Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 68 Memoirs (2)
The conversation ceased, and Holmes sank back heavily in his chair.After a while, the carriage stopped.On the side of the road is a neat small villa with red bricks and long eaves, and a long row of gray tile houses not far away, and the horse training ground is in the middle.As far as the eye can see, there are rolling fields all around, covered with yellow and withered fern grass, only the tall pointed roofs of the town of Tawisdek in the north barely hide in the wilderness.To the west is also a house that appears and disappears from time to time, that is the Mapleton Stables.We jumped out one by one, and only Holmes, who was still sitting in the car thinking, I touched him, and he jumped out.

Holmes said to Colonel Rawls: "I'm sorry, I was thinking about something." He was beaming, trying to restrain his excitement.

The colonel looked at him without knowing it, and only I knew he had a clue.But I don't know where the clues come from.

The sheriff asked: "Go to the murder scene now, Mr. Holmes."

"No, I was thinking of a little question or two. Could I stay here a little longer? Has the trainer's body been carried away?"

"Of course, upstairs. The autopsy won't be until tomorrow morning."

"Colonel Rawls, he has worked for you for several years, hasn't he?"

"Yes, I personally think he's capable."

"Sheriff, have you checked the deceased's belongings?"

"Of course, those things are in the living room. Would you like to go and see them?"

"awesome!"

We walked into the front room and sat down around a table.The sheriff opened a rectangular tin box for us: a thin but strong knife with an ivory handle engraved with the words "London Wess & Company", very delicate; an aluminum pencil case, a box of matches, a European An ADP pipe of heather root, a two-inch wax head, some sheets of paper; a sealskin pouch containing half an ounce of long-cut tobacco; besides five gold pieces, each a pound; A silver pocket watch with a gold chain.

Holmes picked up the knife and said while observing, "This knife is very delicate, with bloodstains on it. It must be the knife held by the deceased in his right hand! Watson, you must be familiar with such a knife."

I said, "Yanyi Dao, that's what doctors call it."

"As I thought, the sharp edge of the knife must have been used for delicate surgery. It's strange why a man would carry it with him when he was out in the rain and not keep it in his pocket."

The sheriff said: "The round cork sheath of the knife was found near the body. It was not very convenient to use the weapon. His wife told us that it was on the dressing table. to a more suitable weapon."

"It is possible. Where did these papers come from?"

"One is a letter of instruction from the colonel, and the other is an invoice for thirty-seven pounds fifteen shillings, from Mrs. Liz, Bond Street, a ladies' dresser, and addressed to Mr. William Hill. Hope Mr. Er is a good friend of Straker, and most of his letters are sent to Straker, and the other three are receipts from forage merchants."

Holmes looked at the invoice and said, "Mrs. Hill is very rich. Twenty-two guineas for a dress. There is nothing to investigate here. Let us go to the scene of the crime."

When we left the living room, a woman was waiting for us in the hallway.Her face was haggard and pale, and her body was thin. When we passed by, she grabbed the sheriff's sleeve.

"Caught it? Have you caught the murderer?"

The sheriff replied: "Not yet, but Mr. Holmes has come to help us on purpose. We will do our best to solve the case, Mrs. Straker."

"We met, I believe, some time ago in Breece's park," said Holmes.

"No, you must be mistaken, sir."

"Yes? You were wearing a pale gray coat trimmed with ostrich feathers."

The woman replied, "I've never worn clothes like this before."

Holmes said: "Oh, that's it." Then he apologized to Mrs. Straker, and we followed the sheriff to the place where the body was found.Beside the pit was a gorse bush, where the dead man's coat had been hung.

Holmes asked: "It is said that there was no wind last night, is it?"

"No, there was no wind, but it was raining heavily."

"The coat must have been hung on the flowers on purpose, it couldn't have been blown up by the wind."

"Yes, someone deliberately hung it on the flowers."

"It's a bit interesting. We have to pay attention to it. From Monday to now, many people have been here, and their footprints are messy."

"It turned out that there was a straw mat next to the corpse, and we all stood on the straw mat."

"Great!"

"A silver white-fronted horse's shoe, and one of the trainer's boots and one of Simpson's shoes are in this bag."

