Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 86 Memoirs (20)
"Thank you. I'm sure I can learn more from Woobles. The police are good at collecting information, but not very good at using it. Oh, the roses are lovely!"

He walked around the couch, went to the window, held up a hanging rose branch with his hand, and admired the beautiful flowers.This is a side of his character that has never existed before. I have never seen him interested in the vegetation of nature before.

Leaning against the shutters, he said: "Religion is the most logical thing in the world, and this method may be gradually perfected by reasoning scholars into an exact science. I think that according to reasoning, our highest respect for a merciful God Faith may be expressed in flowers. Because other things: our abilities, our desires, our food, and all the necessities of life, are all for survival. Flowers are different, their fragrance and color They are all embellishments to life, not the premise of survival. Only benevolence, kindness and beauty can create extraordinary qualities. So I want to say that human beings place their best wishes in flowers."

Percy and his nurse looked at the eloquent Holmes in amazement, and looked at each other with disappointed expressions.Holmes was still holding the rose in his hand, thinking endlessly.After a few minutes, the woman broke the silence.

"It seems to you, Mr. Holmes, that you think there is no hope of solving the mystery?" she asked bluntly.

Holmes froze for a moment, recovered his senses slowly, and replied: "Ah, it is indeed a mystery! It would be unwise not to admit the complexity of this case. However, I assure you that I will definitely investigate this matter seriously." , and will inform you as soon as there is news.”

"Do you have a clue?"

"You've given me seven clues, but I have to go through them before I can be sure."

"Who do you suspect?"

"No, I only doubt myself."

"what?"

"I suspect I'm jumping to conclusions too quickly."

"Then please return to London as soon as possible to confirm your conclusion."

Holmes stood up and said: "Miss Harrison, your suggestion is very good. I think, Watson, we are almost there. Don't expect too much, Mr. Phelps. This matter is indeed not ordinary. .”

"I look forward to seeing you again," cried Phelps.

"Okay, although I may not be able to bring you good news, I will definitely come to see you again at the same time tomorrow."

Our client exclaimed: "God bless you with success! I know you have a way, and it gives me the strength to live. By the way, I have a letter from Lord Holdhurst."

"Ah!? What did he say in the letter?"

"His attitude was cold, but not very severe. I believe it was because I was sick that he didn't blame me. He mentioned the matter was top secret many times, and said that only when I recovered could it be possible to recover from my mistakes. As for my future, I'm afraid it's irreversible, that is to say, dismissal is inevitable."

"Well, it's thoughtful and reasonable. Come on, Watson, we have a whole day's work to do!"

Mr. Joseph Harrison drove us to the station in a carriage.We were soon on the train to Portsmouth.Holmes remained silent all the way, thinking continuously.He didn't speak until he had passed Clapham Junction:
"It's a pleasure to look at. I find that any railway line to London can look down on these houses."

The scenery outside the car was dilapidated, and I thought he was joking.He immediately explained:
"Look at the lonely houses, like islands of brick in a sea of ​​gray, set on bluestone."

"This is a boarding school."

"No, Watson, that's the lighthouse! The lighthouse that will illuminate the voyage in the future! Every lighthouse--the school is pregnant with many bright little seeds. In their hands, the future country will surely be more civilized and prosperous. I Guess Phelps doesn't drink wine?"

"I think so too."

"Nevertheless, we should take every possibility into consideration. The poor man is in dire straits, and it will be a test for us to help him out of it. What do you think of Miss Harrison?" "

"It seems to be a bit tempered."

"Not bad. But she's not a bad person. She and her brother are the children of an ironworker near Northumberland. She was engaged to Phelps when she traveled last winter, and her brother accompanied her here." Meeting with fiancé's family. Now that this unfortunate incident has happened, she's left to stay and take care of Phelps. And Joseph Harrison feels comfortable here, so he's staying too. I've done a simple investigation. But we have to continue today.”

