Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 171: Investigating Strange Cases (13)
I have actually only played a very small role in the joint handling of the case for many years, serving him like his tobacco, pipe, violin, and case records.When people think of Sherlock Holmes, they definitely think of his pipe and the way he smokes, and me next to him.All these form a harmonious whole.He loves to talk to me about his chaotic thoughts, which is actually a process for him to sort out his thoughts.If there is no one, he still does it.But I and my dull words, after being exaggerated by his exaggerated language and expressions, seemed to stimulate his superhuman imagination even more.In the habit of handling cases for many years, I am also a habit of his.Our relationship was thus defined by years of shared experience.

When I entered the living room, he was huddled up on the sofa.Putting himself in a place that is not too lenient is his habitual action when thinking about problems, and it seems to be able to concentrate.The smoke from his mouth sealed him in his own world.Instinctively, he sat me in my old seat and then ignored me.I know he doesn't need my help right now.I started to wait for him, and after half an hour, suddenly he greeted me with a strange smile as if he had just woken up.

He said: "Watson, please forgive me for being rude. Thinking really needs others to be inspired. At this time, I want to write a paper about the outstanding contribution of police dogs in solving crimes. I am interested in this. Because someone provided me Some very bizarre situations. To explain this phenomenon, I consider more abstract and deeper theories than this."

I said, "Stop talking like that, Holmes. You're not an expert in the subject, and you don't have the time."

"Of course, Watson, we don't have to discuss the general case. I've discovered a mystery that still can't be explained. Remember that beech case you handled? How did I handle it? Deduce the false father by observing the way the child's brain works No one understands my modus operandi.”

"I sure do."

"The study of dogs also follows this rule. From that case, I thought that the character of a dog is not isolated, it must be affected by its living environment. The owner's temper will infect the dog. A kind owner will make the dog docile; With a violent owner, the dog can be a threat to people. Instead, we can infer the owner's personality from the character of the dog."

I disagree with him: "Your theory is incredible, isn't it?"

But he ignored my opinion and began to think about his strange talk again.

"My theory has universal value for all mankind. A case now may be related to this theory. But the case itself is very special, and I don't know what it is. I am thinking of an anomaly: why do dogs bite their owners? Professor Presbury was bitten by his dog Lowe."

His question really discouraged me, what a troublesome question I thought he was baffled by!Ordinary people can solve this kind of mediocre problem in three seconds, so why spend so much energy, let me put aside my own business and accompany him to relieve boredom.My mind was seen by him.

He said: "Don't do this, Watson! My question is not as simple as you think. You must be familiar with this famous professor-Professor Presbury. He is a respected old scholar. A famous professor of physiology at Jianjin University. He loves his wolfdog very much, and the dog is very close to him. Why did it suddenly change the normal? It is worth pondering for a long time on this point, and I intuitively think it is not that simple."

"You worry too much, maybe the dog is sick."

"I've thought about that too. If a dog is sick, it will attack anyone—it looks at everyone the same. But it only attacks Professor Presbury. Can a dog tell the difference between its master and anyone else?" ?—the bell rang while it was ill." "Mr. Burnett appeared to want to settle the matter quickly, and came before the time," said Holmes.

Then came the sound of hurried footsteps.A young man stood before us.He is tall and straight, with a handsome face.One can tell at a glance that he is a well-cultivated scholar, not a veteran who is good at playing tricks.It was obvious that he did not welcome me and looked at me in surprise.

"Mr. Holmes, I have told you in advance that I don't want others to know about it. I have to consider the reputation of the professor, my admiration for him, and the interests of the whole family. I must be cautious."

"Mr. Burnett, forgive me for not telling you clearly in advance. Watson is a person who can keep secrets. He has been my working partner for many years. Without him, I am afraid that I would not be able to solve this case."

"In that case, I won't ask any more questions. As long as it is beneficial to the case, you can decide for yourself."

