Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 81 Memoirs (15)
"It's absurd!" I instinctively echoed loudly, and then I realized that I was taken aback. How did he know what I was thinking?I sat up straight and looked at him in bewilderment.

"What is it? Holmes, this is so unexpected."

Seeing my puzzled expression, Holmes laughed heartily.

He said: "You should remember that I read to you not long ago a story written by Edgar Allan Poe. In the story there is a reasoning man who can always feel the inner thoughts of his friends. At that time, you thought it was just the author's Fiction. And you don't believe me when I say I can do the same."

"I never said I didn't believe it!"

"Dear Watson, you didn't say it, but your expression has already told me. When I saw you put the newspaper aside and fell into deep thought, I was very happy. Finally, I had the opportunity to study your thoughts. .To interrupt your train of thought is to prove that I know what you think."

But I'm still not satisfied with his explanation.

I said, "In that story, the hero draws conclusions from the actions of his friend. If I remember correctly, the man stumbled over a stone and looked up at the stars, among other things. There are some other movements. And I sat here without moving, how do you judge?"

"You are wrong. People express their feelings through a face, and the face is the window that exposes your inner secrets."

"You mean, you can tell what I'm thinking through my expression?"

"That's right, through your expressions, especially your eyes. Maybe you have forgotten how you were in a daze just now."

"Yes, I didn't take it seriously at all."

"I'll tell you, then. You dropped the newspaper—the action caught my attention, and sat dazed for about half a minute. Then your eyes froze on the freshly framed portrait of General Gordon, and your face The expression on your face shows that you have begun to think, but not very deeply. Then, your eyes turn to the unframed portrait of Henry Ward Beecher on the bookshelf. Then, you stare up at the wall for a while. Then , your idea is obvious. You are thinking that if this portrait is also equipped with a frame, it can be hung on the wall, hanging with Gordon's portrait."

I exclaimed: "God, you really see through my heart!"

"So far I have seldom lost sight. Then your thoughts returned to Beecher, for you had been gazing at his portrait, as if trying to infer character from his appearance. Before long, though your brows were But his eyes still haven’t left, and he looks like he is thinking, which shows that he is recalling the past of his life. I believe that at this time, you will definitely think of the North he represented and the mission he undertook during the American Civil War, because I Remember, you were dissatisfied with the rudeness of the people of the country towards him. Since you felt very deeply about this incident, I think you must think about it whenever you think of Beecher. After a while, your eyes go away After reading the portrait, it is estimated that your thoughts have come to the civil war. Your lips are tightly closed, your eyes are shining, and your hands are clasped, obviously remembering the heroism shown by both sides in this life-and-death war. Then, your expression slowly Slowly gloomy, and shook his head. I think you thought of the tragedy of the war and the many innocent people who died in the war. Finally, your hand slowly put on the scar left by the war, and your face A smile. You must be thinking that it is absurd to use war to resolve international disputes. I agree with your idea, it is indeed absurd. I am glad that my inference is correct."

I said, "Exactly. You explained it very well, but I'm still in shock."

"It's not at all profound, Watson, I assure you. I wouldn't have interrupted your train of thought if you hadn't said a few doubtful words the other day. The wind in London tonight is very charming, and the street How about a walk?"

I was already tired of the heat of the hut, so I readily agreed.We wandered around Fleet Avenue and Riverside Avenue for three hours, admiring the ebb and flow of the ebb and flow of the city.Holmes walked and talked, and I was deeply attracted by his extraordinary thoughts, exquisite arguments, sharp and precise observation of things and unique logical reasoning methods.We were not back in Baker Street until about ten o'clock.A carriage was parked in front of the house.

"I think it is the carriage of a general practitioner," said Holmes, "whose business has just begun, but is doing well. He must have something to discuss with us. It is a coincidence that we have come back!"

I am well aware of Holmes' methods of investigation and reasoning, so I understand why he said this.He must have based his judgment on a wicker basket hanging under the interior lights containing a number of medical instruments.The light in our room was on, this doctor must have come to see us.But it is very strange, what made this colleague come to ask for help so late?We walked quickly into the room.

Sitting in a chair by the fire was a pale, thin, sharp-faced man with sallow whiskers who rose to his feet as soon as we entered.He is at most 33 or [-] years old, but his face is haggard and his complexion is not good, which shows that his life is very difficult.He had the shy manner of a sensitive gentleman as he rose from the fireplace.I saw that his fingers were white and slender, more like an artist than a doctor.He was dressed simply, a black frock coat, dark trousers, and dark tie.

Holmes greeted him briskly: "Good evening, doctor, I am glad you did not wait long."

"So you have spoken to my coachman?"

"No, I judged from the candles lit on the table, please sit down, what can you do for me?"

"I am a doctor, Percy Trivelly, and I live at [-] Brook Street," said the guest.

I asked, "Did you write the paper 'Unexplained Nerve Injury'?"

He looked delighted to hear that his article was known, and flushed his pale face.

