Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 77 Memoirs (11)
"'You raise questions that we shall never be able to understand. Perhaps the Musgraves who knew the secret were dead by this time, or, by negligence, he bequeathed to posterity only the rite containing the great secret. , but did not explain the secret, so only the ceremony was passed down. Until someone discovered the secret and was buried here.'

"That's the Musgrave case, Watson. The crown is still in Helstone - after some legal trouble, of course, and it was finally bought out for a huge sum of money. I'm sure if you refer to me , they will definitely show you the crown. As for the maid, there has been no news about her. Maybe she left England and fled abroad with her sins.” The murderer who killed the groom
The story happened in the spring of 1887.My friend Sherlock Holmes has not fully recovered from the exhaustion of his body.The recent Holland-Sumatra Company case and Baron Mauporduis's huge project are still fresh in people's memory.Because these cases are sensitively connected with the social, political and economic issues at that time, they are not suitable for inclusion in my memoirs.However, from another point of view, these two strange cases also gave my friend the opportunity to show his life-long learning in fighting criminals, and new cases are always testing his new fighting methods invisibly.

According to my reading of my memoirs, on April 24, I received a telegram from Lyon.The telegram stated that Holmes was ill in bed at the Ducunlang Hotel.I was at the hotel in less than [-] hours.Fortunately, I found that his illness was not very serious, so I was relieved.Even his body, as strong as steel, couldn't stand up to two months of hard work.During these two months, he worked at least fifteen hours a day, and once even worked non-stop for five days.In the end, not even the exhilaration of victory could revive him after overwork.He became famous all over the world for those cases, and congratulatory telegrams came one after another, but after the victory, Holmes was exhausted and in great pain.Word spreads, and just as the police in three countries have suffered disastrous defeats, he's succeeded - and he's crushed Europe's most scheming fraud tycoon.But all these failed to cheer him up from his extreme weakness.

Three days later we returned to Baker Street.At this time, changing the environment is conducive to his recovery.Therefore, we decided to take advantage of the infinite scenery and go to the country for a week.The idea is irresistible.My old friend, Colonel Haight, now lives near Reigate in Surrey.I treated him when I was in Afghanistan, and he still often invites me to his house as a guest.Recently he said that if my friend would go with him, he would be more than happy.I conveyed the invitation to my friend, who readily agreed to my plan when he learned that the master was also single and free to move.

About a week after our return from Lyons we went again to the colonel's.Hayter is an old soldier with a bold personality and profound knowledge. He and Holmes get along very well, which is what I hope to see.

On the evening of our first arrival, after supper, we all sat in the colonel's gun room to rest.Holmes was stretched out on the sofa, and Hayter and I were visiting his small armory, which contained many oriental weapons.

The colonel said suddenly, "I think I'll take a pistol upstairs, just in case."

I said: "Unexpected?!"

"Yes, a strange thing has happened to us recently, and people are very frightened. There is a rich country gentleman here, old Acton. Just last Monday, someone broke into his house. Although the damage is not great, so far I don't know who did it."

Holmes looked at the colonel and asked, "Any clues?"

"Not yet. But it's a trivial matter. It's just a small case that happened in our small village. You're all handling big international cases that are famous all over the world, so you're definitely not interested in such small cases."

Holmes shook his head, indicating that the other party had won the prize.But the smile on his face showed that he also enjoyed the compliment.

"Are there any key features?"

"I don't think so. The thieves have run amok in the library. They have searched almost everything, but can't find anything. The library is in disarray, the chests of drawers are all opened, and books are everywhere. Finally, a volume of Pope is found missing." A translation of Homer, two gilded candlesticks, an ivory paperweight, an oak barometer, and a ball of thread."

I said, "It's really amazing!"

"These villains probably don't want to go away empty-handed, so they take what they see."

Holmes replied lying on the sofa.

He said: "Don't the police have a clue? It's obvious..."

I held out my hand as a warning.

"Dear friend, you are here to rest, and you must not participate in new cases until you recover."

He could only shrug his shoulders and cast a resigned glance at the Colonel.So we started chatting again.

However, everything seems to be destined, and it is destined that my warning will be useless.The next morning, the case forced us to intervene.Since it was impossible to ignore it, our trip took an unexpected change virtually.Everyone was having breakfast when the colonel's butler burst in hastily.

He gasped, "Have you heard, sir? Something has happened to the Cunninghams."

The colonel put down the coffee in his hand and asked, "Is it stolen again?"

"Someone else was killed!"

The colonel could not help exclaiming: "My God!" Then he added: "Who was killed? The sheriff or his son?"

"Neither, sir. It was William the groom. He was shot in the heart, and died without a word."

"Then who killed him?"

"It was a robber, sir. He fled quickly after the accident, and was nowhere to be seen. As he climbed in through the kitchen window, he met William. The poor man died defending his master's property."

"When did it happen?"

"Last night about twelve o'clock, sir."

The colonel said, "Well, let's go and visit in a moment."

