Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 89 Memoirs (23)
"Where shall we meet?"

"At the station. Our seats are in the second compartment of the first-class car."

"Then, we'll meet in the carriage."

"Yes."

I wanted Holmes to stay, but he resolutely refused.Obviously, he was afraid of putting me in danger.After he briefly introduced his plans for tomorrow, we came to the garden together.He climbed over the wall to Mortimer Street, then whistled for a cab, and I heard him drive off.

The next morning I followed Holmes's instructions very carefully.I was very careful not to fall into the trap they set for us.After breakfast, I chose a carriage very carefully, and drove at once to Lowther Street.After getting out of the car, I quickly walked across the street, and sure enough there was a four-wheeled carriage parked there.The coachman was tall and strong, wearing a black cloak.As soon as I got into the car, he drove straight to Victoria Station.After arriving at the station, I quickly jumped off, and the driver turned around and left quickly.

Up to this point, all was going well, and Holmes had arranged everything very well.My luggage was already on board, and the carriages which Holmes spoke of were easy to find, for there was only one carriage marked "Reserved."

Now there is one thing that makes me very anxious. Holmes has not arrived yet.I glanced at the clock on the station, and there were only 7 minutes left in the train.I searched desperately among a group of passengers and send-off crowds, but I never saw my friend.

At this moment, I saw an old Italian priest, whose English was so poor that the porters could not understand him—luggage to Paris.So I helped him and wasted a few minutes.Then, I continued to look around, but there was still nothing, so I returned to the carriage disappointed.In the carriage, the porter was leading an old Italian to accompany me. No matter how much I told him that the ticket number was wrong and that he had taken someone else's seat, it was useless, because my Italian was even worse.I could only shrug my shoulders helplessly and continue to look out, looking for Holmes.It suddenly occurred to me that he might not be able to come today because he met those gangsters last night.Thinking of this made me tremble with fright.The doors of the train were closed, the whistle sounded, and at this moment...

A voice came to my ears: "Dear Watson, you haven't greeted me yet."

Startled, I turned around, and the old priest was looking at me.His face was full of wrinkles, his nose was raised, his lower lip was no longer so protruding, his mouth was no longer constricted, his dull eyes became extremely lively, and his curved back was straightened.

Within a moment, suddenly, his whole body bent again, and Holmes disappeared again.

"My God! You scared the hell out of me!" I yelled.

He whispered: "Precautions are still necessary. They are trying to find us. Look, Professor Moriarty."

By the time Holmes spoke, the train was already moving.I looked back and saw a tall and thin man suddenly rushing through the crowd, waving his hands as if he wanted to stop the train.But it was too late, the train was speeding up and left the station in the blink of an eye.

My friend stood up, took off his black priest's cap, put it in his bag, and then said to me with a smile: "Because of precautions, we got out smoothly."

"Did you read this morning's paper, Watson?"

"I did not see."

"Then you don't know about Baker Street?"

"Baker Street?"

"Last night, they burned down our apartment, but luckily there wasn't much damage."

"My God! Holmes, this is beyond endurance!"

"Because the guy who hit me with the bludgeon was in custody, they lost track of me. Otherwise they wouldn't have thought I'd come home. But, obviously they've been watching you, or Moriarty wouldn't have come to the station . Were you negligent when you came?

"I did exactly as planned."

"Have you found the chariot?"

"Yes, he's waiting there."

"Do you know the coachman?"

"do not know."

"He's Mycroft. In a covert operation like this it's better not to have hired men. But we must now develop a strategy against Moriarty."

"It's an express train, and it's combined with a steamer. Haven't we got rid of him?"

"I told you, Watson, that this man was as intelligent as I am. Evidently you did not understand this. If I were following a man, I should never be hindered by the slightest difficulty. Therefore, we He cannot be underestimated."

"What on earth can he do?"

"So, what are you going to do?"

"Book a private car."

"But that's too late."

"Not too late. The train arrives at Canterbury station and there's usually a 15-minute wait for the ferry. He can use that time to catch us on the pier."

"Then maybe others will think that we are criminals. If that's the case, why don't we catch him first."

"Then my three months of hard work will be in vain. Although we can catch a big fish, the small fish will be caught. Just wait until Monday and we will catch them all, so we can't arrest him yet."

"What should I do?"

"We get off at Canterbury Station."

"what's next?"

"Well, then we'll go around the country. New Haven, then Dieppe. Moriarty's going to Paris, he's got our luggage, so let him wait for us on the platform for two days. Of course. , we need to buy two more sleeping bags and other necessities, let’s just support the business of merchants in various countries along the way. We have enough time to pass through Luxembourg and Basel, and then visit Switzerland.”

In Canterbury we quietly got out of the car.But after getting off the bus, I realized that the bus to New Haven would take an hour.

The train pulling my luggage passed by, and I was quite sad.At this moment, Holmes tugged at my sleeve and pointed to the direction of the railway behind me.

He said, "Look, here they are."