"Let me introduce you. Watson, this is Professor Presbury's favorite student, his assistant, and the professor's son-in-law. He lives with the professor. Due to his special relationship with the professor, he has the right to maintain this Secret, he also has the responsibility and obligation to figure out this strange phenomenon."

"That's what I'm looking forward to. We've pinned our hopes on you, Mr. Holmes. Is your assistant clear about our family?"

"I was about to tell him when you knocked on the door."

"Then let me explain the situation first, and then report to you what happened these days."

"I would do it better," said Holmes. "You can check the accuracy of my material. The Professor has been a man of particular influence because of his academic success. He has been a man of good character and integrity, and his life has been innocent. His wife died long ago." Now, there is only one daughter named Edith. He is competitive and decisive. This is the professor we are familiar with. But recently his behavior has been very abnormal.

"For some reason, our venerable and lovely professor over sixty fell madly in love with a young and beautiful woman. She was the daughter of his colleague Professor Murphy. It is understandable for the professor to do this, but his relatives and friends do not agree with his behavior."

"We really disagree."

"Generally people think it's a bit extreme. The girl's father values ​​the professor's property, but the daughter doesn't. She likes him not because of his money, but because of the disparity in age. At the same time, she also has a few enthusiastic suitors. They are actually pretty good. match."

"The professor behaved strangely at this time. He ran away from home without saying anything. We asked him where he was going, but he didn't answer. My classmates wrote to me and told me to see Professor Presbury in Prague. I found out where he was going. He came back very emaciated, as if seriously ill," said Mr. Burnett first.

"Let me tell you," said Holmes, "after his return from Prague he was a furtive man, a different man. Friends and family no longer thought of him as the old scholar whom they so much respected. He was about to Destroyed and curmudgeoned, but still brilliant and quick-witted. There was a new element in him, and it was a bad omen. His daughter, Miss Edith, did everything in her power to check her father's strange behavior, Berg. Mr. Netter did all he could—but all efforts were in vain, and the Professor alienated them further. Mr. Burnett, tell me about the letter."

"The professor has always trusted me and treated me as his son. He believed in my character. As his assistant and secretary, I was responsible for handling all his letters, opening and classifying them for his convenience. But that After a mysterious trip, he stopped me from doing this. He said that any letter from London with a cross under the stamp should not be opened, and he would open it himself. Therefore, I later found out that this kind of letter was left alone for him. Yes. The postmark shows that the sender seems to live in the East End of London. The handwriting is very childish and crooked. Even this kind of letter won’t allow me to intervene in the reply. The professor is very afraid that I will know the content of the letter, so he always insists on following his orders. It added to my doubts and curiosity."

"Tell me about that mysterious little box," said Holmes.

"The little box is even more mysterious. It was the item brought back by the professor during that trip. It was the only item he brought back from the mainland. It was very delicate and unique, and it was a handicraft from a certain country. The professor valued this little box very much. I once was in Looking for something in the cupboard, I saw it by accident. I picked it up out of curiosity and looked at it. The professor happened to see it. He was very annoyed and yelled at me, wishing to beat me up. He never did this to me He didn't forgive me, even though I explained to him that I didn't mean it." Burnett pulled out his notebook and added, "It happened on the second of July."

"Great! You provided me with great material. I think it will help solve the case."

"Thank you for the compliment, the professor has taught me how to observe the nature of things. I did this according to the teachings in system theory. I found that the dog bit him at intervals - July [-], July [-] One day, July [-]th. I can't let Roy bite him anymore, I have no choice but to tie him in the stable. Roy is actually a very docile and lovely guy..."

Burnett found that Holmes didn't seem to listen to him, and he was a little unhappy with Holmes' attitude.But my friend is still the same.It took a while before he came back to reality.

He said to himself: "I have never heard of it! Mr. Burnett, I have basically grasped the situation. You said that there is a new situation, please tell me." He asked Mr. Burnett again.

