Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 172: Investigating Strange Cases (14)
Finally, Professor Presbury got under control and let us go.After a false alarm, we reached the quiet carriageway.But Holmes was very laid back.

He said: "This venerable scholar's attitude is really bad. He reacted very strongly to our surprise visit. If you don't see it with your own eyes, it's hard to believe. Watson, it seems that we are being chased. Does the old man still not give up?"

I turned and saw Mr. Burnett, and was relieved.

He ran up and said, "Mr. Holmes, I'm really sorry. I didn't expect the professor to be like this."

"Don't blame yourself. This is often encountered in investigations, and I'm used to it."

"The professor has become very irritable and unreasonable. Now you can see that our concerns are justified. He doesn't seem confused."

"And very sober."

"I was wrong," said Holmes. "He knows what he is doing, and has a good memory. Mr. Burnett, we want to know the position of Miss Presbury's bedroom window, and how the Professor got there."

Burnett pointed to us, "Second window from the left."

"The height is scary enough, but there are vines on the walls, pipes, all of which can be climbed."

"But ordinary people can't do it."

"Yes. Almost no one can."

"I have made another important discovery. From the Professor's blotting paper I have obtained the address of the Londoner. The Professor wrote to him again this morning."

After Burnett handed over the note, Holmes glanced at it.

"Dorak, what a strange surname. This clue is very important. Let's go back to London at once, there is no need to stop here."

"Are we just waiting?"

"If my reasoning is right, next Tuesday will be dangerous, and we must be very vigilant. Then we will come and find out the facts with you. Besides, it is better for Miss Presbury to stay in London, and she must not suffer any more. Scared."

"I will definitely arrange it."

"Then tell her not to pay much attention to Professor Presbury. He can do whatever he wants, and he won't do anything radical."

"The professor is here!" Burnett was terrified.Burnett immediately crawled through the bushes to the professor's side.The professor is walking around looking for his assistant.

Holmes said to me on the way back: "I suppose he knows we are investigating him, and his observation and judgment are very keen, and he is quite justified in being so rough to us. Anyone will be angry, because he will be killed." Undercover investigations, especially dark ones. He's sure to beat Mr. Burnett."

Holmes passed by the post office and sent a telegram.Got a call back that night.

I have seen Dorak.Bohemian, easygoing, slightly older, who runs a large grocery store.

Mai Hill

Holmes said: "My first assistant was Mai Hill, who handled general affairs. I asked him to find out who the professor corresponded with, which is also an important clue in this case."

I said, "Some progress is being made, and on the surface, there are various situations: the bohemian, the dog biting the man, the face that appeared in the window. ... It seems to be all right. As for the date, it is only you Know yourself."

Holmes smiled at me, as if in secret.We were at the hotel tasting good wine.

He said: "Then I will tell you what I think. I have been greatly inspired by Mr. Burnett's diary. I can see a certain pattern in time. The first time is July [-]nd, and then it seems It happens every few days. There's one exception. I don't think what's implied here is anything but a coincidence."

I admire his ability to observe things very much.

"So I've bravely connected these disconnected things. The professor may take some mysterious drug every nine days. He's trying to achieve a purpose. Didn't Burnett say he was in very good health? The side effects of this medicine are also very serious, so he will behave strangely and be irritable. This medicine was brought back from his trip to Prague, and the Bohemians are giving him it now. That's how I imagined it of."

"There are still some strange phenomena that cannot be explained?"

"It depends on how things go next Tuesday. We'll probably see everything by then. We don't have to think about these annoying things now, just wait in peace."

Mr. Burnett came the next morning to tell us what had happened to him.Although the professor didn't directly express doubts about him, he was clearly dissatisfied and annoyed with him, and always lost his temper.It didn't affect his brain, and he was stronger and smarter than before, but he was no longer the professor we admired.

Holmes comforted Mr. Burnett and said: "You don't have to be so nervous. There is no major movement these days. Watson and I have to go back to London to do a lot of things. We will definitely be back next Tuesday. I will give you the answer then. What do you want? Let me know what's going on in time."

