Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 69 Memoirs (3)
The perspective of the carriage is excellent, and the scene of six horses running together is really spectacular.They are so close together that even a blanket can cover them all.In the middle of the race, Desborough and the red jockey were the fastest, but were exhausted shortly after we passed.In the end, it was the Colonel's horse that led the way, finishing six lengths ahead of Desborough, with Alice of Bahamoran in third.

"It seems that it is indeed my favorite silver-fronted horse, but what is going on? Mr. Holmes, don't you think you have kept your secret for too long?" said the colonel out of breath. .

"Maybe, but as long as you're patient, you'll find out soon. It's still there, let's go and see!" We went into the enclosure of the running field, where only the owner and his friends were allowed in.Holmes continued: "It is the white-fronted horse you lost. Just wipe its forehead with alcohol, and you can clearly see the familiar white forehead."

"Shocking!"

"I got it from a horse thief and I raced it."

"You are a genius, Mr. Holmes. You have always been so mysterious. The horse is still strong, and it ran very well today. I am sorry, but I should not have guessed about your abilities. You have done a great job by helping me find The horse was killed, but if the murderer can be caught again, it will be more perfect."

"I have found it," said Holmes slowly.

It's amazing.The colonel asked with some doubts: "Found it? Who is he? Where is he? What's his name?"

"He's among us."

"Among us, where is it?"

"right here."

The colonel was completely angry, and he said with a flushed face, "Mr. Holmes, I admit that you have helped me a lot, but I think what you just said is a joke and an insult!"

Holmes laughed out loud.

My friend said: "Colonel, you have misunderstood me, and I assure you, I did not say that you were connected with the murderer."

He walked up to the horse, patted its smooth neck, and continued, "This is the murderer."

The colonel and I called out at the same time: "Silver white-fronted horse?"

"Yes, it was. He killed in self-defense, so his charge is extenuating. Colonel, I don't think the faithful horse trainer John Straker deserves to be pitied at all. Excuse me, I feel sorry for him dead. Insufficient respect. The second half starts soon, and I think it will be a small victory this time. As for the case, we will talk about it later."

We returned to London that night.Along the way, we listened fascinatedly to Sherlock Holmes' narration about the strange case that happened on Monday night and how to solve it. We even completely forgot the existence of time and only hated the short journey.

He said: "Although I have tried to make some inferences based on newspapers and news, like everyone else, it was ultimately proved to be wrong. However, I still found some clues from the newspapers. These details should have been noticed long ago. It's a pity that I was disturbed by some side appearances, and I didn't find out until now. Although there was insufficient evidence before I came, I also thought that the murderer was Simpson. But on the way we went to the horse trainer's house, I found an important clue , that is curry mutton. Remember, I was sitting in the car and I was lost in thought, but it was Watson who told me to get out of the car. It was because I was very surprised that I had overlooked such an important clue."

The colonel said strangely: "But I still haven't found anything special about curry mutton."

"In my reasoning, curry mutton is only the first link. Although the smell of narcotics is not unpleasant, it can't be covered up by ordinary dishes, and people who eat it will definitely find it. The best thing to cover up this smell is Curry. Simpson could not have had the opportunity to take Curry to the trainer's house for manipulation, nor could it have been such a coincidence that when he was about to administer an anesthetic, there happened to be curry mutton to help mask the smell. Therefore, Simpson can be ruled out. Then only the trainer The Ma Shi couple is suspicious. Because they chose the dinner, and the curry mutton eaten by the stable boy is specially anesthetized, which is why other people eat the same dish and are fine. Therefore, that one can not be discovered by the maid , and the person who successfully puts the anesthetic is the murderer.

"Before I understood the problem, it was even more strange that the dog didn't bark all night. The Simpson incident let me know that there was a dog in the stable. But it is incomprehensible that someone entered the stable and took the famous horse. , the dog didn't bark, so the little stableboys sleeping in the straw shed knew nothing. It was obvious that the horse-thieves were very familiar with dogs.