Holmes took the cloth bag and said: "Sheriff, you are really clever." Then he walked to the low-lying place, pulled the straw mat, lay down on the mat, rested his chin in his hand, and stretched his neck to observe carefully for a long time. soil of.

Suddenly, he said loudly: "Look, I found something." It turned out to be a half-burned candle, which looked like a small stick because it was covered with mud.

The sheriff said angrily, "I never thought I would be so careless."

"It was buried in the ground, so it was not easy to find it. I found it on purpose."

"Why? Did you know there would be this result?"

"Yes, because it makes sense."

Holmes opened the bag, took out the shoe, compared it with the footprints on the ground, and crawled slowly to the edge of the pit, and then among the gorse and ferns.

Said the sheriff: "We have made a detailed inspection within a hundred yards around here, and it is impossible to find anything more."

Holmes got up from the ground and said: "If that is the case, then I will not be in vain. To get acquainted with the terrain here, we should look around the moor before dark. It may be useful to take the shoes on by the way."

What Holmes did aroused the impatience of Colonel Rawls.He raised his hand to look at his watch and said, "Sheriff, can you go back with me? I want to hear your opinion on these few things, and we should state that our horse will be withdrawn from the competition, Sheriff What do you think sir?"

Holmes said emphatically: "You don't have to do that, it will definitely enter the race on time."

The colonel nodded and said, "Mr. Holmes, I'm glad you said that. Then go for a walk in the wilderness! We'll wait for you at the horse trainer's house, and then we'll go back to town together, okay?"

The colonel and the sheriff left, and Holmes and I walked across the broad prairie.The sun is gradually setting, and the light is spreading down softly, as if wearing a golden coat on the grassland.The withered bushes were bathed in the afterglow of the sunset, and they also had a special charm at this time. Although the scenery was so charming, he ignored it completely and entered a state of deep thought.

"Watson, let's put aside the question of who the murderer is now, let's think about the whereabouts of the horse! If the horse ran away by itself, where would it go? It can't roam in the wilderness, because horses like to live in groups .It could be in Mapleton Stables now, or it could be in King's Field, but no one has found it. Gypsies will not kidnap and sell this horse. They are born timid, and they will be afraid of even the police. What about famous horses? And they may not be able to find a buyer, they will definitely not do that.”

"But, according to you, where would the horse be?"

"In Mapleton. As I said, it was in King's Field or Mapleton, and since King's Field didn't find it, it must be in Mapleton. It's a long low-lying area, and it rained heavily on Monday night, and if the horses did go there, they would have left footprints. Now, let's go on that hypothesis!"

We talked enthusiastically, and soon, the low-lying land appeared in front of us.Holmes went to the left, and I followed his directions to the right.Before he had gone fifty paces, he beckoned to me.I went over to look, and sure enough, he found some hoof prints, which exactly matched the hoofs we used for comparison.

Holmes said happily: "Imagination is really important. If the sheriff has this quality, the case should make a lot of progress. Now that our assumptions have been proved to be correct, why not proceed according to these assumptions?"

We went on about a quarter of a mile over long lowlands on dry grassland.The terrain began to slope downward, and the horseshoe prints reappeared in front of us, and then interrupted again.After another half mile or so, the horseshoe prints were found near Mapleton's stables.Holmes was the first to see the hoof-prints, and he stood there with a triumphant smile, for there was a man's footprint beside the horse's hoof.

I said excitedly: "In the beginning there were only horses and no people."

"Yes, that is so, but how is that to be explained?" said Holmes.

It was only then that I realized that the footprints were all in the direction of King's Field.Holmes whistled, and we all turned back to look for it.He kept his eyes on the footprints on the road, but I looked to the side of the road from time to time. To my surprise, the footprints turned around again.

Holmes looked at the footprints I pointed out to him, and said, "Thanks to you, Watson, otherwise we would have gone the wrong way. Let us continue to follow the retraceable footprints."

After a while, the tracks disappeared on a tarred road facing Mapleton's stables.As we approached the stables, a servant ran out.

The horse servant said, "Idlers are not allowed to approach here."

