Sherlock Holmes.

Chapter 98 The Return (9)
"Mr. Holmes, my father has long since died. His name was James Smith, and he had been the orchestra director of the Empire Theatre. We, mother and daughter, had no one in the world, except for an uncle, his name was Ralph Smith. He died at the age of twenty-five. Went to Africa and haven't heard from us yet. After my father died we were broke. But someone told us one day that there was an ad in The Times looking for us. You can definitely imagine us How we felt at that time. At that time, we thought whether someone had left us an inheritance, so we immediately found the lawyer according to the address and name in the newspaper. We met two more people with him, one named Carruthers, The other, Woodley, came back from South Africa to visit relatives. They told me that my uncle, who was a good friend of theirs, died of poverty in Johannesburg just a few months ago. Before he died, he asked them to help find him. His relatives, must keep us from being poor. This baffles me. Why should my uncle pay no attention to us when he was alive, but pay special attention to us when he is dying? But Carruthers said, that is Since my uncle has just learned of my father's death, he feels he has an unshirkable responsibility to our mother and daughter."

"Excuse me," said Holmes. "When did you meet?"

"December last year, it's been four months now."

"Go on."

"I don't like that Mr. Woodley, a very reckless young man with a puffy face, a red beard, and disheveled hair, who always winks at me. I hate him, and I'm sure Cyril does too. You definitely don't want to know him."

"Oh, Cyril is your friend?" said Holmes, smiling.

The girl smiled and blushed.

"Yes, Mr. Holmes, he's a fine electrical engineer, and we were going to get married at the end of the summer. Why, what about him? I was going to say Mr. Woodley, he's a very annoying guy, but Mr. Carruthers, who was relatively polite, though he was sallow and clean-shaven, was reticent, gentle, and smiling. When he learned about our situation, he found that our life was really real. He was very poor, so he wanted me to go to his house and be the tutor of his ten-year-old only daughter. I said that I really didn't want to leave my mother, so he told me that I could go home to see her every weekend. He paid me one hundred pounds a year , which was so generous to us mother and daughter, that at last I agreed, and went to Chiltern Farm, about six miles from Farnham. Mr Carruthers' wife had just died, and hired a man called Mrs. Dixon's housekeeper came to take care of the house. The woman was admirably old and stable, and the child was lovely, and all was well. Carruthers was also very friendly, and as everyone was very fond of music, we spent the evening We had a great time together. Every weekend I went home to visit my mother in the city.

"The first thing that went wrong in my happy life was a visit from Mr. Woodley with the red beard. He stayed here for a week, which seemed to me longer than three months. He was terrible. He's tyrannical to other people, and even more so to me. He's talking ugly about how much he loves me, and he's bragging about how rich he is, and telling me that if I marry him, I'll get the best money in London. Diamond. When I ignored him again and again, suddenly one day after dinner, he embraced me in his arms. His strength was like a bull, and I couldn’t break free. He told me that if I don’t kiss him, I will die forever. Don't let go of me. At this moment Carruthers came in and took him away from me. There was a quarrel and a quarrel about it, and Woodley knocked Carruthers down and threw him He got a big gash in the face. That was the end of his visit. The next day, Carruthers apologized to me and promised nothing like yesterday would happen again, and I haven't seen him since Mr Woodley.

"Now, Mr. Holmes, I will come to the point. As you know, I cycle to Farnham Station every Saturday morning, and take the 22 train into town. From Chilter On the way out of the farm, it was necessary to go by a lonely and desolate lane, about a mile long, which bounded on one side the woods surrounding Charrington Hall and on the other the Charrington heath. To a wilder place than this part of the road. Before reaching the Crooksbury Hill Road, there is no horse-drawn carriage, let alone a farmer. When I passed here two weeks ago, I occasionally looked back At a glance, I saw a man riding a bicycle about two hundred yards or so behind me. He seemed to be a middle-aged man with a short and dark beard. When I looked back before reaching Farnham, the man was long gone. I have, therefore, never thought of it again. However, Mr. Holmes, I saw the man again in that part of the road when I came back on Monday. You can imagine my surprise. And on the next day when I came home The same thing kept happening here, which made me wonder the more. The man always kept a distance from me, and never bothered me. But it seemed strange, and I told Mr. Carruthers. , I know he takes it very seriously. He bought a horse and a buggy, and I think he'll have company when he passes there.