"My clinic business..." I was about to start.

Boss Holmes said unhappily: "Ah, if you think your clinic business is more important than this case..."

"I'm just saying that I'm going to put the clinic business on hold for a few days during the slowest season of the year."

Holmes rejoiced, and said aloud: "That is very good, let us study together again. I think we should pay a visit to Woobles first. He may give us some details, and then I will know where to start. .”

"You mean, you found a clue?"

"Yes, there are a few clues, but further investigation is needed to prove them true. No motive is the hardest case to solve, but this case is not without a motive. Who would benefit from it? The French ambassador or The Russian ambassador, is it Lord Holdhurt who can sell the documents to the ambassador?"

"he?"

"Yes, you can think of it that way. A politician sometimes uses unscrupulous means for a certain political purpose."

"Lord Holdhurst is a cabinet minister with an honorable record."

"This is only a possibility, and we cannot rule out any possibility. We are going to visit the lord today to see if he can provide us with new leads. In fact, our investigation has already begun."

"Already unfolded?"

"Yes, I wired from Woking Station to the London evening papers, and they will all carry the notice."

Holmes handed me a note torn from a diary, on which was written in pencil:
At 23:45 p.m. on May 221, a passenger got out of a carriage at or near the entrance of the Foreign Office on Charles Street. Anyone who knows the number of the carriage should inform No. [-] B, Baker Street, and a reward of ten pounds will be given.

"Are you sure the man came in a carriage?"

"It doesn't matter if it isn't. If Phelps is right and there is no hiding place in the office and corridors, then the burglar must have come in from the outside. If he had come in on that rainy day, a few minutes later And the absence of any footprints upon examination can only prove that he came in a carriage. Yes, I judge that he came in a carriage."

"It makes sense."

"This is one of the clues, which allows us to draw a conclusion. At the same time, the ringing of the bell is also the key point of this case. What was his purpose for ringing the bell? Maybe it was a deception; maybe someone saw the thief and rang the bell on purpose , to remind the master; maybe it was accidentally rang the bell; maybe it was..."

He was thinking intensely again, and knowing him well, he must have suddenly hit upon a new possibility.

At about [-]:[-], we arrived at the terminal.

After a hasty lunch at a small restaurant, we headed straight to Scotland Yard.Wuppers is waiting for us, for my friend has telegraphed there.

Wuppers was a small, mouse-headed, and not at all friendly manner.When he knew our purpose of coming here, his attitude became even colder.

He said meanly: "I have heard many times before about your method of handling cases, Holmes. You like to use the information collected by the police to solve the case yourself, and then embarrass the police."

Holmes said: "In fact, the opposite is true. Of the 53 cases I have solved in the past, only four have my name signed, while the police have won all the honors for the rest of the cases. I don't blame you, because you are young and experienced. Insufficient and uninformed. But if you want to advance in your work, it is better to cooperate with us than to resist.”

The detective immediately changed his attitude and became more amiable: "I am willing to listen to your orders, sir. Until now, I have not really gotten credit for handling the case."

"How far have you come?"

"Watching Tangel the gatekeeper, but he retired with a particularly good reputation, and we haven't found any suspects. But his wife is terrible. I think she must know a lot about it, and it's hard to get rid of it."

"Did you spy on her?"

"We sent a female detective to keep an eye on her. Mrs. Tangel liked to drink, and the detective went with her twice, but got nothing."

"It is said that some second-hand dealers have been to her house?"

"True. But she has paid off her debt to them."

"Where did the money come from?"

"The janitors just got their annual salaries not long ago, but they don't look very rich."

"What's the explanation for her going up that evening when Mr. Phelps rang for coffee?"

"She said her husband was tired so she went up for him."

"Oh, her husband was sleeping in the concierge at the time, so that is also consistent with the facts. In this way, the woman was just of bad character, and there was no other evidence. Why did she leave in a panic that day? Even the police saw her panic look."