Holmes put his hand into his waistcoat pocket and said, "We have a small business to call on our master, Mr. Silas Brown. It seems a little rash now. Do you think five o'clock tomorrow morning would be appropriate?"

The servant replied, "You are very kind, and may God bless you. But I cannot accept your money, because there are rules here. But if you want to speak to him in person, please wait a moment."

At this moment, a grim and ugly old man came to the door, waving a hunting whip in his hand. Holmes hastily put in the half crown he had just taken out. pocket.

The old man yelled, "Dawson, you're loafing again, go to your work! What are you doing here, you two?"

"Sir, may we have a talk? Ten minutes will suffice," said Holmes kindly.

"Go, I don't have time, if you don't go, I'm going to let the dog go."

Holmes was not angry. He whispered something in the old man's ear, and the old man's expression changed drastically and he became furious.

"Nonsense! It's a complete lie!"

"Please don't get excited. Are we talking in the living room, or are we arguing here?"

"Well, well, follow me please."

Holmes smiled with a smug expression.

He said to me, "Watson, wait for me, I'll be out soon."

Then he said to the old man, "Mr. Brown, please."

The sky gradually darkened, and Holmes came out about 10 minutes later.Silas Brown was completely different.His face was pale, his forehead was covered with beads of sweat, his hands were trembling unceasingly, and the whip was constantly swinging in his hands like a branch in the cold wind.At this moment, he followed Holmes closely like an obedient puppy, his arrogance replaced by fear.

He said: "Everything is at your command, and we will definitely do what you say."

Holmes stared at him with eyes like sharp swords: "Make no mistake."

Brown stammered: "Of course not. I promise to participate in the competition, but I want to change back to the original appearance or not?"

Holmes pondered for a moment: "There is no need for that. I will send you a message to tell you what you need to do. However, you must be honest, and tricks will..."

Brown continued: "Sir, you have to trust me, I am very honest."

"Very well, I will trust you and wait for the notice tomorrow." Holmes turned around, left Mr. Brown's trembling outstretched hand, and walked straight to King's Court.

"What a bastard, one moment arrogant like an old man, the other moment despicable like a slave."

I asked: "So the horse must be hiding there?"

"He didn't admit it, but when I told exactly what happened that morning, the rascal thought I had seen it all. His shoes were square, which matched the special footprints on the ground. Besides, this kind of thing A servant would not dare to do it. Besides, he had a habit of rising early, and was always the first to rise. I described how he found the horse that morning, how he had harnessed it, and when he saw that it was the only way to get up. How happy I was when I beat the silver-fronted horse that I bet on, because my worst opponent fell into my hands. Then I told him that I knew he wanted to send the horse back, but later regretted it , in the end he decided to wait until the race was over before sending it back, so he went back and hid the horse, and so on and so on. He was terrified to hear that - and because it was, he had to admit everything to save his life."

"Haven't the police inspected the stables?"

"It's too easy for him who is an expert in raising horses. He can think of many ways."

"Wouldn't it be dangerous to keep the horse with him now? Maybe he'll do anything for his own good."

"Watson, don't worry! He understands that if he wants to be treated with leniency, he must protect the horse. He will love the horse as much as his own eyes."

"But will Colonel Rawls forgive him? The colonel is not an easy man to deal with."

"There is no need to tell him everything. We are not royal detectives. We can say as much as we want, and others have no right to interfere. The colonel is very unfriendly to us, have you found out? I don't want to tell him about the horse now. Have fun."

"I wouldn't say it without your permission."

"But this is a trivial matter, insignificant compared with finding the murderer."

"Are you going to investigate the murderer?"

"No, we return to London tonight."

I didn't expect him to make such a decision. We have only been here for a few hours, and the case has made great progress. The point is, everything will come to light soon, but he wants to retreat halfway.But no matter how I questioned him, he remained silent.When we got back to the trainer's house the colonel and the sheriff were waiting for us.

"The air in Damen's is too intoxicating," said Holmes, "but we have resolved to return to London now."

The sheriff was very surprised, and the colonel gave us a very disapproving look.

The colonel shrugged and mocked, "You don't have the confidence to catch the murderer, do you? It seems that this case will never be solved."