"I don't hear much about this book. My publisher told me it wasn't selling well. I thought no one knew about it. I thought, we're in the same boat?"

"Yes, I am a military surgeon, and I have retired now."

"I am very interested in neurology, and my best hope is to specialize in it. However, one must first do what one can do, and this is a digression. Mr. Holmes, I know your time is precious, but recently A series of strange things have happened in my apartment in Brook Street, and this evening, the situation has become so serious that there is no longer any delay, and you must help us at once."

Holmes sat down and lit his pipe.

"I am honored to be of service to you. Please tell us the details of these strange occurrences."

Trivelli said: "Some things are not worth mentioning, otherwise I would feel very ashamed. But this is really confusing, and it has become complicated now, so I have to lay it out for your information.

"First of all, I must say something about my university days. I studied at the University of London, and the professors spoke highly of me. I believe you will not think this is boasting. After graduation, I was in the Royal University Hospital. I got a small job and continued my research. Fortunately, there was a lot of interest in my research on the pathology of catalepsy, so I wrote the monograph on nerve damage and got Bruce Bickerton's award for it. Bonuses and medals. At that time, people thought I had a bright future.

"But the lack of funds is my biggest difficulty. You know, any doctor who wants to be famous has to practice in one of the twelve streets in the Cavendish Square area, but that means huge rents and equipment. In addition to this opening fee, he also needs to maintain the living expenses for the first few years, and he must rent a decent car and horse. It is really beyond my ability to meet these requirements. I can only save money and hope to save Ten years of money to talk about. However, an unexpected thing has brought me new hope.

"Hope was brought by a gentleman named Blessington. We were strangers, and he came one morning out of the blue, and made a point of his visit.

"He asked me: 'You must be the Mr Percy Trivelly who has achieved great things and won awards?'

"I nodded.

"He added: 'I hope you will do me good by answering my questions honestly. You are very talented and have a bright future, you know that?'

"Hearing that, I couldn't help laughing.

"I said: 'I'm definitely going to keep trying.'

"'Do you have any bad habits? Do you drink alcohol?'

"I said aloud: 'No, sir! Nothing!'

"'That's great! That's great! But I wonder why you don't practice medicine when you're so good?'

"I shrugged and shook my head resignedly.

"He said hastily: 'Yes! It's no wonder, though you have a lot of things in your head, but no money in your pocket. How would you like me to help you set up in Brook Street?'

"I looked at him in surprise.

"He said out loud: 'It's not just for you, it's for my own good too. Frankly, if it's right for you, it's better for me. You know, I've got a few thousand pounds to invest right now , I think it's best to vote for you.'

"I quickly asked, 'Why?'

"'It's like any other investment, and I think it's safer to invest in you.'

"'So, what can I do?'

"'Of course I will tell you. I will rent a house for you, buy medical equipment, hire maids, and manage everything. You just sit in the consulting room and treat patients at ease. I will pay your daily expenses and give you what you need. You Give me three-quarters of what you earn, and keep a quarter for yourself.'

"Mr. Holmes, this is the strange suggestion that Blessington made to me. As for how we discussed and concluded the deal, I won't go into details for you. It will be annoying for you to hear. , on this day, the Annunciation Angel Gabriel told the Virgin Mary about Jesus’ coming.——Translator’s Note) We moved into a new apartment that day and opened it according to his request. He also moved here, Lived with me as a hospitalized patient. He had a weakened heart and needed long-term treatment. He chose the two best rooms on the second floor, one for the living room and one for the bedroom. He has a strange personality and goes in and out every day He hardly sees anyone. He lives irregularly--but in a way he is, for he comes in at the same time every night to check the accounts, and gives me five shillings and threepence a guinea ( A guinea is 25 shillings, a shilling is twelve pence, and a quarter of a guinea is exactly five shillings and three pence in the safe.

"I'm sure he will never regret investing in this business, as it has been booming from the start. I have handled several cases brilliantly, and with my original reputation at the affiliated hospital, I have quickly made a name for myself Over the years, I have made him a rich man.

"That, Mr. Holmes, is all about my past and my relationship with Mr. Blessington, and I have one more question to tell you, which is why I am sitting here.

"One day a few weeks ago, Mr. Blessington came downstairs to see me. I think he was agitated. During the conversation, he brought up the burglary in London's West End, and he said that we should fasten the doors and windows. but I don't think he should have made such a fuss. For the next week he was restless, looking out of the window, and even canceling his customary short walk before lunch. I speculate that he may be very frightened of someone or something, but when I asked him, he got very angry, so I didn't mention it. Over time, his fear seemed to disappear slowly, and he gradually returned to normal. However, a recent incident Things made him panic all day long.

"The thing goes something like this: Two days ago I received a letter, which was so strange that it had neither address nor date, and I will now read it to you:
A Russian nobleman residing in England urgently needs to be seen by Dr. Percy Trivelly, who has suffered from catalepsy for many years.And Trivelli is a well-known authority in this field, so the patient is going to come to see a doctor at a quarter past six tomorrow night.If it is convenient for you, please wait at home.