In the next few days, we were busy with our own affairs.When the appointed time came, we went to Jianjin together.I know the professor is fine and nothing disturbing has happened.We were still staying at the hotel, and Burnett came to see us. "He received letters and parcels from London again today, and he won't allow me to move."

"That's what I think," said Holmes, "and the matter will be cleared up tonight. None of us can sleep tonight, and watch him carefully. Follow the Professor, Mr. Burnett, when he comes down the stairs. Don't let him find you. Watson and I are in the garden. Do you remember that mysterious locket? Where is its key?"

"On the professor's watch chain."

"Maybe all the professor's secrets are in the box. We must find out what is in the box? Is there a man in the family?"

"There's a coachman named Mycoffey who lives above the stables."

"Tell him. Let us now divide our preparations. Mr. Burnett, please be calm."

In the middle of the night, although the weather was fine and the moon was bright, it was cold, and we lay in ambush among the trees directly opposite the professor's front hall.The surroundings are very quiet, so boring waiting is very boring.Fortunately, I am curious about the conclusion of the strange case, otherwise I really don't know how to get through it.Holmes looked excited at the prospect of seeing the truth.

Holmes said: "If nine days are a cycle, the professor will behave strangely again tonight. After returning from Prague, he contracted this strange disease. Afterwards, he often received letters from London businessmen. The things in the package may be some kind of Medication, but I'm not sure what it's for, but it must have been supplied by someone in Prague. They're taken every nine days, and I was the first to notice it. Did you notice his knuckles?"

I shook my head.

"People with such a profession as professors don't have hands with thick joints and calluses. A person's hands are closely related to his profession. What kind of profession does a person have such hands?" Holmes suddenly understood. He said: "At last, Watson, I know. I have connected at last those seemingly unrelated things. Strange knuckles, dogs, vines. It's hard to believe, but we've seen it. See, The professor is out."

Taking advantage of the light, we saw the professor come out from the hall door.Although he was standing upright at the door, his hands were not at the sides of his body, but in front of him, his whole body bowed forward.

Soon he came to the road, bent his tall body, and began to crawl with his feet and hands, as Mr. Burnett said. It seemed that he did not exert any effort at all, and seemed to be quite comfortable.He climbed to the edge of the house and turned the corner again.We see Burnett following.

"Let's go too," said Holmes. We found a place among the trees where we could see the Professor.This side of the house happens to be illuminated by moonlight, so we can see the professor's behavior quite clearly.At the base of the wall of the house, he grabbed the ivy on the wall and quickly climbed up.He was on this vine for a while, and ran to another one for a while. It was obvious that he didn't want to go anywhere, but just played like a child.He opened his clothes in the air, swinging back and forth like a big nocturnal bird.It's hard to believe this is an old man acting.He came down in a moment and crawled to the stable, where Roy was chained.Seeing its master, the dog barked suddenly and hostilely.Roy threw himself at the professor so hard that the chain around his neck rattled and even the dog's hair stood on end.The professor used various methods to make the dog more angry when it was just out of reach.He threw stones at dogs and poked them with sticks.If you hadn't witnessed it with your own eyes, you couldn't believe it was true.He crawled on the ground to tease the dog to vent his excess energy. The dog was so teased that he couldn't bear it, and wanted to bite him.This is this very prestigious and dignified professor.

Finally, what we were worried about happened. The dog broke free from the collar. The dog and the man got entangled together. .When we went to rescue him, he was unconscious.Burnett followed behind and stopped the dog's attack.The coachman was also awakened.Burnett had told him that something might happen tonight, so he wasn't surprised. He just said, "I knew it was going to happen sooner or later. I hope the poor professor is all right."

We hurriedly carried the professor to the bedroom.I treat his wounds.Although the dog didn't bite his artery, he bled a lot.With the help of Mr. Burnett, who has a medical degree, the bleeding was finally stopped and sedated after half an hour.Once everything was back to normal, we thought about what to do next.