Holmes smiled and said: "It will not be easy to catch the murderer. But I believe that your horse will be able to compete. You just need to prepare the jockey. Please also give me a photo of Strike, thank you very much. "

The sheriff took a photograph from the envelope, and handed it to Holmes.

"Mr. Sheriff, you are so careful, you have everything I need. I have to ask the maid a question, please wait for me for a while."

As soon as Holmes left, Colonel Rawls said bluntly: "I am very disappointed that this consultant has come all the way from London, but he has not made any new discoveries."

I retorted, "But he has assured you that your horse will be on track for the Championships next Tuesday."

"He did promise, but the facts speak louder than words."

Just as I was about to pay my respects again, Holmes entered.

"Gentlemen, everything is ready, and now you can go back to Davestock Town."

The stable boy opened the door for us, but Holmes did not come up with us. He went up to the stable boy and asked, "Please tell me, who is looking after those wonderful sheep in the paddock?"

The stable boy replied happily, "Sir, it's me."

"So have you noticed anything special recently?"

"Everything is fine. Oh, three sheep are lame."

Holmes smiled slightly, evidently satisfied with the answer, and rubbed his hands happily.

"Watson, everything is as I have surmised. Sheriff, you should observe the special situation among the sheep. Coachman, let us go."

Colonel Rawls still seemed dismissive, but the sheriff cared very much, as could be seen from his expression.

"Are these very important?" asked the sheriff.

"Yes, absolutely."

"Are there any other issues that need our attention?"

"Dog, don't you think the reaction of the dog that night was very special?"

"Oh yes, the dogs were silent that night."

My friend reminded him: "That's just the weird thing."

Four days later we drove to Winchester to see the Wessex Cup Championship.Colonel Rawls met us at the station, but with a sullen and indifferent manner.We drove to the racecourse outside the city in his carriage.

The colonel asked angrily, "Why haven't I seen my horse yet?"

"Would you recognize it when you saw it?" asked Holmes.

The colonel said angrily: "I have been racing a horse for nearly 20 years, and no one has ever asked such a question. A three-year-old child can also recognize its white forehead and white right front leg."

"How about a bet?"

"It's very strange. Yesterday it was fifteen to one, but today it is three to one. It has fallen so quickly."

"Ah!" said Holmes. "It seems that someone has got the news."

The carriage soon arrived at the wall of the stand, and we saw the list of participating horses posted on the wall.

Wessex Championship

Horse racing age: four to five years old.Cyprus: five furlongs a mile.A deposit of fifty pounds per horse. In addition to the gold cup, No. 1 will be awarded 2 pounds, No. 3 will be awarded [-] pounds, and No. [-] will be awarded [-] pounds.

[-]. Mr. Heath Newton's Negro.Jockeys wear tan jackets and red hats.

[-]. Colonel Woodrue's Bagster.Jockeys wear blue and black jackets and pink hats.

[-]. Desborough of Lord Beckworth.Jockeys wear red jackets and black hats.

[-]. Colonel Rawls's silver-fronted horse.Jockeys wear yellow jackets and hats.

[-]. Alice of the Dukes of Bahamoran.Jockeys wear black striped jackets and purple hats.

[-]. Lord Singford's Swiss cypress.The jockey wears a gray jacket and a blue cap.

Said the Colonel: "I have withdrawn the other horse I have prepared, and all hope rests on that word of yours. What? The silver-fronted horse? Where is it?"

"Five to four for the silver blazes! Five to four for the silver blazes! Five to fifteen for the Desboroughs! Five to four for the rest!"

I said aloud, "All the horses are out, and they're all numbered."

The colonel was a little anxious, and said: "All six horses are here? Why is there no horse, no silver and white horse at all!"

"Of the five horses that ran just now, one was yours."

At this time, a sorrel horse ran out from the fence of the racecourse. It was strong and vigorous, and it walked slowly past us. On the back was a famous jockey in yellow hat and yellow coat.

The colonel said eagerly: "Mr. Holmes, what the hell are you doing? There is no white hair. How can it be my horse?"

Holmes said calmly: "Shut up! Let's see how the game goes!" Taking the binoculars from me, he said, "Wonderful, he turned the corner! He's come running, and it's wonderful! !"

(End of this chapter)