson held the baby carefully, stroking him very lovingly and lovingly.

"Oh, poor baby, little angel, how could someone have the heart to leave a wound on your neck?" He muttered, touching the small red wound with his hand.

At this moment, I happened to see Holmes, and his expression was so absorbed that it was difficult to understand.He only looked at the intimate scene of the father and son, and then began to stare at the other side.But there was only one window, and he seemed to be seriously studying it.If he wanted to see the scenery outside, he couldn't see anything at all through the half-closed window.I don't know why he paid so much attention to a window.

After a while, he looked away, and there was a smile that was hard to spot at the corner of his mouth—but I noticed it.He walked over, teased the baby a few times, looked carefully at the scar on his neck, then shook the child's fist a few times, and said, "Goodbye, baby, you have a strange life." Start, but it will be fine soon."

Later, he turned to babysitting.

"Mrs. Mason, come over here, I want to speak to you."

On the sidelines, he had a serious conversation with the nanny for a few minutes.He asked questions and nodded for a while, but he couldn't hear their words clearly. He could only hear Holmes saying, "Don't worry, you don't need to worry anymore."

The nanny nodded, and left the room without saying a word while holding the baby.

Holmes asked Ferguson: "What do you think of Mrs. Mason?"

"On the surface, she is a bit indifferent, not very talkative, but actually has a good heart and loves children very much. She is more sad than me when she sees the baby hurt."

Holmes asked the boy: "Jack, do you like Mrs. Mason?"

The young man's face turned gloomy, his beautiful blue eyes flickered, he shook his head and said nothing.

"I know he doesn't like babysitters. The kid has a lot of likes and dislikes. If he doesn't like it, he doesn't like it, Jack?"

"I like Dad." Jack said coquettishly to Ferguson, and then plunged into his father's arms.

Ferguson stroked him and said, "Jack, go out and play first, I want to talk to Holmes about something."

Jack reluctantly withdrew his head from his father's arms, glared at us, and left.

"Mr. Holmes, now that you know the situation, can you tell me the answer? Of course, I think you think this matter must be sensitive and complicated, and it must be difficult?"

"That's not true," said Holmes in a low voice, "but it is indeed sensitive. I had a hypothesis at the outset, but I couldn't be sure. When I arrived at the house, after a series of observations and interviews, the hypothesis was gradually confirmed, and I think I did. I know the answer."

"Really?" Ferguson exclaimed happily, pressing his wrinkled forehead with one hand.

"Then tell me quickly, don't let me worry about peace anymore, what's going on? What should I do? Tell me the real situation quickly?"

"Yes. But I want to use my way to find out the truth for you. I think we have to meet your wife. It may be better to get the truth in front of her."

"But she's sick and doesn't want to see me."

"Watson, how is Mrs. Ferguson's health? Could you say a few words to us?"

"She's quite ill indeed, but she's clear enough to speak well."

Holmes took out pen and paper, wrote a few lines and handed them to me.I went to the hostess's door and knocked, but Dolores opened the door defensively and didn't intend to let me in, so I handed the paper to her and asked her to pass it to the hostess.

Soon, I heard a cry of surprise from inside the house.Later, Dolores stretched out her head and said to me: "Madam promised to see them, let them come, Madam wants to listen."

So I called Ferguson and Holmes.As soon as he entered, Ferguson hurried to the head of the bed, wanting to communicate with his wife, but the hostess stopped him with a half-bowed body, preventing him from moving forward.So he moved a sofa chair from the bed and sat down without saying a word.

Holmes watched all this calmly. He bowed to the hostess, sat down beside Ferguson, and said, "I guess everyone is anxiously waiting for me to give the answer. I will use my own In order not to waste everyone's time, let me first say, Mr. Ferguson, you have wronged your wife, she loves you very much, and she is very kind!"

"My God!" Ferguson jumped up from his chair happily.

"I want to hear that most! I don't want to believe it!"

"But sorry, the other half of the truth may make you miserable."

"No pain is as good as this news, as long as my wife's grievances are washed away, as long as my wife is innocent, the rest doesn't matter." Ferguson was very excited.

"Okay. I'll tell everyone the reasoning I made earlier. First of all, I don't believe in the idea of ​​vampires at all, and there is no such thing in reality. This is very certain."

He paused and continued: "Mr. Ferguson, when you saw your wife stand up from the baby's cradle, there was blood on her lips?"

"Yes, I saw it with my own eyes."

"Then why don't you think about it in other ways? Blood-sucking is not necessarily blood-sucking. In Elizabeth's time, a queen sucked out the poison from the wound with her mouth. Haven't you heard of it?"

"Suck out the poison? You said—"

"Yes, it's poison! Before I came to your living room, I guessed in my heart that this is the only possibility. Seeing the weapons hanging on the wall of your living room, standard South American family weapons, and arrows, I thought of it The poisoned arrows and the empty quiver next to the small bow proved my guess."

"Poison arrow?"

"It's a poisonous arrow. If a one-year-old baby is pierced by this poisonous arrow, the poison should be sucked out immediately. No matter what method is used, it must be done immediately, otherwise the child will be in danger.

"The paralyzed dog further proved my guess. Usually, before using poison, a person always experiments first to ensure that there are no accidents. That dog was obviously used for experimentation.