"From these clues, I am convinced that the horse thief was John Straker himself. He drugged the stable boy that night, then came to the stables and took the horses. Why did he do this? Evidently with malicious intentions." , that's for sure. I checked some previous cases and found that there have been many horse trainers who would bet their horses to lose by pretending to be someone else, and bet huge amounts of money, and then took all kinds of despicable measures. The deliberate slowing of the horse in the race, and even more subtle means, are all aimed at making one's horse lose. This is also the answer I found in the pocket of the dead.

"Everyone must remember that delicate little knife, which, as Dr. Watson said, is used in the operating room for delicate operations, and no one would use it as a weapon. That night, the horse trainer brought It is also used for surgery. Colonel, since you are familiar with horse racing, you should know that a small cut with a knife on the hind ankle of a horse will never be seen, and the injured horse will only lame a little. If you don’t feel enough, give people the illusion of being overtrained and tired, or you are considered to have rheumatism, you must never think that this is an ugly conspiracy.”

The colonel was very excited when he heard this, and shouted: "What a bastard, why didn't I see him as a villain!"

"Everyone should know the purpose of the horse trainer taking the horse out into the wild, right? In order not to disturb the little stableman sleeping in the straw shed, he led the horse out into the wild. Because the horse will neigh loudly when it is injured, the pony You will inevitably be awakened."

The colonel suddenly understood a lot: "I am really blind! He used candles and matches for this purpose."

"Yes, Colonel. After the sheriff took out the relics of the deceased, I probably guessed the method and motive of his crime. Colonel, you have a wealth of life experience, and you should believe that most people only care about their own debts, not Went to ask other people's bills. I reckon the horse trainer has another residence, bigamy. I know from the bills that there was a woman who spent so much money that even a generous man wouldn't buy a dress for it. So much money. I asked Mrs. Straker about it, but she didn't know anything, which means she had nothing to do with it. I took the address on the bill and went to investigate the clothier. I brought Strike's photograph was obtained, thereby confirming Mr. Hill's mysterious identity.

"Everything is clear. Colonel Rawls, Stryker led the horse to the pit where he was going to light a candle so that no one would see him. To facilitate the operation, he put his coat in the golden On the sparrow bushes, as for the tie, it was picked up by the trainer to bind the horse's legs. But when the candle was lit, the horse was frightened-perhaps stimulated by the light, or out of animal instinct, it Kicked up so hard that he kicked the trainer squarely in the head, and when the trainer fell, he hurt himself. I think I understand."

The colonel exclaimed: "It's so brilliant! Everything looks like what you saw with your own eyes!"

Holmes replied: "Fortunately, I made a correct guess. The scheming Straker would not experiment on horses, so when I saw the sheep, I thought of this, and luckily I guessed right again. .

"I went back to London, found the clothier, and gave her the photo for identification. She immediately recognized the man in the photo as the wealthy Hill, and told me he had a beautiful wife and liked expensive and fancy clothes. I dare It was concluded that it was this woman who caused Strike to become so deeply in debt and ultimately to take the risk."

The colonel asked suspiciously: "It's very clear, just one point, where is the horse hidden?"

"Horse! It ran away and happened to be spotted by your neighbor. By the way, this seems to be one stop before Victoria. If you agree, welcome to the humble house in 10 minutes. I will tell you all the details you are interested in. "The girl with the mask

In many strange cases, Holmes has given us a profound dramatic experience with his outstanding talent, which makes people unable to help but immerse themselves in them and linger on.That's why I've been more successful than others in writing them as novels.Of course, this is not to protect my friend’s good reputation—in fact, his extraordinary intelligence and abundant energy are often more likely to be brought into full play when he is on the verge of desperation—a case that he can’t solve, no one else can solve it. And this story will never end.He will make mistakes, he will make mistakes, but in the end he will always get back to the track of the truth.There have been half a dozen cases of this kind, the most prominent being the Musgraves case and the one which I am about to describe.

