Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 55 The Legendary Hound (4)
"Yes, I suppose he followed him all the way from Baskerville. Otherwise they would not have known where Sir Henry lived so soon. I suppose if they followed from the beginning, they will follow. You Did you notice that I went to the window twice while we were talking."

"Yes, but I didn't realize you were looking for someone to follow."

"Yes, I was looking for people who pretended to be wandering the streets, but I didn't find any. I think our opponent is very cunning. Although I don't know the purpose of the opponent now, I can feel that he is very shrewd. In our When I was saying goodbye, I came out right away to find the stalker. This guy is too cunning, even the way he walks is afraid of being recorded by others. For this reason, he took a carriage, so that people can avoid people's suspicion of him and reduce All unnecessary trouble. But renting a car has its drawbacks.”

"Then he must obey the coachman."

"Generally speaking, it is like this."

"Unfortunately we didn't take down his license plate number."

"Watson, although I'm too stupid to catch up with the carriage, I'm not too stupid to remember the number. The number of that carriage is No2704. However, it doesn't seem to be of much use."

"I can't think of what a man should do in such a situation?"

"We should turn back when we see the carriage, and hire a carriage to follow him, or meet him directly at the Northumberland Inn. When he gets to the Baskervilles, we will follow him and see what he does. place. But at that time, he was too anxious and let him recognize us, so he lost such a great opportunity."

We walked and talked, and our friends were no longer seen.

"Now we don't have to follow them, because no one will follow them. We need to make good use of the remaining clues. Have you seen what the man looks like?"

"I only see him with a big beard."

"I have seen that too. But I reckon the beard is false. A man of such cunning would certainly use it to conceal his features. Come in, Watson."

He entered a help agency, and the manager welcomed him warmly.

"Oh, it's Wilson, I suppose you remember me?"

"How can I forget you, sir? You have restored my honor, you have saved me."

"Dear Wilson, please don't be polite. I still remember that you have a child named Cartley who really played a big role in that investigation."

"Yes, sir, he's still with us now."

"You change this five pound note into change for me, and call Cartley for me."

A boy of fourteen or fifteen, with a particularly sharp appearance, ran up when the manager called him, and gazed at the famous detective with great respect.

Holmes said: "Cartley, please bring me the London Hotel Guide." Cartley immediately handed it to him.

"Thank you, here are the names of 23 hotels, all around Charing Cross Road. Did you see that?"

"I see, sir," Cartley replied confidently.

"I want you to go from house to house in these hotels."

"Okay, sir."

"You go to these places and say you're looking for an important misdelivered telegram, so you're going to look at yesterday's scrap papers. Do you understand?"

"Yes sir."

"Do you recognize this The Times?
"Yes, sir."

"When you go, the porter at the gate may call the porter in the drawing room to ask you, and you give them a shilling first. Perhaps most of the waste newspapers have been transported or burned, and there are only three or four. Might let you look for it. You'll look for this "Times" in the waste paper, but you won't be able to find it. In the evening you must send a telegram to my house and tell me the result of your search.

"Now, Watson, let's send a telegram to find out about the coachman. After that, let's pass the time before we go to the hotel by going to an art gallery in Securities Street to see an exhibition." Clue to interrupt

Sherlock Holmes has a high degree of willpower to control his personal emotions.Just now he was still depressed about that matter, but now he talked about these paintings with great interest.He was still absorbed in the paintings on our way from the gallery to the Northumberland Hotel.In fact, his knowledge in this area is very shallow.

As soon as the landlord saw us, he said, "Sir Henry and the others are waiting for you, and asked me to take you up as soon as I saw you."

"May I have a look at your passenger log book?" asked Holmes.

The landlady replied readily, "Of course."

It can be seen from the record book that after Sir Henry moved in, two more lived in.One is the Johnson family, and the other is Mrs. Omo and her servants.

Holmes asked the porter: "Is this Johnson a gray-haired lawyer who walks with a little limp?"

The janitor replied, "No, sir, he's the manager of a coal mine, and he's a young man."

Holmes continued: "You must not have misremembered his occupation, have you?"

"Sir, how could it be! He has lived here many times, and I know him very well."

"Then what does this Mrs. Omo look like? I am so familiar with this name! Please don't mind, I am such a person, and I am very curious."

"She's sickly looking, and her husband was the mayor of Gloucester City, and she's been staying with us a lot."

"Thank you, I don't seem to know this person."

Holmes said to me: "That question, Watson, confirms that the person following him does not live here. That is to say, he wants to carry out surveillance, but he is afraid of being discovered by others. This also illustrates another problem."

"I don't see how that can explain the problem?"

"It shows... what's wrong with you?"

When we were about to go up, Sir Henry was holding an old dusty leather shoe in his hand, his eyes were staring with anger, almost trembling, and then he shouted loudly: "You think I'm easy to bully, tell you , don’t make me anxious, or you will have no good fruit to eat. You are simply too much, if I can’t find my shoes, none of you will feel better.”

"Are you still looking for your shoes?" said Holmes, patting him on the shoulder.

"Yes, I must find it."