After speaking, he sat down and continued to eat.After the steward had gone out, he added: "It is very unfortunate that old Cunningham is a gentleman and a man of integrity here. He must be very sad about it. This servant has served him for many years and has always been loyal. The murderer must have broken into the house. The thieves of the Acton house."

Holmes said softly, "The thief who stole so many strange things?"

"good."

"Maybe this is just a simple case, but it looks a bit weird at first glance. In people's subconscious mind, a group of thieves are constantly committing crimes in the countryside. The targets may change randomly, but they will never use it in the same area within a few days. Twice in the same way. Last night, when you talked about wanting to be safe, I didn't think it was necessary, because this place is probably the last parish for British thieves. But now it seems that I still have many Something to learn."

"The local thieves, I suppose," said the colonel. "The Actons and Cunninghams are his favorite places, I suppose, as they are the largest houses in the district."

"It's also the richest family, right?"

"Yes, it can be said to be the richest. But the two of them have been fighting for several years, and I think this lawsuit must have cost them a lot of savings. Acton wanted half of Cunningham's fortune, and the lawyers There are a lot of benefits to be gained from it.”

Holmes yawned and said, "If the culprit is a local ruffian, there will be no difficulty in tracking him down. Well, Watson, I will not interfere in the case."

The butler suddenly opened the door and said, "Officer Forrest wants to see you, sir."

After speaking, a capable young police officer walked in.

He said: "Good morning, Colonel, and I hope I will not disturb you. But I hear that Mr. Holmes of Baker Street is with you."

The colonel pointed to Holmes.The Inspector nodded to him and said:

"I hope you will help us, Mr. Holmes."

Holmes couldn't help laughing. "It seems that we can only go against your will, Watson. Inspector, we were discussing this matter when you came in. Perhaps you can explain it to us in more detail."

After speaking, he habitually leaned back on the chair.I know, our plan fell apart.

"We still have no clues about Acton's case, but we have a lot of clues about this case. Obviously, the two cases were committed by the same person, and someone has seen the criminal."

"what?!"

"Yes, sir. The killer shot William and fled as fast as he could. Old Mr. Cunningham was in the bedroom when he saw the criminal from the window. Alec Cunningham saw it in the hallway too." Him. At a quarter past eleven they called the police. Old Mr. Cunningham had just fallen asleep and Mr. Alec was smoking in his pajamas. They all heard William the coachman shouting, and Mr. Alec immediately He rushed downstairs, trying to figure out what was going on. The back door was open, and when he ran to the corner of the stairs, he saw two men fighting outside. One of them fired a shot, and the other fell in response. The murderer quickly Through the garden, over the fence, and escape. Old Mr. Cunningham, looking out of his bedroom window, saw a man running along the road, but was soon out of sight. Mr. Alec, in order to save the wounded We only know that he is of medium build and wearing dark clothes. We are investigating his appearance and if he is not a local, we will catch him soon."

"How is William? Did he say anything when he died?"

"He didn't say anything. He lived in the servants' room with his old mother, and was always honest. I think he might have thought of the kitchen to see if it was safe, because Acton's case made everyone especially wary. Robber Picked the lock and saw William as soon as he opened the door."

"Did William say anything to his old mother before he went out?"

"His mother is very old and deaf, so we can't find anything out of her. She's completely dumb now from the shock, and she doesn't seem to be very smart. But, I found a key clue, Look!"

The policeman took a small piece of paper, torn at one corner, from his notebook and put it on his lap.

"We found it from the hands of the dead man, as if torn from a large sheet of paper. It is clear that the time on it was the time when the murder took place. It may have been torn from the hands of the dead man, or it may have been taken from the murderer. What was left after the deceased snatched it from the hands of the deceased seemed to be a short date card."

Holmes approached, and took the little piece of paper, which read as follows: "We assume, then," said the policeman, that it was a rendezvous - which is not impossible. William, though faithful and honest, cannot rule out an accomplice to the thief, and he They went to the kitchen either to wait for the thieves, or to help the thieves come in, but then they turned their faces."

Holmes studied the note carefully, and said: "The font is very peculiar and interesting. It is more complicated than I thought."

He rested his chin in both hands, and fell into deep thought again.The Inspector was delighted to see that the case had so much troubled the eminent detective.

After a while, Holmes said: "You just said that the thief and William may be accomplices. The idea that this note may be a date letter written by one person to another is very unique, and it is not entirely impossible. But , clearly written on the paper..."

He lowered his head again, lost in thought.When I lifted it up again, I was surprised to find that he was fully recovered, with a rosy complexion, full of energy, and a pair of bright eyes.

He said: "Gentlemen, I would like to go to the scene and learn the details of the case. There are certain aspects of this case that fascinate me. Colonel, with permission, I would like to go to the scene alone with the police officer to prove my qualifications." A guess. I'll be back to see you in half an hour."

Half an hour later, the officer came back alone.

He said: "Mr. Holmes is walking up and down in the fields alone. He asked me to come back and invite you to go to that house together."

"To Mr. Cunningham's?"

"Yes, sir."

"What to do?"

The officer shrugged and said:
"I don't understand either, sir. But it seems to me that Mr. Holmes is still ill. He behaves strangely and agitatedly."