Holmes is a person who seldom exercises for the sake of exercise. He always thinks that aimless physical exercise is a waste of energy, so he opposes mindless exercise.He is very good at using his physical strength, and has little enthusiasm for activities other than those related to his career.But he was physically fit, one of the best boxers in his class.He is full of energy and tireless all day long, and his diet and daily life are quite simple, and his lifestyle is quite different from ordinary people.Cutting down on food and clothing is his true portrayal.When there were no cases, his life was boring, and the newspapers were full of nonsense, so injecting narcotics-cocaine became his only hobby.

One spring morning, because he had nothing to do, he agreed to go for a walk in the park with me.As life and death friends, apart from relaxing and enjoying the beautiful scenery around them, there is almost no need for words between each other at this time.The trees in the park have sprouted buds, and five-petal-shaped new leaves appear crowded on the chestnut trees.Stopping and stopping, we didn't return to Baker Street until five o'clock in the afternoon.

The servant opened the door for us and said, "Sir, a gentleman is looking for you."

Holmes looked at me and said complainingly: "I wish I hadn't gone out for a walk. Has the gentleman gone?"

"Go away, sir."

"You didn't ask him to wait a while?"

"Sir, he came in and sat down for a while."

"How long have you been sitting?"

"About half an hour! He walked back and forth in the room, stomping his feet occasionally, as if he was very anxious. I was standing at the door at the time, so I could hear everything in the room clearly. Finally, he couldn't bear it anymore, and came to the corridor Said in a loud voice: "He is not coming back!" I said to him: "The master will be back soon, please wait a little longer." He said: "I will be bored to death if I stay here. I will wait for him outside the door. I'll be back in a moment.' Then I left, and I couldn't keep him."

"You've done well. You can go down. I'm sorry, Watson. The man is anxious. There must be some serious case. That's what I need. My friend, this pipe is not yours. It must be the man who left it behind." Yes. Very nice, a briar pipe. The long stem is made of what the tobacconists call amber. I don't know how many genuine amber holders there are in London. I heard it's real if you put a fly in it. He must be impatient. , I left all the things I cherished here.”

I asked: "This pipe is his treasure? How do you know?"

"Very easy, Watson. A pipe, at most seven shillings and sixpence, has been repaired twice, once on the handle, and once on the amber mouth, with silver hoops, and the repair cost exceeds the price of the pipe. A man would rather spend a lot of money repairing than buying a new one if he loves something very much."

"Are there any other signs?" I asked. Holmes was studying the pipe.

Like a biology professor studying bones, he held up his pipe and flicked it with his slender fingers.

"The object that can vividly express a person's character, except for the watch and shoelaces, is the pipe. This pipe is very special. I can only know that its owner is strong and powerful, is used to using the left hand, has good teeth, and is careless. Relatively ample."

I asked curiously: "Would a rich man smoke a seven shilling pipe?"

He knocked the shredded tobacco in his pipe on his hand and said, "This is Glosswino for eightpence an ounce, and the best cigarettes generally only cost fourpence. It shows that he is very rich."

"Then what else to explain?"

"One side of the pipe is charred, which shows that he often lights his cigarettes on oil lamps or gas lamps, because this does not happen with matches. In addition, the right side is charred, which proves that he is left-handed. Because a habitual The right-hand man, the left side of the pipe is facing the flame. He has good teeth and a strong body, because the amber mouth on the pipe was bitten through. If I guess I am not mistaken, he has gone upstairs, and we can study more Funny thing."

After a while, the door was opened, and a burly man walked in.He looks younger than his actual age, he looks about 30 years old, but he is actually a few years older.He was dressed neatly in a dark gray suit, and held a wide-brimmed fedora hat.

The man said distractedly: "I'm very sorry, gentlemen, I should have knocked on the door first, but because I was so confused, I didn't know what to do." After finishing speaking, he put his hand on his forehead, turned around and fell on the ground. In the chair, make a dizzy appearance.

Holmes said calmly: "I can feel that you have not slept at least one night. Sometimes, this is indeed more depressing than work or play. May I help you?"

