Sherlock Holmes Complete Works 2

Chapter 13 Memoirs 13
It was in the spring of [-], and my friend, Mr. Sherlock Holmes, was not fully recovered from the weariness of his body from overwork.The case of the Holland-Sumatra Company and the great project of Baron Maupatuiz are still well remembered.These cases are too closely related to politics and economics to be described in my memoirs.But to put it another way, these two cases were so complex and unique that my friend had the opportunity to demonstrate a new method of fighting, one of all the methods he had used in his life's fight against crime. kind.

I searched my notes carefully and found that on the fourteenth of April I had received a telegram from Lyon.The telegram stated that Mr. Holmes was ill at the Durand Hotel.Within 24 hours, I rushed to his ward and was relieved to see that his symptoms were not as severe as I imagined.His physique of steel and iron finally collapsed under the exhaustion of the investigation in more than two months.For two months he slept no more than four hours a day, and he told me that at one point he even worked five days straight.Not even joy could bring him back from such terrible fatigue.When his name was heard all over Europe, and congratulatory messages piled up from all over the world, I found that Holmes still felt very painful. The police in three countries had failed, but he had won.He foiled the tricks of Europe's most skilled swindlers.Even so, it did not cheer him up.

After three days we returned together to Baker Street.A change of environment is obviously better for my friend.The idea of ​​going to the country for a week in this beautiful spring is also full of great attraction for me.My old friend, Colonel Haight, who has bought a cottage at Reigate, recently said that my friend could come with me if he wished, and he would be glad to entertain him.Holmes agreed.A week after our return from Lyons we arrived at the Colonel's lodgings.Hayter, a brisk old soldier with a lot of experience, soon found that Holmes could get along with him, just as I had foreseen.

On the evening of our arrival, just after supper, we were sitting in the colonel's gun room.Holmes was lying on the sofa, and Hayter and I were looking with interest at his little armory where the oriental arms were stored.

"By the way," said the colonel suddenly, "I'd like to take a pistol upstairs with me in case of an alarm."

"Alarm?!" "Yes, we've had a lot of trouble in our area lately. Old Acton was a rich gentleman, but a man broke into his house last week. losses, but the guy is still at large."

"No clue?" asked Holmes the Colonel.

"There are no clues yet, but it is a small matter, a small crime in our village. After your international case, it will surely pass your attention, Mr. Holmes."

Holmes waved his hand to tell him not to praise himself.

"An important clue?"

"I don't think so. The thieves searched the library and found nothing. The whole library was searched, and all they found was a volume of Homer translated by Pope, two gilded candlesticks, and an ivory The paperweight, a small oak barometer and a ball of thread are missing."

"How queer!" I exclaimed.

"Well, these guys are obviously taking what they come across." Holmes snorted on the sofa.

"The district police should be able to see something in these details," continued Holmes. "Well, it is evident that ..."

I interrupted him abruptly, and warned him: "We have come here to rest, my dear friend, and please do not begin any new case while we are very tired."

Holmes shrugged his shoulders, and we turned to lighter topics.

But in any case, all those words I reminded him as a doctor were for nothing.For the next morning, while we were having breakfast, the colonel's butler barged in without regard for courtesy.

"Have you heard the news, sir?" said the steward in a loud, breathless voice. "At the Cunningham's! Sir."

"Stealing again!" exclaimed the colonel.

"Killed!"

The colonel was taken aback. "My God!" said he, "who was killed, then? The sheriff or his son?"

"Neither, sir. It's William the coachman, with a bullet through the chest, sir."

"Then, who did it?"

"It was the burglar, sir, who got away very quickly. He had just burst in through the kitchen window when William met him, and in protecting the master's property, William died."

"when?"

"Last night, it was about one o'clock in the morning."

"Ah, then, let's go and have a look later." The colonel continued to eat breakfast with a gloomy face.

"It is a very sad thing," added the colonel, when the butler had gone. "Old Cunningham is our chief here, and a very decent man. It is evident that the culprit was the one who broke into the Acton house." villains."

"The same one who stole those queer things?" said Holmes.

"Correct."

"Oh, it's probably the easiest thing to do. It's kind of weird though, isn't it? There's a feeling that a gang of country thieves are constantly trying to change their ways. Last night when you talked about taking When taking precautions, I remember it crossed my mind that this rear was perhaps the least-watched parish for thieves in England. It follows that I have much to learn."