"Didn't you say that it was a brown leather shoe that was missing?"

"Yes, and now the black one is gone, too."

"Oh, you mean you lost another one?"

"Yes, I have three pairs of shoes in total. One pair is a brown one I just bought, one pair is an old black one, and the other pair is just like the one I was wearing on my feet. I lost a brown shoe yesterday, and lost it again today. Got a black one."

He shouted to a German waiter again: "Have you found it, talk to me?"

"No, sir. I've looked for it all, but I can't find it."

"Well, you must get my shoes back before evening, or I will go to your boss and tell him that I will leave this hotel immediately."

"Please calm down, I will find it for you."

"I hope I can find it. I don't want anything like this to happen again. Mr. Holmes, you are being bothered."

"No, I think it deserves our attention."

"Oh, you may be too sensitive to it."

"Then what is your explanation for this?"

"I haven't given it much thought, but it's annoying enough, and kind of weird."

"Is it only strange?" said Holmes.

"Then what do you think of it?" asked Sir Henry.

"It's a complicated case, I dare not say I understand it perfectly, and I think if it has anything to do with your uncle's death, it is the strangest of all our cases. Now we have some clues." , I guarantee that this matter will be cleared up. As for when, I can’t guarantee.”

After two o'clock, we had lunch together, and I still tried to find some pleasant things to talk about during the dinner.After dinner, Holmes asked Sir Henry Baskerville about his plans.

"I must go to Baskerville Park," said Sir Henry.

"When do you intend to go?" asked Holmes.

"Just set it on the weekend!"

"Oh, overall, it's a smart decision. I've found out that you're being targeted. In such a big city, with so many people, it's impossible to figure out what they're up to. If they're up to no good, then An accident may happen. I'm afraid we can't stop it. Doctor Mortimer, did you feel that you were being watched this morning?"

Mortimer was very surprised: "Ah, we have been followed? Who is the follower?"

"I'm sorry, but I can't say who it was. In Dart's Marsh, do you think, who has the long black beard?"

"No!" Mortimer frowned and thought for a while. "By the way, Barrymore, Sir Childs' butler, has a long beard."

"Oh, and where is he now?"

"He usually doesn't go out and manages the manor at home."

"Now we can confirm it, maybe he is in London now!"

"Then how do you prove it?"

"There's only a telegram to be sent to Mr. Barrymore at Baskerville Park, saying 'Sir Henry has arrived. Has everything been prepared for him?' and then we'll send a telegram to the postmaster. Write 'To Barrymore's telegram must be delivered to himself. If not, please call back and inform Sir Henry at the Northumberland Hotel.' So we can prove it."

Sir Henry said: "Excellent idea. What kind of a man is this Barrymore, Dr. Mortimer?"

"His father was the housekeeper of the manor. They have been taking care of the manor for almost four generations. As far as I know, they seem to be very good husband and wife."

Sir Henry said: "Without the owner of the manor these days, these people have nothing to do. It's really comfortable."

"Indeed it is."

"And what did Barrymore get from Sir Childs' will?" asked Holmes.

"The husband and wife get five hundred pounds each."

"Oh! Did they know beforehand that they were going to get the money?"

"I reckon they know. Because Sir Childs is always talking about the contents of his will."

"This incident may spark a thread."

Dr. Mortimer said: "I hope to get a clue. Are you suspicious of everyone who benefits from the will? I got a thousand pounds too."

"Is that so? Who did the other money go to?"

"A part of it was given to public charity, and a small part was given to many people, who each received a small sum. The rest went to Sir Henry."

"So how much money is left in total?"

"£74."

Holmes said in surprise, "So much money!"

"Sir Childs is very rich. Everyone knows that, but people don't know how much property he has. I didn't find out his total property until after his death. It was more than 100 million pounds."

"Ah! If a man sees so much money, he must do whatever it takes. But, Dr. Mortimer, I want to ask you a question. This is only a hypothesis, and please don't be too sensitive. If something happens to Sir Henry If so, then who will inherit the family business?"

"That is his distant cousin Desman's family inherited, and Mr. James Desman is the older one. He is a priest."

"Thank you, sometimes I am more interested in small details. Have you met this man?"

"Yes, I saw him once when he was a guest at Sir Childs' house. He is a serious person. Childs has offered him gifts many times, but he has refused."

"How could such a pastor be the heir to the Wanguan family property?"

"He has a right of heir, as provided by law, unless Sir Henry makes another will."

Holmes turned to Sir Henry again: "Sir Henry, have you made a will?"

"No, I only found out the truth of the matter yesterday. In any case, I feel that the estate and the title should go to the same person. If a knight does not have enough money to maintain the family, then he cannot add glory to the Baskervilles. I don't think money and fame can be separated."

"Yes, you are right, Sir Henry. I appreciate your willingness to go to Devonshire, but I do not think you can go alone."

"No, I'll go with Dr. Mortimer."

"No, because Dr. Mortimer is often away on his medical trips. Besides, he lives quite a distance from the estate, and no matter how meticulously he takes care of you, there will always be times when he is not with you. Sir Henry, I advise you to find another one." Let someone you trust go with you."