"Sir, my life is in such a mess right now that I don't know what to do. Without your help, I'm afraid I'm going to collapse."

"You want me to be a consulting detective?"

"Not only that, you are well-informed and experienced. Only you can save me from the predicament. I hope to get your advice."

His tone was trembling, his thoughts were disordered, his breathing was short, and he seemed to be in pain when speaking, and he had been suppressing his emotions.

He said: "This is a troublesome thing. No one wants to make a family scandal, but I really have nothing to do. I must turn to you. Although I should not tell strangers about my wife's behavior, this is my only option!"

Holmes replied: "Oh, Mr. Glenn Munro..."

The man jumped up from his chair in surprise and asked loudly, "You know my name? What's going on?"

My friend smiled and said: "If you want to remain anonymous, you'd better not wear a hat with your name on it, and don't let the side with your name on it facing others. In fact, my friend and I are in this room I have heard many strange things and helped many unfortunate people to live in peace. I hope I can help you to find peace. Sir, take time to tell your story."

The man rubbed his forehead with both hands again, full of pain.It can be seen from the demeanor and expression that this person is naturally arrogant, and would rather suffer than speak out about certain things.Finally, he clenched his fist and shook it hard, deciding not to keep it secret anymore.

"Dear Mr. Holmes, the thing is this: My wife and I got married three years ago. We have been very loving and happy since we got married, and all aspects are very harmonious. However, just last Monday, I suddenly found that my wife has become strange. She was so uncharacteristically incomprehensible to me that she seemed like a stranger. In short, she became alienated inexplicably.

"Before I go on, there is one thing I want to say, Mr. Holmes, I am sure that Effie loved me very exclusively, and loves me even more now, that is for sure. As a man, I can feel it. .But there are problems between us now, and only by clarifying these problems can we live normally."

Holmes said impatiently: "Mr. Munro, you'd better hurry up and talk about the main thing."

"Let me talk about Effie's past first. We first met when she was 25 years old. Although she is young, she is already a widow. People call her Mrs. Hebron. She grew up in Atlanta, USA, where she married A successful Hebron lawyer. But unfortunately, her husband and children were killed by epidemic jaundice. I have also seen Hebron's death certificate. She hated America because of this, and soon came back to marry her fiancé My aunt lived together in Pinnall, Middle Sax. She received an inheritance of [-] pounds from her husband. Hebron is proficient in investing, and the average interest on this money is seven per cent. We are in Pinnall It was love at first sight, and they got married within a few days of meeting.

"I'm in the hop business. My annual income is about seven or eight hundred pounds. I live comfortably and comfortably. In North Castle, I have a small villa with an annual rent of eighty pounds. Although the place is not far from the city, it has a strong rural atmosphere. .A hotel and two houses are located not far from my house, and another small cottage is on the other side of the field in front of our door. There are no other houses. There is a road nearby that leads to the train station, and it can be seen from the road A few scattered houses. At certain seasons of the year, I have to go to the city for business, but in the summer, I enjoy my happy life with my wife in the country house. Before this incident, there has never been any unpleasantness between us .

"Sir, there is one more thing I must tell you. When we got married, Effie transferred all her property to my name. I didn't agree to do so because I was worried that if the business went wrong, I would lose the money. But At her insistence, I agreed. About a month and a half ago, she suddenly asked me for money.

"She said to me: 'Darling, when you accepted my property, you said you would give it to me as long as I used it.'

"I replied: 'Of course, the money originally belonged to you.'

"And she said: 'Very well, then give me a hundred pounds.'

"I was surprised to hear what she said, I thought she wanted to buy clothes or jewelry.

"I asked her: 'What are you going to do? You want so much money.'

"She jokingly said: 'You said you were just a bank clerk, and the custodian has no right to ask, just pay.'

"I then said: 'If you really need it, I'll give it to you.'

"'My dear, I need it badly. I'll tell you what it's for, but not just now.'

(End of this chapter)