I said: "The professor's injury is not serious, and a surgical expert is needed for diagnosis and treatment."

Burnett said: "This is absolutely not acceptable. If this matter is leaked, the reputation of the professor will be discredited, and the honor of this family and family will also be discredited."

"Burnet is right," said Holmes, "and we must keep the secret. We must not let something like this happen again. Take off the key from the fob and see what is in the little box. Irresponsible and keep you informed."

The little box contained nine vials of liquid, syringes and those mysterious letters that said it all.There are marks on the envelope, no need to ask, it must be from the bohemian businessman in London, the contents are all related to the name of the medicine, and there are many receipts.But one letter was different from the others, bearing an Austrian stamp, from Prague.It was time for Holmes to open the letter, which read:

Dear Professor:
During this period of time, I have been thinking about your request. Although I can understand your situation, I have to remind you that this medicine has unimaginable side effects. I hope you can think clearly.

Ape serum would have worked better since apes walk upright.But there are only black-faced ape specimens left here, and the black-faced ape is an animal that is good at climbing and crawling.

This drug is only in the experimental stage, please keep it confidential.My American agent, Dolac, provides you with medicines.

Please explain your physical condition on time.

Sincerely,
salute
H Lowenstein

Lowenstein, how familiar!I had read about him in the papers, that a scientist was working on an elixir of life.His medicine is very strange, it uses serum to invigorate and restore youth.But because he did not disclose the ingredients of the medicine, he was banned by the medical profession.After hearing my words, Burnett found a zoology book from the bookshelf, and said loudly: "The black-faced ape, which lives in the Himalayas, is the largest reptile ape. Thank you very much, Mr. Holmes, and finally solved the problem." .”

"The real reason is the professor's crazy love. Due to the age gap, he believes that only by recovering his youth can he get love. But the laws of nature cannot be violated. Anyone who wants to surpass it will be thrown deeper The abyss of the abyss. A man who is extremely clever must be pedantic." Holmes thought about the transparent liquid.

"I have to explain to that researcher that this is a crime against human beings and tell him to end the research on this drug as soon as possible. But we can't stop people who want to surpass nature and the universe. This is really too much. Terrible. If, because of nostalgia for all kinds of material comforts in the world, those who have enjoyed all the glory and wealth rely on drugs to live forever, while those who have higher spiritual pursuits do not, then the world will become a mediocrity Is it the world?"

Holmes stood up and said, "Okay, all the doubts are clear. The dog has a very keen sense of smell, and it was the first to know the change of the professor. In Roy's view, he is no longer the master, but an ape, so I ask him Attack. As for the professor, there is no need to say more. Watson, the task is completed, and we can go." The mysterious murderer
After retiring, I was finally able to realize my dream for many years, leaving London to live a leisurely life by the sea.I have lived a peaceful life for a long time, which gave my tense brain a good rest.However, God never allows man to leave society and exist alone. In my later years, he posed a very difficult question to me.Due to my sense of social responsibility, I must return to my old profession to seek justice for the deceased.This case is particularly bizarre. If there were Watson, he would definitely be able to tell the case vividly and vividly to satisfy the curiosity of friends.Since I retired, I don't want to disturb his busy work anymore, so I have to tell the case myself.My writing is far inferior to Watson's, so I can only tell you about my exploration process in the case.

My home is at the southern tip of the Sussex Range, with views across the Channel.It's not like the seaside, which is full of steep cliffs.If you want to get close to the sea, you have to walk down the only sloping path with seven turns and eight turns.There is a great deal of beach here, with only the cove of the village of Falworth dotting the ten miles of coastline.The beach is uneven and there are large and small pits everywhere.After every high tide, it becomes an ideal swimming place for people.