"I don't know why the horses and buggies didn't arrive this week, so I had to ride to the station, and that's what happened this morning. When I came to the Charrington heath, I looked into the distance, That's right, the man was there, exactly as he was two weeks ago. The man was still so far away that I couldn't make out what he looked like, but I'm sure I didn't know him. He was all in black, Wearing a cloth hat, the only thing I can see clearly is the black beard on his face. Today I am full of doubts, not feeling a little scared, just trying to figure this out and see what he wants to do. I am slow He also rode slowly, and he stopped when I stopped. So I made a plan to deal with him. There was a sharp turn on the road, I pedaled hard and turned down, then stopped and waited for him. I originally hoped that he could Turned around quickly, didn't have time to stop the car, and rushed in front of me. But he never came, and I went back the same way, looking around the corner, and I couldn't see it for a mile as far as I could see. to see his shadow. What is especially amazing is that there are no forks in this place, and he cannot leave at all."

Holmes smiled slightly, and rubbed his hands.

"It's really special," he said. "How long is it from when you turn the corner to when you realize there's no one on the road?"

"Two or three minutes."

"You mean there is no fork in the road? Then he shouldn't have time to turn back from the original road."

"Yes, there is no fork in the road at all."

"Then he must have left by the sidewalk."

"Not from the heath side, or I'd see him."

"Then, by reasoning by exclusion, we established the fact that he was going to Charrington Park, which, as far as I know, is on the side of the road. Anything else?"

"No, Mr. Holmes. I have come to see you for your advice because I am perplexed and unhappy."

Holmes sat there for some time in silence.

"Where is the gentleman you were engaged to?" he asked at last.

"Mead Electric, Coventry."

"Will he come to see you suddenly?"

"Oh, Mr. Holmes, is it possible that I don't know him?"

"Has anyone else pursued you?"

"A few before I knew Cyril."

"Since meeting him?"

"If Woodley is to be counted among my admirers, he is a dreadful one."

"Anything else?"

Our beautiful client seems to have something to hide.

"Who is he then?" asked Holmes.

"Oh, maybe it's just my imagination, but sometimes I get the feeling that Carruthers means that to me. We hang out a lot and I'll play for him in the evenings, but he never says anything. He's a nice guy. But for girls, they still understand what he means."

"Ha!" asked Holmes, with particular gravity. "What does he do for a living?"

"He was a very rich man."

"But why doesn't he have horses and a carriage?"

"Well, at least he's well off, and goes into town two or three times a week, with a special eye on South African gold and stocks."

"Miss Smith, you have to tell me all the new discoveries. Although I am really busy now, I will definitely find time to help you clarify this case. During this period, don't take any action lightly. Goodbye, I'm sure we'll have good news from you."

"It is not surprising that such a beautiful girl has some suitors," said Holmes, smoking a cigarette, "but why should she follow her on a bicycle in a remote part of the road? It is certain that this is someone who has a crush on her. Very curious and thought-provoking details, Watson."

"You mean that he will only appear in one place?"

"That's right. The first thing we're going to do is find out who's renting Charrington Hall, and find out about Carruthers and Woodley. They're two different types of people, and why are they in such a hurry?" What about visiting Ralph Smith's relatives? And why didn't the Carruthers house have a horse when they were six miles from the station? And paying double the price for a governess? What kind of housekeeping? Strange, Watson, it is incredible!"

"Will you investigate?"

"No, dear friend, you can just go and investigate. This is probably a little conspiracy that is not a big deal. You have to hide around there to observe for yourself, act according to what you see, and then investigate again. Whoever lives at Charrington Manor, report to me when you come back. Now, Watson, I hope you can get some favorable evidence, and I have nothing more to say about the matter."

The girl told us that she took the [-]:[-] train from Waterloo Station every Monday.So, I had to take the train that arrived at [-]:[-] ahead of time.When I reached Farnham Station, I had no trouble inquiring about the terrain in that part of Charrington.How could I have missed the place where the girl was being followed?On that part of the road, an open heath belt on one side, and a ring of old yew hedges on the other, circled a manor house.There is a long gravel road in the manor.On the stone pillars on both sides of the gate, there are all damaged patterns.Except for the gravel road in the middle, I saw that there were gaps in several hedges, which could be used as trails.There was no residence to be seen on the road, and the surroundings looked gloomy and terrifying.

The heath was full of yellow gorse clumps, glistening in the bright spring sun.I had chosen my hiding place in the bushes so that I could watch the gate of the manor and at the same time see the long road.When I left the main road, there was no one on the road. Now, a man in black clothes and a black beard came to me on a bicycle.When he came to the end of the Charrington house, he jumped out of the car and entered a gap in the hedge, out of my sight.

About 15 minutes later, No.2 cyclist appeared, this is the lovely girl.I saw her look around as she rode up to Charrington Hedges, and after a while the man came out of his hiding place and rode close behind.In the vast picturesque scenery, only this figure in front and behind is moving.The well-mannered girl was riding upright on the bike, while the man behind her crouched on the handlebars, his every move was inexplicably sneaky.She slowed the car as she turned around, and he slowed with him.The girl got out of the car and he got out of the car too.Just two hundred yards away.The girl's next move was to suddenly turn around and rush towards him at an unexpected speed, and he was as fast as the girl, desperately trying to escape.The girl immediately went back to the same way, with a proud expression on her face, and stopped paying attention to the timid guy.He turned back again and followed till they turned the road and I couldn't see them.