Hearing this, his face became gloomy again.It seems that what I want to say is not as good as what I just said.He said: "The night before yesterday, it might have been two o'clock in the morning. At that time, I had already woken up and was lying on the bed thinking wildly. I vaguely heard a strange sound coming from far to near in the corridor. I opened the door and wondered what happened. , because there is a professor at the other end of the corridor, and I am worried about his safety."

Holmes was very concerned about this question, so he asked: "Do you remember the date?"

The guest was upset by being interrupted.

"The night before—it must have been the Fourth of September."

Holmes was satisfied with this answer.

He said, "Go on."

"The professor had to go through my room to get from his room to the stairs. Although I was brave, I was still terrified by what I saw. At that time, the corridor was very dark, and there was only a ray of light from the window. I could only vaguely Joe saw something wriggling on the ground and moving towards me. When the thing came to the light, I found that it was the professor! He was crawling in the corridor in the middle of the night! Not like ordinary crawling with knees and hands, but with Crawling on hands and feet like an animal, with its head down, its flexibility is no worse than that of cats and dogs. I didn't know what to do. I waited until he crawled up to me, and then I asked him if he was uncomfortable. But he didn't appreciate it, Instead, he scolded me, jumped up suddenly, and went straight downstairs. I was worried that something would happen to him, and after a long time, he still hasn’t come back, maybe he won’t come back until after dawn.”

"Watson, as a doctor, what do you think of this problem from a medical point of view?" Holmes regarded me as a medical expert, and used these strange things to make things difficult for me.

"If you have severe rheumatic low back pain, this way of walking is very comfortable. I have seen this disease. Because of the disease, the patient becomes very irritable and irritable."

"Your medical knowledge is very good. But you overlooked his sudden leap. Rheumatic patients don't move so quickly."

Burnett said: "He has always been in good health, and he has been more energetic recently. This behavior cannot be due to illness, but it is really unexplained. We can't call the police, but we can't help him. We can't watch the professor Regardless. Later, Edith and I decided to ask you for help."

"The case is indeed curious and excites the imagination. Give me your opinion, Watson."

I said: "Analyzed from a medical point of view, the professor may have been overly stimulated by his passionate love affair with such a disparity in age. His behavior may be to relieve boredom. As for that small box, it may contain personal secrets that cannot be disclosed."

"But it's impossible for a dog to care about its owner's secrets. It also doesn't explain why the dog bit him."

Before Holmes had finished expressing his opinion, the servant ushered in a young lady.Mr. Burnett stood up at once, went up and took the young lady by the hand.

"Edith, why are you here?"

"I'm terrified, I can't stand it!"

"Mr. Holmes, this is my fiancée, Miss Edith."

Holmes said: "I have guessed everything right. I was just about to tell you about my guess. Miss Presbury, you must have learned something even more frightening."

After greeting Holmes very gracefully, the beautiful English lady sat down beside Burnett.

"I went to the hotel to look for Burnett, but he was not there. I thought he must be here, so I came too. Mr. Holmes, you must save my poor father."

"Don't worry, I'm thinking about this issue now, your news may help me."

"It happened last night. Today he has been in a trance all day, as if sleepwalking, and he doesn't know what he is doing. My venerable father has become a terrifying monster. His behavior last night shows that he has lost out of nature."

"Please speak more carefully."

"I was woken up in the middle of the night by Roy's very loud barking. I think the dog is too poor, he must not want to be kept there. My bedroom is upstairs which is very safe. I just didn't draw the curtains that night, and the moonlight It was very bright. I was lying on my bed, staring out of the window, thinking about these strange things that had happened. Suddenly, I saw my father looking at me from the window, and I was so scared that I couldn't breathe. He seemed to be hanging on something, hanging from the window .If he came in, I would be finished. We kept looking at each other without moving. After a while, he suddenly disappeared again. I was so frightened that I had no energy in my body, let alone the courage to chase him. He never It's not my old father anymore. The next morning his temper became even more irritable, and I was even more afraid. I really didn't dare to stay in that house anymore, so I came to you for a reason."