"She said she was in a hurry when she came home late that day."

"Then you and Mr. Phelps went twenty minutes later than her, but arrived home before her. How can she explain it?"

"She says that a hansom is much faster than a stagecoach."

"Then why did she rush to the back room after returning home?"

"She said her money was in the back room and she was going to withdraw it to pay the junk dealer."

"She answered every question. So did you ask her if she saw or met anyone on Charles Street when you left there?"

"She only saw one police officer."

"Well, you're doing well. What else did you do besides that?"

"We've been monitoring Gorot for the past two months, but to no avail. We haven't found anything suspicious about him."

"Any more?"

"There's nothing we can do because there's no evidence whatsoever."

"Have you ever thought about it, what happened to the electric bell?"

"Ah, I have to admit that this question is really strange. Whoever stole the documents is really arrogant enough. Not only did he steal things, but he also sounded the alarm."

"Yes, it is indeed very strange. Thank you, and we will let you know when we have caught this man. Watson, let us go."

After leaving the police station, I asked, "Where are you going now?"

"A visit to the cabinet minister - Lord Holdhurst, the future Prime Minister of the United Kingdom."

Very fortunately, Lord Holdhurst was still in office when we arrived in Downing Street.Holmes handed over his card, and we were received at once.The cabinet minister received us with old-fashioned decorum.We sat in plush easy chairs on either side of the fireplace, and he stood between us.He was thin and tall, with a clear face and a kind attitude. With silver-gray curly hair, he looked majestic and had a typical aristocratic demeanor.

He smiled and said: "Mr. Holmes, I have heard of your name for a long time. Of course, I am very clear about the purpose of your coming here. The events in this department must have aroused your interest. However, I want to know who your client is." ?”

My friend replied, "Mr. Percy Phelps."

"Ah, my unfortunate nephew! You know we are related, but I can't protect him either. This accident is very bad for his future."

"But what if the files are found?"

"That's another story."

"Lord Holdhurst, I would like to ask you a question or two."

"please say."

"This is where you handed over the document to him?"

"good."

"So can anyone overhear your conversation?"

"Absolutely not."

"Have you ever told anyone else that this document will be transcribed?"

"No."

"Absolutely not?"

"Absolutely not."

"Well, since neither you nor Phelps mentioned it to anyone else, and no one else knew about it, the thief stole the papers by accident. He just happened to have the opportunity and took it with him. gone."

The cabinet minister smiled and said, "I can't answer you."

Holmes pondered for a while, and then asked him: "There is another very important question that I would like to discuss with you. As far as I know, you are worried that if the document is made public, it will lead to serious consequences."

The cabinet minister immediately expressed worry on his face, and said, "Of course it will lead to serious consequences."

"Has it already appeared?"

"not yet."

"Would you have been informed if this document had been obtained by the French or the Russians?"

The diplomat said slightly displeased: "Yes."

"In this way, since there has been no news for such a long time, it can be concluded that for some reason, people from the Russian and French foreign ministries did not get this agreement."

The diplomat nodded in agreement.

"I cannot believe it, Mr. Holmes, that the thieves stole this document only to hide it."

"Maybe he's biding his time so he can sell at a premium."

"After a while, that agreement will be worthless. Because in a few months, the secret will be revealed."

"This is a very important point," said Holmes. "Of course we may assume that the thief has suddenly fallen ill..."

The Minister of Cabinet glanced at Holmes, and then said: "Suppose he has encephalitis, and is insane?"

"I have no other meaning," said Holmes calmly. "Well, I think we may take our leave. I am sorry to take up your time."

The cabinet minister sent us out and said to us, "I wish you success in catching the thief, whoever he may be."

When we got to Whitehall Street my friend said: "He's very good, but he's had to fight to keep his office. He's not very rich, but he's very expensive. You may have seen that too, His boots have been resoled. Now, Watson, I cannot detain you from your medical duties. Unless there is a response to the notice I have placed, there is nothing to do today. However, if you will be with me tomorrow I would be very grateful to take the train to Woking that we took yesterday."