I was still in the shadows then, and it was fitting that I did so.After a while, the man appeared again, and he rode back slowly.He got out of the car at the gates of the estate, and stood among the trees for a few minutes, holding his hands up as if adjusting his tie.Then he rode past me on his bicycle and rode in the direction of the manor.I came out of the heather and looked towards the gap in the woods, where the old gray building stood, but unfortunately the driveway was blocked by a thick bush, and I couldn't see the cyclist at all.

However, I thought I had done well, and walked merrily back to Farnham Station.As for Charrington Manor, I couldn't get better information from the local real estate agent. I only learned that it had been rented a month ago to a very respectable old man named Williamson.The very polite real estate agent said that he couldn't introduce any more, he thought his client was involved now.

Mr. Sherlock Holmes listened attentively to my report that evening.I thought he would compliment me, but I didn't hear a single word of praise for me. On the contrary, he made detailed comments on what I had done and what I should have done but not done. Judging from his serious face, He's really different than usual.

"My dear Watson, you are thinking too simply. How could you choose that inappropriate place to hide? You should hide behind the hedge so that you can see the interesting person more carefully. In fact, Well, you're hiding hundreds of yards from there, and you don't know as much as that lady. She doesn't think she knows him at all, but I think she must know him, or else he Why are you afraid of that girl approaching him? You said he was lying on the handlebars, didn't you just want to hide his face? You did a terrible job. He entered the house and wanted to know what he was doing Yes, but ran to ask the real estate agent!"

"So what am I supposed to do?" I yelled a little dazedly.

"Go to the hotel near there, and you'll get more information. Everyone will be named, from the owner to the kitchen maid. As for the man named Williamson, I don't know him at all. If If he was an old man, he would not be the nimble cyclist, and definitely not the one who could escape the girl's swift pursuit. The only gain from your trip is to prove that the girl is telling the truth, which I Never doubted it at all, and I am sure the cyclist had something to do with the estate. Who can be sure that Williamson has hired the estate? Well, my dear Watson, don't be so disheartened. We can still do it before Saturday Lots of stuff, and I could do a survey or two in the meantime."

Early the next morning, we received a text message from Miss Smith, briefly describing what I had witnessed, but the main content of the letter was in the postscript.

What I want to tell you is that I am in an embarrassing situation now, and I am sure you will consider the secret I have revealed.My employer has proposed to me, and I do believe he is very attached to me.At this time, I told him about my engagement.He took my rejection very seriously, but he was very friendly.You can see how precarious I am now.

"Our young client appears to be in trouble," said Holmes thoughtfully as he read the letter. "The case is more interesting and open to further development than I had imagined. I think It is time for me to go to the country for a quiet day. I must go this afternoon, and test a little idea or two I have formed."

Holmes had a special day in the country, and the ending was even more extraordinary.He had come back to Baker Street late, with a broken lip, a bruised forehead, and a very distressed look.He was very pleased with what he had done, and laughed out loud as he talked.

"Active exercise is very useful, but unfortunately I have not exercised well enough before," said Holmes. "You know, I know a little of English boxing. It is good to use it now and then, or else will suffer a very shameful defeat."

I asked him to tell the truth about what happened.

"I went to the country inn near there, and made careful inquiries there. In the bar, the gossiping proprietor told all I wanted to know. Williamson was an old man with a white beard. He and Several servants lived there, and it was said that he had been a priest, but one or two things in this short time made me feel that he was not a priest at all. I checked with a priest's agency, and they said that there had been A pastor with this name, but he has done many dishonorable things in the past. The shopkeeper also said that every weekend, there will always be a group of hooligans in the manor, especially a man with a red beard named Wood Leigh, there is always him in this. At this point, the man named Woodley came over. It turned out that he had been drinking beer in the bar next door, and he overheard our conversation. He wanted to know Who, why are you asking these questions, what the hell is he going to do. He was spitting out a lot of words, and finally he swears, and he backhands me viciously. I didn't have time to dodge it, and then it became more interesting. The murderer kept hitting me , I am what I am now. Mr. Woodley drove away first, and my country tour is over. My day's visit to the Surrey border may not be more rewarding than you."

We received another letter from the girl on Thursday, and she wrote:
Does it strike you as any surprise, Mr. Holmes, that I am about to resign from the Carruthers family?I would not have put up with this embarrassment, even if it had been well paid.I shall be going back to town at the weekend, and shall not go there again, Mr. Carruthers has already prepared a carriage for me, and I do not think that there will be any danger in the back lanes.

(End of this chapter)