I said, "I don't think there's any need to make a fuss. Based on my many years of experience, whenever he behaves strangely, he must have won."

The officer said in a low voice, "Some say he's gone crazy in his way of investigation. But he looks very anxious. Let's get over there. Colonel, if you like, we'll be off right away."

When I saw Holmes again, he was walking up and down the field with his head bowed and his hands in his trouser pockets.

"It's getting more interesting. Our country excursion is very interesting, Watson. I've had a good time all morning."

"I see," said the colonel. "You have been to the scene of the crime."

"Yes, the police officer and I have gone to the scene to reconnaissance."

"Any gains?"

"Yes, saw a lot of very interesting things. We walked and talked, and I'll tell you. First, we saw poor William's body. As the officer said, he did die of a gunshot wound."

"Have you any other doubts?"

"Well, it's better to examine everything. Our reconnaissance wasted no time, and at least we saw Mr. Cunningham and his son, which is important, because they testified to the exact moment when the murderer jumped the garden fence in his escape. Place."

"of course."

"We then went to visit poor William's mother. However, because of her advanced age, we found nothing."

"So, what exactly did you investigate?"

"The result is that I believe this is an unusual case. Perhaps the interview we are about to conduct now will shed some light on it. One thing we agree on, Officer, is that the time on the slip of paper in the deceased's hand was indeed the time of his death. , which is also crucial.”

"Mr. Holmes, this provides us with a favorable clue."

"Indeed, this clue is very useful to us. The person who asked William to get up at that time must be the person who wrote this paper. But the key question is where will the other half of the paper be?"

"I've scoured every corner of the ground trying to find it," the officer said.

"It was snatched from the dead man. Why would anyone be in such a hurry to get it? Because it was his incrimination. What would he do with it when he got it? He might pocket it in a hurry, but But I didn’t notice that the deceased still had a corner of the paper in his hand. If we can find the stolen paper, the problem will be solved.”

"Yes, but if you don't find the criminal, how can you find the note?"

"Ah, this point deserves our careful study. It is also obvious that the note was addressed to William, which means that the person who wrote the note would never have given it to William himself. Otherwise, he could have told him The contents. So who delivered the note to William? Probably through the post office."

The police officer said: "I have checked, and William did receive a letter yesterday afternoon, but he has destroyed the letter."

Holmes patted the police officer and said excitedly: "It's great! Have you met the postman? It's a pleasure to work with you! Well, this room is where the servant William lives. Colonel, if you want, I will kill the postman Show it to you on the spot."

We walked past the house where the dead lived, stepped on a tree-lined avenue lined with oak trees, and soon came to a very chic Queen Anne old house.On the lintel is written Marlborough 1709 (In the War of Spanish Succession, the British army led by Marlborough and his allies defeated the French army-Translator's Note).Holmes and the inspector led us around, and then we came to the side door.There was a garden outside the gate, and a road beyond the garden fence, and a policeman was standing at the door of the kitchen.

"Open the door, sir," said Holmes. "It was on the stairs yonder that Mr. Cunningham saw those two wrestling, and we are now standing where they wrestled. Old Cunningham is The murderer was found in the second window from the left, just running to the left of the bush. His son's account followed his own, and both men mentioned the bush. Then Mr. Alec came out and crouched beside the dead man. As As you can see, the ground is hard and there are no traces left."

While Holmes was speaking, two figures came round the house and along the garden path.One of them was a little older, with a resolute expression, wrinkled face, and gloomy eyes; the other was a young man, dressed very fashionable, wearing gorgeous clothes, and smiling, which formed a very sharp contrast with the case.

He said to Holmes: "Are you still investigating this case? I think the detectives from London must be extraordinary. But now it seems that it will be difficult for you to solve the case in a short time."

"You must give me some time," said Holmes lightly.

Alec Cunningham said: "Of course, but I really don't see a clue."

The police officer said: "Now there is only one clue, and we all agree, as long as we find it... Oh my God! What's the matter with you, Mr. Holmes?"

The expression on Holmes's face was peculiarly distressed, the eyes were turned upwards, and the face was distorted by the pain.He couldn't help snorting, and fell headfirst.We were all terrified by the sudden relapse of his illness and its severity.Everyone hurriedly carried him into the kitchen and let him lie on a chair.He took a hard breath, and finally recovered.In the end, he apologized again and again, expressing his embarrassment.

Holmes said: "Dr. Watson knows that I have just recovered from a serious illness, and this kind of neuralgia is easy to relapse."

Old Cunningham asked: "Shall I take you home in a carriage?"

"Now that I'm here, I want to find out one more thing, and it's easy to find out."

"what's up?"

"Well, according to my speculation, William entered the house after the burglar entered, not before. But you seem to think that the burglar only opened the door at that time, but did not enter the house."

"I don't think so," said old Mr. Cunningham gravely. "My son Alec was up at the time, and if anyone had come in he would have known."

"Where was he then?"

"I'm smoking in the locker room."

"Which window is the dressing room?"

"The last one on the left, next to my father's window."

"Then the light in your room must be on?"

"good."

(End of this chapter)