"I think it must have been done by local thieves," continued the colonel, "because they are the largest families in the district."

"And the richest?

"Yes, they're the richest, but they've been in a lawsuit for several years. I think this lawsuit sucked a lot of blood from both of them. Old Acton once asked for Canning Settle down half of the property, and the lawyers will benefit from it."

"If it's the local villain's job, it won't be difficult to track him down," said Holmes, yawning. "Well, Watson, I have no intention of interfering in the matter."

The butler suddenly pushed the door open and came in, saying, "Officer Forrest, please see me, sir."

A young police officer entered the house.

"Good morning, Mr. Colonel. I don't want my presence to disturb your peace, but I heard that Mr. Holmes of Baker Street happens to be here at the moment."

The Colonel pointed to my friend, and the Inspector nodded, and said: "We think you would like to come and guide me, Mr. Holmes."

"Fate always works against your will, Watson," said Holmes, smiling. "We were discussing the case when you came in, Mr. Inspector. Perhaps you can give us some more details."

"In the Acton case, we have no clues yet. But now we have a lot of clues in this case, and we can start working. Obviously, the two cases were committed by the same group. Someone saw the perpetrator."

"what?!"

"Yes, gentlemen, the perpetrator ran away after shooting poor William Kirwan. Old Mr. Cunningham happened to see him from his bedroom window at that time, Alec Canning." Mr. Ning An saw him from the back corridor. It was a quarter to twelve. They both heard William the coachman calling for help, and Mr. Alec ran downstairs to see what was the matter. He Saw two men wrestling outside. One fired a shot and the other fell. Then the killer fled. Mr. Cunningham looked out from his bedroom and saw the fellow running all the way to the road, but a second later Gone in between. Mr. Alec pauses to see if he can save the dying man, only to let the villain escape. We know nothing about the murderer's appearance other than knowing that he is of medium build and wearing dark clothes leads. But we're doing our best to investigate."

"So, did that William say anything before he died?"

"Not a word is said, but he lived with his mother in the servants' quarters, because he was a very honest man. We suppose he went to the kitchen, perhaps to see if it was all right. Of course, the Acton case had everyone Be on your guard, the robber had just pushed the door open when William ran into him."

"Did William say anything to his mother before going out?"

"His mother is old and deaf, and we don't get any information from her. She's going crazy from this fright. But there's an important one. Look!"

The officer took a torn piece of paper from the notebook and spread it on his lap.

"We found this note from the dead man. It appears to have been torn from a larger piece of paper. You see, the time written on it is the time of the poor fellow's misfortune. Or The murderer tore a piece from the dead man, or the dead man took the corner from the murderer. The note read like a sort of dating note."

Holmes picked up the little slip of paper.

"Let's take this as a kind of dating," the police officer continued to analyze. "Of course William Kirwan has a reputation for honesty, but it is also possible that he colluded with the thieves. Maybe he was there to meet the thieves, and even helped the thieves break into the door. It may be that they fell out again afterward." "The handwriting is very interesting," said Holmes, examining the note carefully, "and it is much more difficult than I imagined." The inspector saw the case. He was overjoyed to have put the famous London detective in such trouble.

"You said," continued Holmes after a moment, "that there might be a tacit understanding between the thief and the servant, and that this piece of paper might be a secret letter from one to the other. It's not impossible, but this note clearly says..." He pondered for a moment, his eyes sparkled, and he jumped up.

"I tell you," said he, "I should like to go quietly and see some other details of the case. If I will, Colonel, I should like to go with the Inspector, and I will see you in half an hour." .”

After an hour and a half, the police officer came back alone.

"Mr. Holmes is walking up and down the fields," he said to me and the colonel, "and he wants the four of us to walk around the house."

"To Mr. Cunningham's?"

"Yes, sir."

"Do what?"

The officer shrugged and said:

"I don't know, sir. I think Mr. Holmes is not quite well. He is very queer and over-excited."

"I think he's got it all figured out when he looks crazy."

"Some would say he's crazy in his methods," the officer muttered, "but he's in a hurry to investigate, and we'd better go now."

When we arrived, we saw Holmes walking up and down the field with his hands in his trouser pockets and his head bowed.

"It is becoming more and more interesting," said Holmes. "I have had a marvelous morning, Watson."

"I know, you've been to the scene of the crime," said the colonel.

"Yes, the police officer and I have searched the scene carefully."

"Any gains?"

(End of this chapter)