We met on time the next morning and took the train to Woking together.He said there has been no response to Deng's affidavit, so there are no new leads in the case.When he spoke, his face was as rigid as that of an Indian, and I couldn't tell whether he was satisfied with the current progress.

I remember that he mentioned Bertillon (Bettiron, born in 1853, died in 1941, a French bourgeois detective, who once proposed the "personal measurement method", that is, according to age, by comparing bones, combining photography and fingerprints, etc. To identify criminals, it is called the "Bertillon measurement"-translator's note) measurement, and I have great admiration for this scholar.

Our client is still under the tender care of his fiancée, and in much better condition than before.Seeing us coming in, he stood up easily.

He asked eagerly, "Have you found any clues?"

Holmes said: "As I expected, there is no good news for you. I went to see Woobles and your uncle, and then investigated several possible clues."

"So, do you still have confidence?"

"Of course there is!"

Miss Harrison said, "God bless you! I'm glad to hear that, if we have faith and patience, we can solve any problem."

Phelps sat down on the couch again and said, "You haven't told us much, but we have a lot to tell you."

"Hopefully there will be new cases."

"It's a new situation indeed. Another very serious incident happened last night. Do you know that I am now at the center of a criminal conspiracy, and not only my reputation is their goal, but my life is now also their goals."

Holmes exclaimed in surprise, "Ah!?"

"It's unbelievable indeed. Because as far as I know, I don't have any enemies in this world. But from last night's experience, I can only believe that someone deliberately hurt me."

"Please tell us carefully."

"Last night, for the first time, I was not attended to in my room. I slept by myself and felt fine and thought I no longer needed nursing. I kept the lamp on at night though.

"About two o'clock in the morning, I was falling asleep. Suddenly, I was awakened by a slight noise, which seemed to be the sound of a mouse chewing on a wooden board. I lay on the bed and listened quietly for a while, thinking it was a mouse. But the sound became more and more It got louder, accompanied by harsh metal rubbing sounds. I sat up in surprise, and finally understood what was going on. At first it was the sound of someone prying the window with a tool, and then it was the sound of opening the window latch.

"It was quiet for about 10 minutes, and someone seemed to be watching to see if I had been awakened by the sound. Then there was a slight creaking sound, and the window was slowly opened. Because my nerves are very fragile now, I was at that time. I couldn't bear it anymore. I jumped out of bed and suddenly opened the blinds. There was a man squatting by the window, but he disappeared in a blink of an eye. His face was covered with a cloth, and the lower part was completely covered, so I I couldn't see who he was. I just remember that he was holding a long knife in his hand. The light of the knife flickered when he turned and ran away."

"This is very important," said Holmes. "What happened?"

"If I hadn't been so weak, I would have jumped out after him. But all I could do was ring the bell to wake the family up. It took a while, because the bell was in the kitchen and the servants were upstairs sleeping.

"However, my shouting woke up Joseph, and he woke up others. Joseph and the groom found footprints on the lawn outside the house, but due to the recent dry weather, they could not find the footprints after they traced the grass. There is a broken part of the wooden fence next to the road. They said that the man seemed to have escaped from there, and when he turned over, he broke the tip of the railing. I didn't call the police because I wanted to hear your opinion first. .”

Phelps' words were like a shot in the arm for Holmes.He stood up, controlled his excitement, and walked up and down the room.

"It's true that misfortunes never come singly," Phelps said with a wry smile.This accident obviously made him stimulated again.

My friend said, "It's really dangerous, can you walk around the yard with me?"

"Of course. I want to bask in the sun too. Joseph, let's go together."

"I'm going too," said Miss Harrison.

My friend shook his head and said, "You better not go. I want you to stay here."

The girl stayed disappointed, and her brother came out with us.

(End of this chapter)