I like quietness very much. There are only me and my housekeeper in the big house. Sometimes I will fight with the bees for a while to add some fun, and then it will be quieter.I have, of course, made a friend here, and his name is Stadhurst.Our relationship is very good.Mr. Stadhurst runs a very famous vocational school next to it, which trains specialized students for different occupational needs.The school is separated from the outside by a wall.The school is very disciplined and the quality of the students and teachers is very high.A former Cambridge rower, Stadhurst is also a well-rounded talent.

In the evening of summer, a sea breeze blew up.Potholes in the beach are naturally filled with water.After dawn, everything was calm.The seaside has been baptized by strong winds and waves, and the air is fresher. People who have been trapped in houses for a long time want to come out for a walk.After breakfast, I went out for a walk, breathed the fresh air to my heart's content, and appreciated the beauty of the sea after the rage.I was walking up the bumpy track when I heard Stadhurst calling to me.

"Mr. Holmes, hello! You have come here to enjoy the bounty of nature. I think I can meet you."

"Indeed, are you also taking the opportunity to swim?"

He said, "Aren't you going? I'm not the most active yet. I'm going to find McPherson. He's already here."

Fitzroy McPherson was a teacher at Stedhurst, and I knew him.They both liked swimming, so they got to know each other gradually.He has a talent for sports and is outstanding in every way.He must have been a top-notch athlete if he hadn't had a heart attack.Even so, ordinary people are not as good as him.

While we were talking, we suddenly saw him walking towards us at the end of the path, but walking was extremely difficult, and he might fall at any time.He finally fell down with a cry.We quickly picked him up.But he couldn't stand, and it was obvious that he was on the verge of death.His face was ashen, and his eyes were dull.When he knew there was someone beside him, he summoned up his last strength and said a few words with difficulty, but I could only vaguely hear the words "lion's mane".When he had finished speaking, he jerked violently and collapsed. He was dead.But I never knew the meaning of those three words he said.Maybe I got it wrong.It is important anyway because it gives an indication of the deceased's cause of death.

My friend was stunned by this sudden event.Because of the sensitivity of my profession, I immediately knew the seriousness of the matter, and I discovered another strange case.I checked his body immediately.He was wearing only unlaced shoes and trousers, and his underwear slipped off due to the fall. We were very surprised by the bruises on his body.His back was covered with thin and dense welts.The wound was bad, it was red and swollen in such a short amount of time.Because of the pain, his face was contorted badly, and his lower lip was bitten and still bleeding.It must be very cruel to beat people like this with a whip.

Styehurst was in a daze, but I checked and thought.At this time I found that the old Mr. Ian Murdoch, who taught mathematics, was also coming.This person has a strange temper, he doesn't like to socialize with others, and often walks alone; everything around him seems to have nothing to do with him, so he just deals with those boring mathematics.This tall and thin man had a particularly violent temperament. Once McPherson's pet dog disturbed his tranquility, he threw the dog out of the window in anger.Although this was only an accident, Stadhurst was already very dissatisfied with him, considered him inhuman, and did not dismiss him because of his talents.Such a cold-blooded character was stunned by such a tragic scene, which was really different from his previous attitude.

"It's horrible. Is there anything I can do for the poor man?"

"Did you swim with him just now?"

"No. I saw these things as soon as I came out of school. Because something delayed the time, I came out late."

"Then report the crime to Falworth immediately!"

He ran as fast as he could.I took the case without hesitation.I immediately started to deal with the case. First of all, I had to understand who was staying on the beach.I looked around, but there was no one on the beach.Two or three people in the distance have nothing to do with the case.I searched for something useful along the path.There are only two rows of footprints on the path, which are obviously the back and forth footprints of the dead.The small pits and palm prints on the road only show the difficulty of McPherson's walking, falling, kneeling, and standing up again.All indications were that he alone had walked the road this morning.A lake had formed on the beach due to last night's storm, and McPherson had undressed to swim in it, for I saw his bare feet and towels on the rocks.But the towel was dry, indicating that he hadn't entered the water.There was this tragedy before entering the water.

(End of this chapter)