"That's how it happened. Your wife saw the poisoned arrow hurt the baby with her own eyes. In order to save the baby, she sucked the wound. You saw her while taking the poison and misunderstood her. She didn't explain it so that you wouldn't be surprised. Sad because you love your eldest son so much!"

"Jack! My God!"

"Yes."

Holmes remained calm.

"When you were holding, teasing, and caressing the little baby just now, I saw Jack's face clearly through the glass of the window. His expression was very special, with strong jealousy and hatred intertwined, making it hard to forget. , This kind of look can only be found on people who harbor deep hatred, so it is he who wants to endanger the baby!"

"Jack? How is that possible! What a lovely boy he is, how could--?
"Mr. Ferguson, this is the fact, you have to face it. I know it is difficult for you to accept this fact. Your son's love for you is already a sick degree. He wants to possess all your love and enjoy your love by himself. It has something to do with the early death of his mother and the long time you have been together. He thinks that your current wife and the baby will divide your love from him, and he is disabled, so he hates the healthy baby even more, so— —”

"Oh, I—I just can't take it."

At this moment Holmes turned to the mistress who was crying.

"Madam, it's time for you to speak."

"Robert, Mr. Holmes is quite right, as if he saw it with his own eyes." The wife looked at her husband with tears in her eyes.

"I know how hard it is for you and your pain, so I didn't dare to tell you at the time. I thought I'd let someone else tell you. I just had to wait. The gentleman sent a note saying he understood the facts The truth, I think I am relieved, Mr. Holmes, thank you very much."

Ferguson said painfully and helplessly: "But, little Jack, how should I treat him?"

"I think he should be asked to go on a sea trip. A change of environment would be good for him. Besides, the boundless sea will wash away his jealousy and resentment." Holmes stood up. "Besides, Mrs. Ferguson, I am sorry for your behavior towards Jack." I understand that as a mother, I definitely can't tolerate him doing this, but these days, aren't you afraid that the baby will be hurt?"

"I told Mrs. Mason everything, and she will protect the child."

"So that's the case. Now all the guesses in my heart have been confirmed."

"Watson, it looks like we don't have to stay here," he pointed to the embracing couple in mourning and joy. "Let them be alone for a while. Doloraine, close the door when you come out." The three People with the same surname
The story I am going to tell next is very peculiar.It directly affected three people, one who was hurt by it, another who deserved it, and one innocent who was insane because of it.Is it a tragedy or a comedy?For a while, it was really hard to say clearly.

I admired my friend Holmes' refusal of knighthood that month, and the period at the end of June, 1902, is very impressive to me.The story I'm about to tell happened during that time as well.By the way, Holmes was awarded for his success in solving a major case related to the royal family, but he did not accept the royal award.I'll bring up the case later, but for now let's get into this hilariously sad story.

When I was at his residence that day, I saw him reading a letter with a smile that contained sarcasm and mockery.

He said to me: "Watson, you have come at the right time, and you have a good chance of making a fortune. Have you ever heard of the name Garrideb?"

"I've never heard of it. Such a strange surname, does it really exist?"

"What would you think if someone told you that they would give you a lot of money for finding a Garrideb?"

"I must think he's crazy—but, is there such a thing?"

"I also think it's new, but he will come soon, let's ask him carefully. Well, let's check it out before he comes."

I carefully looked through the phone book on the table, without any hope in my heart, because I had never heard of such a strange surname.

But I did find it, and in the column where it was supposed to be, I saw "Garrideb."

I showed this discovery to Holmes, who took the telephone book and read in a low voice:

"No. 136, Lingke Road, East Street. Oh, what a pity, this name is the author of this letter. We are looking for another Garrideb. Let's continue."

Disappointed, I rummaged through the entire phone book, couldn't find another "Garrideb," and leaned back in my chair.

The maid came in with a tray in her hand, and a business card was placed on it.I took a look at the business card, and immediately jumped up from the chair.

"Joe Garrideb, United States Attorney, Moorwell, Kansas," I called, handing Holmes my card.

"That's not enough," Holmes looked at the card and couldn't help smiling. "Not this one, Watson. We need a third Garrideb. The lawyer came so early, we can ask him in detail."

At this moment, a young man with a pleasant smile came in from the door. His eyebrows and eyes were thick, his complexion was good, his beard was well trimmed, and he looked very strong.The most attractive thing is his eyes, which are very bright and alert, and blink so fast that others can't see the thoughts contained in them.

He pronounced it with an American accent: "I'm Joe Garrideb, hello."

He asked: "You must be Mr. Holmes. I have seen your picture before, and it is very vivid. Excuse me, but have you received a letter from a person with my surname?"

Holmes pointed to the letter on the table, then to the chair, and said, "Yes, sit down, please. I think we should discuss it carefully. In the letter your namesake mentioned you as an American, but I think You must have been in England for a long time, right?"

The young man asked suspiciously, "What do you mean?"

"You're all dressed in the British style."

Only then did Joe Garrideb forcefully smile: "Your reputation is indeed well-deserved, Mr. Holmes. Your eyes are indeed good at observation, which makes people admire and fear at the same time."

"you flatter me."

"Can you explain your observation?"

(End of this chapter)