In the distance, plumes of black smoke rose from the Kent Forest.After 1 minute, I saw a locomotive leading another train through the curve and headed for the platform.We had just found a place to hide behind the pile of luggage when the train flew past us, sending a gust of heat in our face.

After watching the train pass quickly over several small hills, Holmes said: "He is gone. It seems that his mental level is still limited. If he can follow my train of thought and take corresponding measures , that would be terrible."

"What if he can catch up with us?"

"He's going to kill me, for sure. It's an open battle, though. Do we eat here early or go to New Haven and find a restaurant? But New Haven will probably be starving."

We arrived in Brussels that night.After staying there for two days, I left for Strasbourg on the third day.

On Monday morning Holmes sent a telegram to Scotland Yard.That night, when we got back to the hotel, we saw the call back.Holmes opened the telegram and threw it into the fire with a loud curse.

"I should have thought of that earlier, he ran away."

"Professor Moriarty?"

"Scotland Yard cracked up the whole organization, but failed to capture him. He escaped. Since I was out of the country, there was no one to match him. But I think Scotland Yard has victory. I miss you, Watson." It's best to go home."

"why?"

"Because we are already in danger together. The man's bed is taken away. If he returns to London, he can only die. If I judge him correctly, he will come to revenge. In that conversation, he It's been said. I believe he walks the talk, so you must go back."

Over the years, I have helped Holmes solve cases countless times, and I am close to death, so I firmly disagree with his suggestion.We sat in the hotel in Strasbourg and argued for half an hour, and finally decided to continue our journey that night and go to Geneva together.

We wandered all the way and spent an unforgettable week in the Rhone Gorge.Then, I turned from Loic to Jimmy Pass and enjoyed the beautiful scenery of snow-covered mountains.Finally, from Interlaken to Meiringen.This is really a tense and pleasant trip. The mountains are covered with snow and the winter is cold, but the mountains are full of spring and green.

But I know very well that, in fact, Holmes's heart is always covered with shadows.Whether in the rustic Alps or in the sparsely populated unnamed mountain pass, he observed everyone passing us very vigilantly.He believes that no matter where we go, danger may appear at any time.

Once, passing Jimmy Pass, we were following the tedious border of Daubenne when a boulder tumbled off the right ridge and crashed into the lake behind us.My friend immediately climbed to the top of the mountain and stood there looking around for a long time.Although the guide repeatedly assured that it is normal for the rocks to fall in spring in this place, they failed to convince him.Although he said nothing, I already guessed from his smiling expression that he believed it was no accident.

Although he was vigilant, he was not discouraged.On the contrary, I have never seen such spirit in him.He mentioned several times: If he can get rid of Moriarty for the society this time, then he would rather end his detective career.

Holmes said: "Watson, I can now say that I have not spent my life in vain. Even if my life were to end tonight, I would have no fear. The air in London has been purified a lot because of my existence. So far, in my life Among the more than 1000 cases I have handled, I am sure that my wisdom has never been used. I am not interested in superficial social issues, because they are caused by human beings. In fact, I am more interested in studying the essential properties of nature. Watson , when I apprehend or destroy the most dangerous and powerful criminal in Europe, that is the day my detective career ends. At the same time, your memoirs can also be closed."

Now, I have decided to tell the story as concisely as possible.I did not want to dwell on that unforgettable experience, but it was my duty to recreate that moment without omitting any detail.

On May [-], we came to a small village in Meiringen, the Netherlands, and stayed at the "British Hotel" owned by the old Brown Steyler.The proprietor is very shrewd, having spent three years as a waiter at the Grosvenor Hotel in London, and speaks English fluently.

On the afternoon of the [-]th, we set out again according to the owner's suggestion, intending to climb several mountains to a small village in Rosenroy for the night.However, he repeatedly reminded us that we should not miss the Reichenbach Falls halfway up the mountain, as long as we take a short detour, we can visit it.

The place is indeed steep.The melted snow water merged into swift rivers and poured into the abyss, and the water from the bottom of the abyss splashed like white smoke from a burning house.At the mouth of the river was a valley with a huge fissure, and the rocks rose from both sides like pillars of black coal.Going further down, the crack gradually narrowed, and the milky white rushing and tumbling water flowed continuously into the deep ditch, and then burst out a stream of rapids, rushing powerfully towards the gap.Endless green waves poured down with thunderous bangs, and the dense and swaying water curtain was rumbling.The water splashed everywhere, and the sound of running water made people dizzy and tinnitus.We stood on the edge of the mountain, watching the waves crashing on the black rock below, and listening to the thunderous roar from the bottom of the ditch.