Holmes could hardly believe the young lady's words.

"Miss Edith, upstairs is your bedroom. Without a ladder, it's hard to believe that your father can go up."

"I can't understand it either. But it's not a hallucination, he did appear at the window."

"It's the fifth of September," said Holmes.

Miss Edith was surprised by Holmes' words.

Mr. Burnett said: "Mr. Holmes, why do you take such an interest in time? Does it help you to see things?"

"I think so, but I'm still not sure."

"Do you think the professor is an episodic psychopath?"

"No. Leave your diary, please. I have to study the date carefully. We must act now. I want to approach the professor to gain a fuller understanding of his mental state. Didn't Miss Edith just say that he sometimes doesn't know where he is?" What? Let's take advantage of this and visit him once, saying he let us go, because he can't be sure whether there is such a thing."

Burnett said: "Great idea, but it's also quite risky. I don't know how he will react?"

Holmes said confidently: "Don't think about it. If what the lady said is true, we can go to see him. We will go to Jianjin tomorrow, and we can't stop for a moment. I know it very well. There is a The Chico Hotel is fine, and the wine tastes good, but the setting is so bad it's off-putting. We'll have to live in it for a while."

Such a short period of time makes me very busy, because I still have a lot of work to arrange.As soon as Holmes was busy, he forgot about others.He didn't worry about it, and left as soon as he said.No whining due to my passion for his work.We went straight to the hotel.

"Watson, I am going to visit the professor before lunch. According to his course schedule, he has gone home at this time."

"Then why go in the name?"

"According to the records in the diary, we can pretend that he asked us to discuss things during a certain period of his illness. If his memory is really declining these days, then we have succeeded. Based on his identity, although he is not sure If there is such a thing, they will not reject us."

"Then act quickly!"

"Watson, use your acting talents. We must have someone to lead the way."

We arrived at the professor's residence in a fine local carriage.The style of this house is unusual, and there are wisterias planted in the yard, which is very elegant, and it also shows the status of the professor.Before entering the gate, we saw an old man looking out the window, probably wondering who was coming to visit him.What impresses me the most is his pair of sharp eyes. You can know his uniqueness just by looking at these eyes.After entering the hall, a knowledgeable man appeared in front of us. He was tall and well-mannered.Although it was his eccentricity that brought us here, there was no evidence of it in him.

He looked at the business card we handed over and said, "I don't know what you two can do?"

"That's the question I wanted to ask you," said Holmes.

"Baffling."

"I was told to come here and help Professor Presbury."

With a sly light in his piercing eyes, he said, "Really? What's the name of the person who informed you?"

"Please forgive me for not being able to tell you. It's okay if I'm wrong, we'll leave immediately and apologize to you."

"No need to apologize, I just want to know who is nosy. Do you have any proof?"

"No."

"You don't think I sent you here, do you?"

"Perhaps not."

The professor's language became sharper, and he said, "What does that mean, come on, don't beat around the bush. I'll figure it out."

He rang the bell firmly, and Mr. Burnett entered.

"Burnet, have you ever dealt with the letters addressed to London Holmes, or sent to him?"

"No." Burnett looked self-conscious about lying.

The professor stared at us and said, "I understand now, what are you doing here?"

"This may be a misunderstanding, let's go immediately."

The professor suddenly got angry, stood up to block us and said, "Smart Mr. Holmes, is it so simple? If you don't understand it, don't even try to leave!" His face was about to change shape, and he almost jumped at us.If Mr. Burnett doesn't get the situation under control quickly, we can only get rid of the old man by force.

Burnett said very excitedly: "Please calm down, Professor! You should not treat Mr. Holmes so roughly! You are a gentleman of high esteem."

(End of this chapter)