"I don't know anyone here, Mr. Holmes, will you go with me?"

"If it came to an emergency, I would certainly go, but I can't get away. I'm afraid it would be wrong to say that I should be away from London for a while, and I'm currently taking a case with a respectable English nobleman. , he's been slandered. I've got to settle it for him, so I can't go to the swamp."

"Then, who shall I take with me?"

Holmes patted me on the shoulder and said, "If Watson is willing, I think there is no one more suitable."

Before I could react to this unexpected suggestion, Baskerville shook my hand and said "Thank you."

Without waiting for me to open his mouth, he added: "You understand my situation very well, Dr. Watson. I would be very grateful if you could help me."

I cannot excuse Sir Henry's sincere welcome.What's more, I am more adventurous.

"I'm glad to go with you. I think it will make life richer."

Holmes continued: "Watson, you must give me a detailed account of the situation on time. The danger is always present. I will show you how to do it. Then you set off on Saturday!"

"Doctor Watson, is there anything else you need to attend to?"

"No, you can leave anytime."

"Well, see you at the station on Saturday, and we'll take the ten-thirty train from Paston."

Sir Henry cried out with delight when we were about to part.He ran to the cupboard and bent down to pull out a loafer. "

He yelled, "I found my shoes."

"If only everything were as simple as finding shoes," said Holmes.

Dr. Mortimer said, "It's really strange. We searched all over just now, but we didn't find it. How did we find it all at once?"

"I've looked everywhere, but I can't find anything."

"I'm sure the boot was not in the house at the time."

"Then the waiter put the shoes in while we were eating?"

So we called the German waiter to inquire, but he didn't know anything.Bizarre things happened one after another, making people puzzled.For example, a letter cobbled together from the words in the newspaper, and the bearded stalker, and only one of the newly bought leather shoes was lost and then sent back.

When we drove home, Holmes sat still like a statue, and I thought he must have been caught up in assumptions and reasoning again.After returning home, he sat in a chair all afternoon until late at night, in deep thought.

Just before supper, the messenger delivered two telegrams.

The first letter is:

Barrymore was indeed at the estate.

baskerville

The second letter is:

I searched 23 hotels one by one, but I'm sorry but couldn't find The Times.

Cartley

"These two leads, Watson, are hopeless. There is no more troublesome case than a case without leads. We must look elsewhere."

"No, can we find the coachman with the long beard?"

"Yes. I have informed the Licensing Division to find out his name and address. If the guess is correct, he has come."

"Actually, we would rather see the coachman than the people from the management department." Then, the doorbell rang, and a rough-faced coachman came in. He was the person we were looking for.

He came in and said: "I have been notified by the management department that there is a gentleman here who wants to see me. I have been driving for several years, and the customers have always been satisfied with me. I am here today to hear what you have to say about me." What is not satisfactory."

"Brother, you misunderstood me. I haven't ridden in your car before. How can I be dissatisfied with you? I called you here to ask you a few questions." Holmes handed him half a gold pound after finishing speaking. .

The coachman smiled and said, "I'm lucky today, sir, just ask."

"First, I'd like to ask for your name and address, so that I can rent your car if I need it later."

"My name is John Clayton, I live at 3 Turpy Street, and my car is from Hipbury Yard, near Waterloo Station."

Holmes motioned for me to write it down.

"I have another question now... Please describe the situation of the bearded passenger you pulled this morning."

The coachman was taken aback, and was a little at a loss for a while.

"Well, you guys discovered it today. It seems that you have already seen it clearly, so I don't need to say anything more. He only told me that he was a detective, and he didn't allow me to say anything about him."

"Boy, I suggest you think about it. It's a matter of life and death. You've got to be honest. You mean the passenger said he was a detective, didn't you?"

"Yeah, that's what he told me."

"When did he tell you?"

"When he was about to get out of the car."

"Then what else did he say?"

"He also said his name."

Holmes glanced at me with delight. "Oh, he actually said what his name was. That's great, so what did he say his name was?"

"He said his name was Sherlock Holmes."

Holmes was stupefied for a moment at this remark, but after a while he burst out laughing again.

"It is pure coincidence, Watson, that we have been duped. Do you say his name is Sherlock Holmes?"

"Yeah, that's his name."

"Okay, now tell me where he got into the car, and what happened afterwards?"

"At 09:30 he called my carriage at Trevorgard Square. He identified himself and said that he would hire my carriage for the whole day and that I should submit to his arrangements for one day to I had two gold pounds. I gladly agreed. Then we went first to the Northumberland Hotel, and waited there until the two gentlemen came out and hired a cab, and we followed them to Baker Street. "

Holmes seemed a little unwilling to listen to these words, so he said: "I already know these things."

"We were passing Regent Street when the passenger called out to me, 'Come to Waterloo Station', and I galloped my horse, and we were at the station in a few minutes. As he was about to get off, he said to me : 'Thank you, I am Sherlock Holmes.'”

"Oh, yes, did you see him again afterward?"

"No, I never met him again after that."

"Now, do you remember what he looked like?"

(End of this chapter)