Halfway up the mountain, a path is stepped along the waterfall, and visitors can watch the panoramic view of the waterfall.But the path was interrupted halfway, so we had to go back the same way.On our way back we met a Swiss lad with a letter in his hand, stamped with the stamp of the hotel we had just left, which the owner had given me.The letter said that we had just left when an English woman came.She is already a terminal tuberculosis patient. She originally spent the winter in Davos Platz, but now she came to Lucerne to visit friends, but she suddenly coughed up blood continuously and her life was in danger.There is an urgent need for a doctor to treat her, and asked if I could go back.The good shopkeeper added in a postscript that since the woman had refused to be treated by the Swiss doctor, he had no choice but to ask me on behalf of the patient, and he himself would be very grateful to me if I would do so.

Faced with this kind of thing, I obviously cannot turn a blind eye to it, let alone refuse the request of a female compatriot who lives in a foreign country and whose life is in danger.But leaving Holmes is also what I don't want to do.

It was therefore agreed between us that the messenger should accompany him on my excursions during my return to the hotel.My friend said he would stop near this waterfall for a while, and then he would hike up the mountain to Rosenroy, where we would meet in the evening.

I turn and leave.When I looked back, I saw that he was leaning against the rock with his hands folded, looking down at the rushing water.Unexpectedly, this is the eternal farewell between me and him in this life.

When I walked down the hill, I couldn't help but look back at him.At this time, the waterfall is no longer visible, only the path along the waterfall is still faintly visible.I remember seeing a figure hurrying down the path.Against the backdrop of the greenery behind him, I could just see clearly—he walked with vigor.But because I had urgent business to do, I didn't pay much attention to it.

An hour later, I was back in Meiringen.The shopkeeper was standing at the door.

I went up to him and said, "Hello, how is her condition?"

He showed a surprised expression.The moment his eyebrows were bent down, my heart suddenly trembled.

I took the letter out of my pocket and asked: "Isn't this from you? Is there not a sick Englishwoman in the hotel?"

He said aloud: "No! The stamp on it... ah! It must have been done by the tall Englishman. He came here after you left. He said..."

Before the shopkeeper finished speaking, I ran back in a panic and went straight to the path just now.It was downhill when I came, and it took me more than an hour, but now it is uphill, even though I ran desperately, by the time I returned to the waterfall, more than two hours had passed.

Holmes' cane was still standing on the rock upon which he had leaned, but there was no trace of Holmes himself.I called out, but all I heard was an echo from the surrounding valley.

Seeing the trekking poles, I couldn't help shivering a few times.So he's still here, and probably got his revenge on a path over the cliff.The boy who delivered the letter was nowhere to be seen. He must have been paid by Moriarty and left.

What the hell happened?

No one knows.

I began to feel a little dizzy, and my eyes were dark.I struggled to steady myself, and then began to try to remember how Holmes usually faced such situations.I tried to analyze the cause and effect of this tragedy in his way of thinking, fortunately it was not too difficult.When we parted just now, we probably hadn't finished walking the path, and the trekking poles helped me determine where I was just now.

The surrounding black land is very soft and moist due to the continuous baptism of water spray for many years, and even a leaf will leave a slight trace when it falls.I found that not far from the end of the path, the ground was muddy, and the weeds in the crevices of the cliff were randomly entangled together.I lay down on the edge of the seam, lowered my head and looked carefully.The water is still splashing all around, and the sun has set.The glistening water splash is even more desolate in this scene.I let go of my voice and yelled a few times, but the only thing that came into my ears was the thunderous roar of the waterfall.

Thank goodness I have finally found the last words of my closest friend.

On the rock where he placed his trekking poles, a cigarette case lay quietly in a very conspicuous place, which was used by Holmes.I rushed over like a treasure.

I picked up the cigarette case, and a piece of paper underneath flew into my hand under the action of the wind.I hastily unfolded it to take a closer look, this is my last words written to me.The letter was all his style, clear and clear, and clearly written.

My dear Watson:

I leave this letter with the kindness of Mr. Moriarty.He was waiting to have a final discussion about some issues between us.He has already introduced how to get rid of the British police and how to learn about our actions.Indeed a wise man.

When I think that I have the opportunity to do such a good thing for the society, I can't help being very happy and proud.Of course, this may cause you great pain.But, as you know, my purpose in life has been achieved.In fact, I knew from the very beginning that the letter from Meiringen was a hoax.I let you go because I knew what was going to happen.Please tell Inspector Patterson for me that the gang conviction he needs is in my filing cabinet, in a blue envelope with Moriarty written on the cover.I sold some valuables before I left, and my brother will take them.Please give my regards to Mrs.

Your friend
sherlock holmes

The next thing, needless to say, should be understood.The two fought to the death, but in such perilous circumstances, the outcome could only be that the two tussled and fell into the waterfall together.As for the corpses, they couldn't be found at all, because they were buried in a bottomless ravine.Later, the Swiss boy who delivered the letter was never found again.As for the gang, the evidence collected by Holmes has completely exposed their crimes and has become a sharp weapon against them.But throughout the proceedings, few details about the gang leader were mentioned.Today, the reason why I stand up and tell more truths is that some vain defenders want to attack Holmes to honor Moriarty.And in justice, Sherlock Holmes will always be the kindest and wisest man in the world.

(End of this chapter)