"I was very pleased with this letter, because the lack of cases is the greatest difficulty I have had with catalonia. You know, I was waiting excitedly and anxiously in the consulting room when the servants brought in a patient at six-fifteen.

"He was a small old man, very prim and plain--not the noble Russian aristocrat we imagine. His companion was impressive though. The man was young, tall, and swarthy. There seemed to be a fierce light on his face. His limbs and chest were as strong as Hercules. When he came in, he put his hand on the old man's arm, It was very careful and considerate to lead the old man to the chair. Just from his appearance, it was hard to expect such a person to do so.

"He said to me in English: 'Dear doctor, forgive my indiscretion, he is my father and his health is extremely important to me.' He spoke with a little lisp.

"I was moved by his filial piety and said: 'Would you like to be here when the diagnosis is made?'

"'No, I can't stay here, I can't bear this pain. If I saw my father in pain when he was ill, I would go crazy. My own nerves are very sensitive. If you can, when you treat him , I would like to stay in the waiting room.'

"I agreed to his request, so he turned and left. I discussed his condition with the old man and made detailed records. He is of average intelligence and often answers questions vaguely. I think it may be because he is not familiar with us. However, when I was writing the medical records, he suddenly stopped answering my inquiries. I turned to look at him, and found him sitting upright, with tense muscles, expressionless face, and dreamy eyes stared at me. He had a seizure.

"I said at the beginning that I felt both pity and fear for this patient. However, my interest in pathological research prevailed. I hastily took his pulse and temperature, tested the stiffness of his muscles, and examined his condition. The responsiveness of the patient is the same in all aspects as the characteristics of the patients I have treated before. In the past, I used alkyl nitrite inhalation for such patients, and the effect was very good. Now is a good opportunity to further verify the efficacy of the drug. In my laboratory downstairs, I left the patient and ran to get the medicine. It took me about 5 minutes to find the medicine. When I got the medicine back, I found that the consulting room was empty and the patient had disappeared. And know, how surprised I was.

"Of course, I hurried to the waiting room, and his son was gone. The front door was closed, but unlocked. My patient servant was new, and he was not very clever, and he usually stayed downstairs when I pressed the door. He did not come to take the patient away until the bell. He heard nothing, and the matter was a mystery. After a while, Mr. Blessington came back from his walk, but I did not mention it to him, because, lately I try to talk to him as little as possible.

"I thought I would never see the Russian father and son again. So at [-]:[-] this evening, when they came to my office again, I was stunned.

"The old man said: 'Doctor, I'm sorry, we left yesterday without saying goodbye.'

"I said, 'Yeah, that strikes me as very strange.'

"He added: 'The thing is, every time I wake up, I can't remember exactly what happened when I was sick. So when I wake up and find myself in a strange room and you're not there, I'm confused. out.'

"His son continued: 'I saw my father coming out of the clinic and thought he was done. We didn't know it was until we got home!'

"I smiled and said, 'That's all right! It's just that I'm confused by your leaving without saying goodbye, nothing else. Then, sir, you go to the waiting room, and I'll be happy to continue what I left off yesterday!'

"I spent about half an hour discussing his condition with the old man, and then he was given a prescription. Later, his son helped him out.

"I mentioned to you that Mr. Blessington usually goes for a walk at this time. After a while he came back and went straight upstairs. But soon he came running down the stairs and broke in like a madman. my consulting room.

"He yelled: 'Who went to my room?'

"I said: 'No one has been.'

"He yelled angrily: 'You lie, you go and see!'

"I didn't pay attention to his rude attitude because he was frightened like crazy. We walked upstairs together and he pointed out the footprints in the light-colored carpet for me to see.

"He exclaimed: 'Is this my footprint?'

"The footprints on the carpet are bigger than his, obviously just left. It rained heavily at noon today, and only the father and son came to my consulting room. So, it must be the person waiting in the waiting room , for some ugly purpose, while I was treating the old man, I went upstairs and broke into the house of Blessington. Although nothing was touched or lost, these footprints prove that someone must have entered Pass.

"It was a very unpleasant affair, and Mr. Blessington was very agitated all the time. He kept shouting from his chair, and I couldn't even get him to explain why. By the way, he sent me to Yours. Of course I understand that it is necessary. Although he takes the matter too seriously, one thing is certain, there is a name for it. If you will go back with me in the carriage, you may at least get him Be quiet. But I don't expect you to explain this strange thing."

Holmes listened attentively to this long narrative, apparently with renewed interest.His face was as expressionless as ever, but his eyes were narrowed.The smoke rising from his pipe grew thicker and thicker, making the doctor's story all the more bizarre.No sooner had the visitor finished speaking than Holmes stood up, handed me my hat, took his from the table, and set off immediately after Trivelly.About a quarter of an hour later we arrived at the doctor's apartment in Brook Street.A servant ushered us in, and up a wide staircase with fine carpets.

(End of this chapter)